Research Projects

The increasing prevalence of Pyrexia of Unknown Origin (PUO) in animals in Mizoram—an ecologically vulnerable and climatically conducive area for arthropod vectors—has become a pressing and largely neglected veterinary and public health issue. Notwithstanding the widespread occurrence of febrile disorders, diagnostic and monitoring initiatives have predominantly concentrated on established pathogens such as malaria, dengue, and scrub typhus. This has resulted in the neglect and possible underreporting of Spotted Fever Group (SFG) rickettsioses and Bartonella spp. infections. Veterinarians and animal health professionals sometimes see repeated, non-specific febrile symptoms in livestock and companion animals—spanning anorexia, lethargy, and mortality—without determining particular etiological agents. These illnesses adversely effect animal health and subsequently influence agricultural output, food security, and rural lives. The interplay of climatic, ecological, and socio-economic elements in Mizoram—characterized by extensive forest cover, a humid subtropical climate, and the near proximity of humans to livestock and wildlife—facilitates optimal conditions for vector-host-pathogen spillover dynamics. Despite previous serological investigations (e.g., Vanramliana et al., 2023) indicating that approximately 37.4% of rats tested positive for rickettsial infections, rigorous genetic surveillance in animal vectors is lacking. Bartonella spp., specifically, remain uncharted in this area, despite their recognized zoonotic potential and vector-mediated transmission recorded worldwide (Chomel and Kasten, 2010; Harms and Dehio, 2012). Therefore, a systematic molecular approach to comprehending the vector-borne illness landscape in this region is essential and necessary.