Summary
Research project to use seroepidemiologic methods and multiplex bead assays to measure the effects of water, sanitation, and handwashing (WASH) and nutrition interventions on enteric pathogen transmission in low-resource settings, and to map multi-pathogen burdens.
What they want
The project aims to develop and apply seroepidemiologic methods to measure intervention effects on enteric pathogen transmission. This involves using multiplex bead assays to measure immunoglobulin G (IgG) response to nine enteric pathogens (Giardia sp., Cryptosporidium sp., Entamoeba histolytica, Strongyloides sp., Ascaris sp., Campylobacter sp., enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella sp., and norovirus) in blood samples from children in Kenya and Bangladesh. Data from completed cluster randomized trials (WASH and nutritional interventions) will be analyzed to measure the effects of these interventions on antibody-based measures of transmission (mean IgG response, seroprevalence, and force of infection). Additionally, the project will combine multiplex antibody data with spatial models to map landscapes of enteric pathogen exposure and develop generalizable methods to identify communities with the highest multi-pathogen burdens.
Deliverables
- Measurement of intervention effects of WASH and nutrition on antibody-based measures of enteric pathogen transmission (mean IgG response, seroprevalence, and force of infection) in Kenya and Bangladesh.
- Development of generalizable methods combining multiplex antibody data with spatial models to map enteric pathogen exposure and identify communities with highest multi-pathogen burdens.
Technical requirements
- Multiplex bead assays for IgG response to enteric pathogens
- Seroepidemiologic methods
- Spatial epidemiology and modeling
