The CLIMOS consortium, led by Carla Maia, Assistant Researcher and member of VBD-GHTM Research Group, held a four-day General Assembly in Serbia, hosted by the team of the Institute for Medical Research of the University of Belgrade, in an effort to test monitoring tools and the developed surveillance Early Warning System (EWS). In this meeting, which occured in February 2024, the members of the consortium shared insights and findings from sampling sites across 12 countries and the strategies to leverage the obtained data.
Climate change is dramatically altering the geographical landscape of sand flies, a pathogen capable of transmitting diseases including summer meningitis and leishmaniasis that can affect both humans and animals. Found in warm and tropical climates worldwide, this insect belonging to the Phlebotominae subfamily is now reaching into new regions of Europe.
This conclusion comes from the data results obtained by the CLIMOS Project, a consortium composed by 29 partners with the mission to raise awareness of the sand fly, the diseases they transmit and the way to prevent their spread.
“When we think of arthropods carrying infectious diseases, mosquitoes and ticks often come to mind. However, sand flies are a third vector that’s relatively unfamiliar but equally relevant. Often active during twilight hours, female sand flies feed on blood predominantly from mammals, facilitating the transmission of viruses and parasites, with leishmaniasis being particularly concerning” – the consortium explains.
Considered a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization, leishmaniasis, which can lead to severe health issues or even be fatal in untreated cases, is on the rise in Europe. “An estimated 700,000 to 1 million new cases annually in the world underscores the urgency of addressing this issue”, CLIMOS alerts.
Insights and Findings
As outlined, field collections of sand flies were performed in 11 countries – Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Israel, France, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovenia, and Spain. Additionally, data from Greece was acquired by an IDAlert project partner.
Sand fly specimens are currently in the process of being identified, with preliminary results suggesting new records for some species in several surveyed countries. Standardized screening for sand fly-borne pathogens is ongoing following the External Quality Assessment (EQA) for Leishmania and phleboviruses detection.
Vector competence has been tested in three sand fly species – Phlebotomus perniciosus, P. tobbi and P. perfiliewi. The results confirmed that P. perniciosus and P. tobbi are competent vectors of L. donovani and L. major, P. tobbi is susceptible to Toscana phlkebovirus linage B and P. perfiliewi is a competent vector of L. tropica. On the other end, P. perniciosus does not support the development of L. martiniquensis.
Tested under laboratory and field conditions, candidate molecules as semiochemical attractants in novel sticky traps will be incorporated into a trap prototype. Development of novel salivary antigens as markers of exposure to sand flies successfully proceeds, utilizing dog sera from two endemic regions in Turkey to develop species-specific markers for P. papatasi and P. tobbi.
The objective in the close future is to complete the experiments with P. tobbi and P. perfiliewi and test other sand fly species (Sergentomyia minuta, recently colonized P. mascittii and P. neglectus).
Data Collection
To ensure the high quality of the information extracted, CLIMOS meticulously collects data on a range of environmental and socio-economic records; and on climate factors (such as temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture) that can be drivers of sand fly development and spread, as well as the distribution and effects of the pathogens and diseases they carry. The preprocessing of CLIMOS datasets is ready for the data analysis and modelling, to start the first iteration of CLIMOS’s Early Warning System.
Moreover, CLIMOS counts with partners responsible for evaluating and validating the results of the project. They monitor the deployment of technological components (devices and algorithms) and ensure their functionality. The deployment of environment sensors in nine countries and the validation framework for the AAI models that will be deployed in the final Early Warning System were discussed during the General Assembly. The following stage is the deployment of sensors in additional countries with the objective of aggregating the data with CKAN and overcoming validation challenges due to a lack of historical data.
Modelling Infection Risks
In parallel, CLIMOS organised during the General Assembly a series of workshops to understand what can affect and motivate the adoption of an Early Warning System for more accurate climate modelling and prognosis of Leishmania infection risk. The assessment had in consideration the interconnectedness of social, economic, political, technological, legal, economic, ethical as well as environmental dimensions which allowed the researchers to start developing prediction scenarios of how the future could look.
The first steps to develop a sound Cost-Benefit Analysis for the societal implications of climate change on health systems, which will be useful to identify interventions that can reduce the burden of disease in the future were also discussed. Along with the scenarios, they will be useful to empower decision-makers to work towards a desirable future considering the times of rapid environmental change and uncertainty. Valuable insights that contributed to the project were given by Dr. Luigi Sedda, the External Scientific Advisor, from Lancaster University.
The progress on the Project Data Management Plan, which encompasses data collection, processing, sharing, preservation, and ethical considerations were also presented during the General Assembly. Receiving positive feedback, CLIMOS partners were informed that the ethics requirements were being met, demonstrating the the project’s efficiency, transparency, and adherence to standards. Dr. João Lavinha, the external ethics advisor, is responsible for reviewing the upcoming report.
The Social Role of the CLIMOS Project
CLIMOS has a strong work on communication and dissemination activities through its web and social media including educational video and CLIMOS podcast that can be found online. Moreover, the CLIMOS project recently launched its Stakeholder Network and invited European organizations and individual members with an interest in mitigating climate change-induced emergence and spread of SFBD to join forces.
Additionally, CLIMOS is working with local communities to co-create and validate together with the stakeholders the scenarios in Portugal, Turkey, Italy, Serbia, Spain, Israel, Croatia Slovenia, and France, and to raise awareness, particularly in the areas where transmission is a new occurrence and there is a risk of failing to recognise these infections.
According to Carla Maia, “the General Assembly in Belgrade marked an important moment for CLIMOS”. “We’ve shared significant insights into sand fly behavior and disease transmission across Europe. Our collaborative efforts are shaping effective strategies to combat the emerging health threats related to sand fly pathogens that climate change presents” she mentioned, concluding that “together, we’re advancing towards a future where Early Warning Systems and community engagement play a vital role in safeguarding public health”.