US-Israel Collab: Market Integration, Land Use, and Pathogen Transmission in Rural Madagascar

The transition from subsistence agriculture to a lifestyle based on market activities is fundamentally changing human health for millions of people globally. It remains unclear how this process of market integration affects infectious disease transmission within and among human communities. At an existing research site in northern Madagascar, we will investigate how ongoing market integration shapes human movement, social contact, and viral infections locally and regionally. We will also investigate how agricultural activities involving subsistence and cash crops influence the movement of small mammals (particularly non-native rats and mice) and the pathogens they carry into villages. To achieve these goals, We have assembled a highly interdisciplinary research team that integrates cutting edge approaches in ecology, sociology, economics, mathematics, and environmental sciences.

Overall, the research will contribute to understanding the dynamics of early stages of zoonotic disease outbreaks, with a focus on the transmission of new infectious organisms locally that can seed new communities regionally through human movement pattems. Thus, our research will contribute to pandemic preparedness and highlight the importance of integrating natural and social sciences approaches in disease ecology. We are committed to further building our scientific collaboration with local health authorities, and engaging stakeholders throughout the region where we work in Madagascar, while also demonstrating the importance of community partnerships and true international collaboration for trainees.