Expanding Guadeloupe research potential on Animal Health in Guadeloupe

Epigenesis project, "One Health approach to integrate Guadeloupe research on vector-borne and emerging diseases in the European Research Area: from characterization of emergence mechanisms to innovative approaches for prediction and control" aims to expand Guadeloupe research potential on emerging and vector-borne diseases along with the "One Health" concept. The project relies on an integrated approach of multidisciplinary activities, from genomics to medical entomology and spatial epidemiology, to improve the capacity of diseases prediction, surveillance and control.

It is coordinated by CIRAD Guadeloupe, animal health (CMAEE) research team, located on the Duclos site, in Guadeloupe. Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases have a tendency to adapt rapidly to global changes particularly in the Caribbean with increased risks of disease outbreaks, threatening animal health, stock breeding worldwide as well as veterinary public health. Anticipation of health crises through relevant research programmes and innovative disease surveillance and control strategies is necessary to preserve animal health, food security and human health in Caribbean countries and territories, and beyond protect Europe.

Main objectives

• Reinforce Guadeloupe Scientific & Technological potential on emerging and vector-borne diseases through the development of new competences and the acquisition of high technology equipment.
• Develop strategic partnerships with outstanding European research entities on animal health by the exchange of scientists between Europe and Guadeloupe and trainings.
• Disseminate scientific information and knowledge to the scientific community, decision-makers, but also animal health stakeholders, and the general public in
  Guadeloupe and in the whole Caribbean region.
• Increase Guadeloupe innovation potential with the development of diagnostic tests, vaccine, tools to assist decision-making and alert system.

Main Partners

The project has been developped with research partners from Europe, considered as excellence centers in the area of microbiology, biotechnology, epidemiology and entomology:  Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Spain ; Instituto de Biologia Experimental Tecnologica (IBET), Portugal ; Instituto de Tecnologia Química
et Biologica (ITQB), Portugal ; UMR-INRAOniris, BioEpAR Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (Inra), France ; École des Hautes Études de Santé Publique (EHESP), France ; Agriculture and Veterinary Information and Analysis (AviaGIS), Belgium.

The project also involves research institutes from Guadeloupe: Inra Antilles Guyane, Institut Pasteur, Université des Antilles, Agence Régionale de Santé, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Guadeloupe.

It also involves partners from the Caribbean through the regional Animal Health Network, CaribVET: veterinary services and diagnostic laboratories of 33 countries and territories, research institutes (CENSA, CIRAD), veterinary universities (UWI, University of Guyana) as well as regional (CARICOM) and international organisations (OIE, FAO, USDA, PAHO, IICA) in agriculture, animal and veterinary public health.