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2024
Kramer AM, Faust CL, Castellanos AA, Fischhoff IR, Peel AJ, Eby P, Ruiz-Aravena M, Borremans B, Plowright RK, Han BA (2024). Integrating predictors of host condition into spatiotemporal multi-scale models of virus shedding. bioRxiv. [Contribution: methodology support, manuscript editing].
Disease ecology | Bat-borne viruses | Multi-scale modeling | Pathogen spillover | Mechanistic model
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Borremans B, Falvo CA, Crowley DE, Hoegh A, Lloyd-Smith JO, Peel AJ, Restif O, Ruiz-Aravena M, Plowright R (2023). Reconstructing prevalence dynamics of wildlife pathogens from pooled and individual samples. Peer Community Journal 4 e80. [Contribution: ideas, method development and analyses, writing].
Pathogen prevalence | Disease ecology | Bat-borne viruses | Bayesian multilevel model | Predictors of prevalence
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De Kesel W, Vanden Broecke B, Borremans B, Fourchault L, Willems E, Ceulemans A, Sabuni C, Massawe A, Makundi RH, Leirs H, Peeters M, Verheyen E, Gryseels S, Mariën J, Ariën KK (2024). Antibodies against medically relevant arthropod-borne viruses in the ubiquitous African rodent Mastomys natalensis. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 18(9) e0012233. [Contribution: data collection, laboratory assays, manuscript editing].
Rodent-borne pathogens | Serology | African rodent | Long-term field data | Arthropod-borne viruses
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Barbosa L, Borremans B, Deming AC, Gálvez C, Norris T, Pattison S, Whoriskey S, Elorriaga-Verplancken FR (2024). Inhalant anesthesia for minimally invasive procedures in free-ranging Guadalupe fur seals (Acrtocephalus philippii townsendi). Marine Mammal Science e13124. [Contribution: data analysis, visualization, manuscript editing].
Marine mammal monitoring | Veterinary Science | Field methods | Guadalupe fur seal
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Mummah RO, Gomez ACR, Guglielmino AH, Borremans B, Galloway RL, Prager KC, Lloyd-Smith JO (2024). Navigating cross-reactivity and host species effects in a serological assay: A case study of the microscopic agglutination test for Leptospira serology. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 18(10) e0012042. [Contribution: ideas, method development, editing].
Antibody assay | Cross-reactivity | Quantitative serology | Leptospirosis | Host-specific cross-reactivity patterns
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2023
Leirs H, Kirkpatrick L, Sluydts V, Sabuni C, Borremans B, Katakweba A, Massawe A, Makundi R, Mulungu L, Machang’u R, Mariën J (2023). Twenty-nine years of continuous monthly capture-mark-recapture data of multimammate mice (Mastomys natalensis) in Morogoro, Tanzania. Scientific Data. [Contribution: data collection, concepts, editing].
Field sampling | Disease ecology | Rodent-borne viruses | Capture-mark-recapture | Tanzania
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Lunn TJ, Borremans B, Jones DN, Kessler MK, Dale AS, Yinda KC, Ruiz-Aravena M, Falvo CA, Crowley D, Lloyd-Smith JO, Munster VJ, Eby P, McCallum H, Hudson P, Restif O, McGuire LP, Smith IL, Bat One Health Group, Plowright PK, Peel AJ (2023). Periodic shifts in viral load increase risk of spillover from bats. bioRxiv. [Contribution: ideas, method development and analyses, co-writing].
Spillover | Disease ecology | Hendra virus | Permutation test | Bat-borne virus
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Borremans B, Mummah RO, Guglielmino AH, Galloway RL, Hens N, Prager KC, Lloyd-Smith JO (2023). Inferring time of infection from field data using dynamic models of antibody decay. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. [Contribution: ideas, method development and analyses, writing].
Disease ecology | Quantitative serology | Time of infection model | Bayesian model | Method development
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McClain AM, Field CL, Norris TA, Borremans B, Duignan PJ, Johnson SP, Whoriskey ST, Thompson-Barbosa L, Gulland FMD (2023). The symptomatology and diagnosis of domoic acid toxicosis in stranded California sea lions: A review and evaluation of 20 years of cases to guide prognosis. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 10:1245864. [Contribution: method development and analyses, co-writing].
Disease ecology | Model development | Neurology | Domoic acid | Harmful algal bloom | California sea lion
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Helman SK, Tokuyama AFN, Mummah RO, Gamble MW, Snedden CE, Borremans B, Gomez ACR, Cox C, Nussbaum J, Tweedt I, Haake DA, Galloway RL, Monzón J, Riley SPD, Sikich JA, Brown J, Friscia A, Lynch JW, Prager KC, Lloyd-Smith J (2023). Pathogenic Leptospira are widespread in the urban wildlife of southern California. Scientific Reports 13:14368. [Contribution: method development, co-writing].
Disease ecology | Leptospirosis | Urban wildlife | Zoonosis | MAT | Serovar cross-reactivity
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2022
Mummah RO, Guglielmino AH, Borremans B, Coonan TJ, Prager KC, Lloyd-Smith JO (2022). Leveraging location data of variable quality to reconstruct animal movements: application to a reintroduced island fox (Urocyon littoralis) population. Research Square (preprint).
[Contribution: conceptual thinking, methodology, co-writing].
Movement ecology | Animal tracking data | Channel Island fox | Conservation ecology | Method development
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Nelis JLD, Rosas de Silva G, Ortuño J, Tsagkaris AS, Borremans B, Haslova J, Colgrave ML, Elliott CT (2022). The General Growth Tendency: A tool to improve publication trend reporting by removing record inflation bias and enabling quantitative trend analysis. PLoS ONE 17(5): e2068433.
[Contribution: methodology, R coding, co-writing].
Literature review | Publication trends | Scientific field growth | Method development
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2021
Snedden CE, Makanani SK, Schwartz ST, Gamble A, Blakey RV, Borremans B, Helman SK, Espericueta L, Valencia A, Endo A, Alfaro ME, Lloyd-Smith JO (2021). SARS-CoV-2: Cross-scale insights from ecology and evolution. Trends in Microbiology 29(7): 593-605.
[Contribution: conceptual thinking, literature review, co-writing].
COVID-19 | Ecological and evolutionary theory | Lessons from ecology | Emerging diseases | Ecological principles
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Whitmer ER, Borremans B, Duignan PJ, Johnson SP, Lloyd-Smith JO, McClain AM, Field CL, Prager KC (2021). Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis for predicting prognosis in wildlife rehabilitation: a case study of leptospirosis in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 52:38-48.
[Contribution: model development, statistics, co-writing].
Applied science | Machine learning | Veterinary | Sea lion survival | Predict survival | Decision tree | The Marine Mammal Center
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2020
Reijniers J, Tersago K, Borremans B, Hartemink N, Voutilainen L, Henttonen H, Leirs H (2020). Why Hantavirus prevalence does not always increase with host density: modelling the role of host spatial behaviour and maternal antibodies. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology 10:536660.
[Contribution: concept development, co-writing].
Disease ecology | Transmission drivers | Mathematical model | Host ecology | Population density | Immunity
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Borremans B, Gamble A, Prager KC, Helman, SK, McClain AM, Cox C, Savage V, Lloyd-Smith JO (2020). Quantifying antibody kinetics and RNA shedding during early-phase SARS-CoV-2 infection. eLife 9:e60122.
COVID-19 | Meta-analysis | Antibody and RNA detection | Custom bootstrap statistics | Bayesian MCMC
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Mariën J, Borremans B, Verhaeren C, Kirkpatrick L, Gryseels S, Goüy de Bellocq J, Günther S, Sabuni CA, Massawe AW, Reijniers J, Leirs H (2020). Density-dependence and persistence of Morogoro arenavirus transmission in a fluctuating population of its reservoir host. Journal of Animal Ecology 89:506-518.
[Contribution: concept development, experimental design, field work organization].
Virus persistence | Disease ecology | Host population density | Transmission drivers | Mathematical model
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2019
Borremans B, Faust C, Manlove KR, Sokolow SS, Lloyd-Smith JO (2019). Cross-species pathogen spillover across ecosystem boundaries: mechanisms and theory. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 374:20180344.
Disease ecology | New theory | Conceptual framework | Pathogen spillover | Pathogen permeability
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Manlove KR, Sampson LM, Borremans B, Cassirer FE, Miller RS, Pepin KM, Besser TE, Cross PC (2019). Epidemic growth rates and host movement patterns shape management performance for pathogen spillover at the wildlife-livestock interface. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 374:20180343 [Contribution: co-writing, concepts/ideas].
Mathematical model | Pathogen transmission | Disease control and mitigation | Simulation | Management
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Mariën J, Borremans B, Kourouma F, Jatta B, Rieger T, Günther S, Magassouba N, Leirs H, Fichet-Calvet E (2019). Evaluation of rodent control to fight Lassa fever based on field data and mathematical modelling. Emerging Microbes & Infections 8(1):640-649 [Contribution: co-writing, methodology].
Virus transmission | Disease ecology | Rodent-borne disease | Mathematical model | Management | Arenavirus
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Nimo-Paintsil SC, Fichet-Calvet E, Borremans B, Letizia AG, Mohareb E, Bonney JHK, Obiri-Danso K, Ampofo WK, Schoepp RJ, Kronmann KC (2019). Rodent-borne infections in rural Ghanaian farming communities. PLoS ONE 14(4):e0215224. [Contribution: statistics, co-writing].
Rodent-borne disease | Hantavirus | Arenavirus | Risk factors | Spillover | Disease ecology | Statistics
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Costantini D, Borremans B (2019). The linear no-threshold model is less realistic than threshold or hormesis-based models: An evolutionary perspective. Chemico-Biological Interactions 301:26-33 [Contribution: conceptual thinking, mathematical model development, co-writing].
Hormesis | Evolution | Mathematical simulation | Biological theory | Stressor exposure and adaptation
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2018
Iserbyt A, Griffioen M, Borremans B, Eens M, Müller W (2018). How to quantify animal activity from radio-frequency identification (RFID) recordings. Ecology and Evolution 1-10, 10.1002/ece3.4491 [Contribution: R coding, development of functions and user-friendly examples; co-writing].
R programming | Animal movement | Data management | Contact data | Social networks | Movement ecology
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Mariën J, Sluydts V, Borremans B, Gryseels S, Vanden Broecke B, Sabuni C, Katakweba, A, Mulungu, L, Günther S, Goüy de Bellocq J, Massawe A, Leirs H (2018). Arenavirus infection correlates with lower survival of its natural rodent host. Parasites & Vectors 11:90 [Contribution: co-writing, methodology].
Disease ecology | Rodent-borne disease | Pathogen spillover | Zoonoses | Virus-host evolution | Pathogenicity
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2017
Borremans B, Reijniers J, Hens N, Leirs H (2017). The shape of the contact-density function matters when modelling disease transmission in fluctuating populations. Royal Society Open Science 4(11):171308.
Epidemiology | Disease ecology | Mathematical model | Simulation | R programming | Density-dependent transmission
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Vanden Broecke B, Borremans B, Mariën J, Makundi R, Massawe A, Leirs A, Hughes N (2017). Does exploratory behavior or activity in a wild mouse explain susceptibility to virus infection? Current Zoology 10.1093/cz/zox053. [Contribution: conceptual thinking, co-writing, methodology].
Disease ecology | Animal behavior | Superspreaders | Disease and behavior | Movement ecology
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Mariën J, Borremans B, Gryseels S, Vanden Broecke B, Becker-Ziaja B, Makundi R, Massawe A, Reijniers J, Leirs H (2017). Comparative study of arenavirus infection patterns in experimentally and naturally infected rodent hosts. EcoHealth 10.1007/s10393-017-1256-7. [Contribution: conceptual thinking, experimental design, co-writing, data collection].
Disease ecology | Experimental infection | Lab vs. field | Model parameterization | Antibodies | PCR | Seroprevalence
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Cuypers L, Cuypers W, Abraham L, Aertbeliën S, Blomme A, Massawe A, Borremans B, Gryseels S, Leirs H (2017). No evidence for avoidance of black rat scent by the presumably less competitive Natal multimammate mouse in a choice experiment. African Zoology 52:119-123. [Contribution: conceptual thinking, co-writing].
Rodent ecology | Animal behavior | Scent | Competition and avoidance | Predation | Field experiment
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Mariën J, Borremans B, Gryseels S, Soropogui B, De Bruyn L, Njala Nongo G, Becker-Ziaja B, Goüy de Bellocq J, Günther S, Magassouba N, Leirs H, Fichet-Calvet E (2017). No measurable adverse effects of Lassa, Morogoro and Gairo arenaviruses on their rodent reservoir host in natural conditions. Parasites & Vectors 10:210. [Contribution: data collection, conceptual thinking, co-writing].
Disease ecology | Host-pathogen evolution | Arenavirus | Rodent-borne disease | Reservoir host | Africa
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Gryseels S, Baird S, Makundi R, Borremans B, Bryjová A, Leirs H, Goüy de Bellocq J (2017). When viruses don’t go viral: the importance of intraspecific phylogeography in the spatial spread of arenaviruses. PLoS Pathogens 13(1): e1006073. [Contribution: data collection, conceptual thinking, co-writing].
Disease ecology and evolution | Host-pathogen evolution | Adaptation | Phylogeography | Pathogen distribution
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2016
Borremans B, Reijniers J, Hughes N, Gryseels S, Makundi R, Leirs H (2016). Nonlinear scaling of foraging contacts with rodent population density. Oikos 126:792-800.
Disease ecology | Density-dependent transmission | Population ecology | Sigmoid contact-density relationship | Field experiment
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Kerber R, Krumkamp R, …, Borremans B, …, Günther S, Di Caro A (85 authors) (2016). Analysis of diagnostic findings from the European Mobile Laboratory in Guéckédou, Guinea, March 2014 to February 2015. Journal of Infectious Diseases 214(S3):S250-257. [Contribution: sample analysis during 2014-2015 EMLab expedition].
Ebola virus | Field assistance | Sample analysis | Biosafety | Ebola outbreak | European Mobile lab | World Health Organization
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Borremans B, Hens N, Beutels P, Leirs H, Reijniers J (2016). Estimating time of infection using prior serological and individual information can greatly improve incidence estimation of human and wildlife infections. PLoS Computational Biology 12:e1004882. [Recommended by F1000 (F1000prime) as an article of special significance 6 June 2016, f1000.com/prime/726354304; Article featured on the cover page of the journal website].
Serology | Antibody kinetics | Antibody decay | Time of infection | Bayesian probability | Integrated information
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Caluwaerts S, Fautsch T, Lagrou D, Camara M, Moreau M, Van Herp M, Borremans B, Richter M, Logue C, Günther S, Burkhardt G, Erland E, Lledo P, Lionetto F, de la Rosa O, Hassna M (2016). Dilemmas in managing pregnant women with Ebola: 2 case reports. Clinical Infectious Diseases 62:903-905. [Contribution: sample collection during 2014-2015 EMLab expedition].
Ebola virus | European Mobile lab | World Health Organization | Ebola outbreak | West Africa
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2015
Mulungu LS, Borremans B, Ngowo V, Mdangi ME, Katakweba AS, Tesha P, Mrosso FP, Mchomvu M, Kilonzo BS (2015). Comparative study of movement patterns of Mastomys natalensis in irrigated rice and fallow fields in eastern Tanzania. African Journal of Ecology 53:473-479.
Movement ecology | Population ecology | Rodent behavior | Rodent survival | Rodent control | Animal movement
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Carroll MW, Matthews DA, ..., Borremans B, ..., Formenty P, Günther S (133 authors) (2015). Temporal and spatial analysis of the 2014-2015 Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. Nature 524:97-101. [Contribution: sample collection during 2014-2015 EMLab expedition].
Ebola virus | European Mobile lab | World Health Organization | Ebola outbreak | West Africa | Guinea | Biosafety
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Borremans B, Vossen R, Becker-Ziaja B, Gryseels S, Hughes N, Van Houtte N, Günther S, Leirs H (2015). Shedding dynamics of Morogoro virus, an Old World Arenavirus closely related to Lassa virus, in its natural reservoir host Mastomys natalensis. Scientific Reports 5:10445.
Disease ecology | Experimental infection | Laboratory | Model parameterization | Antibody kinetics | Pathogen shedding
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Makundi RH, Massawe AW, Borremans B, Laudisoit A, Katakweba A (2015). We are connected: flea-host association networks in the plague outbreak focus in the Rift Valley, northern Tanzania. Wildlife Research 42:196-206. [Contribution: data analysis, application of network analysis to flea-host association data, co-writing].
Disease ecology | Bubonic plague | Tanzania | Association networks | Host specificity | Rodent-borne diseases
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Borremans B, Sluydts V, Makundi R, Leirs H (2015). Evaluation of short-, mid and long-term effects of toe clipping on a wild rodent. Wildlife Research 42:143-148.
Ecology | Field work | Animal marking | Animal welfare | Capture mark recapture | Survival | Rodent ecology
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Katakweba AAS, Mhamphi GG, Mwalimu DC, Mchau G, Mbise TJ, Lugendo RM, Borremans B, Kilonzo BS (2015). Laboratory and field tests of Carbaryl 5% against fleas in Lushoto district, Tanzania. Tanzanian Journal of Health Research 17:10.4314/thrb.v17i2XX. [Contribution: data analysis].
Field experiment | Pest control | Pesticide | Lethal control | Parasite control | Flea control | Pathogen transmission
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Gryseels S, Rieger T, Oestereich L, Cuypers B, Borremans B, Makundi R, Leirs H, Gunther S, Gouy de Bellocq J (2015). Gairo virus, a novel arenavirus of the widespread Mastomys natalensis: Genetically divergent, but ecologically similar to Lassa and Morogoro viruses. Virology 476:249-256. [Contribution: data collection].
Virus discovery | Arenavirus | Rodent-borne disease | Gairo virus | Host-virus evolution | Host specificity
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Moreau M, Spencer, C, Gozalbes JG, Colebunders R, Lefevre A, Gryseels S, Borremans B, Gunther S, Becker D, Bore JA, Koundouno FR, Di Caro A, Wolfel R, Van Herp M, Peetermans L, Camara AM (2015). Lactating mothers infected with Ebola virus: EBOV RT-PCR of blood only may be insufficient. Eurosurveillance 20:pii=21017. [Contribution: sample collection during 2014-2015 EMLab expedition].
Ebola virus | Mother-child transmission | European Mobile Laboratories | Ebola outbreak | Guinea | World Health Organization
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2014
Veyrunes F, Perez J, Borremans B, Gryseels S, Richards LR, Duran A, Chevret P, Robinson TJ, Britton-Davidian J (2014). A new cytotype of the African pygmy mouse Mus minutoides in Eastern Africa. Implications for the evolution of sex-autosome translocations. Chromosome Research 22:533-543. [Contribution: data collection].
Mammal genetics | Mammal chromosome | Africa | Sex-autosome translocation | Pygmy mouse
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Borremans B (2014). Ammonium improves elution of fixed dried blood spots without affecting immunofluorescence assay quality. Tropical Medicine and International Health 19:413-416.
Laboratory methods | Sample elution | PBS solution | Dried blood spot | Filter paper | Ammonium
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Borremans B, Hughes N, Reijniers J, Sluydts V, Katakweba AAS, Mulungu L, Sabuni C, Makundi R, Leirs H (2014). Happily together forever: temporal variation in spatial patterns and complete lack of territoriality in a promiscuous rodent. Population Ecology 56: 109-118.
Population ecology | Territoriality | Animal behavior | Mating system | Promiscuity | Rodent behavior
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2009-2013
Goyens J, Reijniers J, Borremans B, Leirs H (2013). Density thresholds for Mopeia virus invasion and persistence in its host Mastomys natalensis. Journal of Theoretical Biology 317:55-61. [Contribution: conceptual thinking, co-writing].
Disease ecology | Mathematical modeling | Arenavirus | Host abundance | Pathogen persistence | Rodent-borne disease
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Katakweba A, Mulungu L, Eiseb S, Mahlaba T, Makundi R, Massawe A, Borremans B, Belmain S (2012). Prevalence of haemoparasites, leptospires and coccobacilli with potential for human infection in the blood of rodents and shrews from selected localities in Tanzania, Namibia and Swaziland. African Zoology 47(1): 119-127. [Contribution: data analysis].
Rodent-borne disease | Disease ecology | Zoonoses | Pathogen detection | Africa | Public health
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Borremans B, Leirs H, Günther S, Gryseels S, Makundi R, Goüy de Bellocq J (2011). Presence of Mopeia Virus, an African Arenavirus, related to individual host characteristics and biotope; implications for transmission. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases 11(8):1125-1131.
Disease ecology | Field work | Capture mark recapture | Rodent-borne disease | Tanzania | Live trapping | Statistics
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Goüy de Bellocq J, Borremans B, Katakweba A, Makundi R, Baird S, Becker-Ziaja B, Günther S, Leirs H (2010). Sympatric occurrence of three arenaviruses in Morogoro, Tanzania. Emerging Infectious Diseases 16:692-695. [Contribution: data collection].
Disease ecology | Host specificity | Arenavirus | Rodent-borne disease | Host-virus evolution | Tanzania
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*Geelhand de Merxem D, *Borremans B, de Jäger ML, Johnson T, Jooste M, Ros P, Zenni RD, Ellis AG, Anderson B (2009). The importance of pollinators not predicted by floral syndromes. South African Journal of Botany 75:660-667. *author position decided by coin toss.
Plant-insect interactions | Floral trait adaptation | South Africa | Field work | Pollinators
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