Zoonotic Diseases and Integrated Surveillance
Gabriella S. Ondoua Nganjou
Gabriella S. Ondoua Nganjou is a PhD candidate in Molecular Parasitology at the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon. Her doctoral research focuses on the population genomics of Onchocerca volvulus, the parasite responsible for onchocerciasis (river blindness). By investigating the parasite’s genetic diversity and transmission dynamics, her work aims to define transmission zones with greater precision, providing evidence to guide targeted interventions and inform decisions on when mass drug administration (MDA) can be safely discontinued without risking disease resurgence. This research contributes directly to efforts to eliminate onchocerciasis in endemic settings.
Gabriella’s broader research interests span infectious disease epidemiology, zoonotic diseases, integrated surveillance, molecular diagnostics, genomics, and pandemic preparedness. Her multidisciplinary experience includes vector control for schistosomiasis, validation of innovative cell-free DNA-based diagnostic tools, molecular and epidemiological studies of malaria, babesiosis, and other neglected tropical diseases, as well as genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2. Through the ZONES Research Group, she is committed to advancing One Health approaches that strengthen disease surveillance, improve outbreak preparedness, and support evidence-based public health decision-making.
Her research is motivated by a commitment to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), while recognizing its close links with poverty reduction and food security. Beyond research, Gabriella is passionate about strengthening scientific capacity across Africa. She actively contributes to scientific societies and collaborative networks, mentors early-career researchers, and champions the participation of women and girls in science. Her leadership reflects the TREND Foundation’s commitment to research excellence, innovation, collaboration, diversity, and sustainable capacity building.
Background
Zoonotic diseases, infectious diseases that are naturally transmitted between vertebrate animals and humans, represent one of the greatest challenges to global health. Approximately 60% of all known human infectious diseases and 75% of emerging infectious diseases, including Ebola, HIV/AIDS, influenza, and COVID-19, are of zoonotic origin. Their emergence and spread are increasingly driven by anthropogenic and environmental changes that disrupt natural ecosystems and intensify interactions among wildlife, livestock, and human populations.
Climate change, deforestation, agricultural expansion, rapid urbanization, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution are reshaping ecological systems and creating favorable conditions for pathogen spillover across species. Environmental contaminants can also alter host immunity, increasing susceptibility to infection, while globalization, international travel, and trade accelerate the spread of emerging pathogens beyond their points of origin. These complex and interconnected challenges underscore the importance of the One Health approach, which recognizes the interdependence of human, animal, and environmental health in preventing and controlling infectious diseases.
Sub-Saharan Africa is a hotspot for emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases, yet significant gaps remain in disease surveillance, research, and response capacity. Limited understanding of wildlife reservoirs, vector-host-pathogen interactions, environmental drivers of disease emergence, and the effects of pollutants on host susceptibility continues to constrain effective prevention and control strategies. Although genomic technologies have transformed infectious disease surveillance and outbreak response, access to genomic infrastructure, bioinformatics expertise, and skilled personnel remains limited across much of the region. Addressing these challenges requires integrated, multidisciplinary research that combines epidemiology, ecology, genomics, environmental sciences, and public health to generate evidence for more effective surveillance, preparedness, and disease control.
Research Goals
ZONES Research Group advances interdisciplinary research at the human-animal-environment interface to better understand, predict, and mitigate the risks posed by zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases. Guided by the One Health framework, the Research Group investigates how environmental change, anthropogenic activities, and ecological processes shape host-pathogen interactions, pathogen evolution, and disease transmission. ZONES Research Group aims to : i) advance understanding of the ecological, environmental, and anthropogenic drivers of zoonotic disease emergence and transmission; ii) investigate the impacts of climate change, pollution, land-use change, and biodiversity loss on wildlife health, host susceptibility, and pathogen dynamics; iii) strengthen integrated disease surveillance through the application of genomics, molecular epidemiology, and innovative diagnostic approaches; iv) generate evidence to support public health policies, disease prevention strategies, and pandemic preparedness; v) build sustainable research and genomic surveillance capacity across Africa by fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, training the next generation of scientists, and promoting equitable scientific partnerships.
ZONES Research Group conducts interdisciplinary research at the interface of human, animal, and environmental health to better understand, predict, and mitigate the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases. Our research integrates ecology, epidemiology, environmental sciences, genomics, and public health to generate evidence that strengthens disease surveillance, informs policy, and improves pandemic preparedness. Our research is organized around three (03) interconnected Research Axes, each addressing a critical component of zoonotic disease emergence and control.
Research Axis #1 - Environmental pollution and zoonoses: a One Health perspective
Environmental pollution is an increasingly recognized driver of ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss. Rapid urbanization, agricultural intensification, industrial activities, and unsustainable land use have resulted in widespread contamination of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems by pesticides, heavy metals, microplastics, and other persistent pollutants. While the ecological impacts of these contaminants are well documented, their influence on infectious disease dynamics and zoonotic spillover remains poorly understood. Growing evidence suggests that environmental pollutants can impair immune function, alter physiological processes, and increase host susceptibility to infection. At the same time, habitat degradation and environmental change are intensifying interactions among wildlife, livestock, and human populations, creating conditions that favour pathogen emergence and cross-species transmission. This Research Axis seeks to understand how environmental pollution shapes host-pathogen interactions and zoonotic disease risks. Specifically, we aim to : i) characterize environmental pollutants, including pesticides, heavy metals, microplastics, and other contaminants, across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; ii) quantify pollutant exposure in wildlife, livestock, and other sentinel species; iii) investigate how pollutant exposure influences immune function, physiological health, and susceptibility to infectious diseases; iv) examine the relationships between environmental contamination, host health, pathogen prevalence, and zoonotic spillover risk; v) generate evidence to inform environmental management and One Health policies that reduce disease emergence.
Research Axis #2 - Vector-borne zoonoses
Vector-borne diseases remain among the leading causes of infectious disease globally, affecting humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Mosquitoes, ticks, biting flies, and other arthropod vectors transmit a wide range of viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens, many of which have significant zoonotic potential. However, the ecological processes governing pathogen circulation, vector dynamics, and spillover remain insufficiently understood, particularly in rapidly changing environments. Wildlife species such as birds and small mammals often serve as important reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens. Understanding the interactions among vectors, wildlife, livestock, humans, and their environments is essential for predicting disease emergence and designing effective surveillance strategies. This research axis focuses on understanding the ecological and environmental determinants of vector-borne zoonotic diseases by : i) characterizing the diversity, abundance, and spatial distribution of arthropod vectors across urban, rural, agricultural, and natural landscapes; ii) identifying host–vector interactions through blood-meal analysis and ecological monitoring; iii) detecting and genomically characterizing viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens circulating in vectors and wildlife reservoirs; iv) investigating how climate variability, land-use change, biodiversity, and environmental pollution influence vector ecology and pathogen transmission; and v) identifying ecological drivers of pathogen persistence and zoonotic spillover to strengthen risk assessment and surveillance.
Research Axis #3 - Genomic surveillance and pandemic preparedness
Recent global health emergencies have demonstrated the critical importance of integrated surveillance systems supported by genomic technologies and skilled scientific expertise. Although remarkable progress has been made across Africa, important gaps remain in genomic infrastructure, bioinformatics capacity, and the integration of environmental and epidemiological data into early warning systems. This Research Axis translates findings from the first two research axes into practical tools for disease prevention, outbreak preparedness, and public health action. By combining genomics, epidemiology, ecological surveillance, and predictive modelling, we aim to strengthen Africa’s capacity to detect, monitor, and respond to emerging infectious diseases before they become widespread public health threats. Our objectives are to : i) develop predictive models that integrate environmental, ecological, climatic, genomic, and epidemiological data to identify zoonotic spillover hotspots and forecast disease emergence; ii) establish integrated, cost-effective surveillance systems that combine genomic pathogen detection with environmental and ecological monitoring at high-risk human-animal-environment interfaces; iii) strengthen genomic surveillance and bioinformatics capacity through training, mentorship, and collaborative research that empowers the next generation of African scientists; iv) generate evidence-based decision-support tools and preparedness roadmaps to guide national and regional disease surveillance, outbreak response, and resource allocation; v) promote sustainable One Health surveillance systems that improve resilience against future epidemics and pandemics.
Gabriella S. Ondoua Nganjou
Thibaut Armel Cherif Gnimadi
Research Assistant at the Centre de Recherche et de Formation en Infectiologie de Guinée (CERFIG). His expertise in antimicrobial resistance genomic surveillance, virus discovery, and genomic epidemiology strengthens ZONES projects involving pathogen detection, molecular characterization, and genomic surveillance.
Sekou Sissoko
Research Scientist at the Parasites & Microbes Research and Training Center (PMRTC), Mali, his expertise in genomic epidemiology, parasitological immunology, and parasite biology contributes to ZONES research on vector-borne diseases, parasite ecology, host susceptibility, and pathogen genomics.
Prof. Claire Loiseau
Research Scientist at MiVEGEC (IRD/University of Montpellier). Her internationally recognized expertise in ecotoxicology, particularly the analysis of microplastics and heavy metal contamination, supports the ZONES Research Group’s investigations into the impacts of environmental pollution on wildlife health and zoonotic disease risks.
Centre de Recherche et de Formation en Infectiologie de Guinée (CERFIG)
Expertise in pathogen detection and molecular characterization from human clinical samples while supporting scientific exchange and capacity building through research visits and collaborative training.
Parasites & microbes Research & Training Center (PMRTC), Mali
Key partner of the ZONES Research Group. The partnership provides expertise in mosquito surveillance, vector and pathogen characterization, and molecular epidemiology, while fostering genomic research capacity through collaborative training, mentorship, and scientific exchange for TREND Foundation staff.
Gabriella S. Ondoua Nganjou
Group Leader
ondouanganjou@trendfoundation.org
Christian Tchana Ngacheu
Deputy Group Leader
tchanangacheu@trendfoundation.org