We are looking for a candidate willing to do a PhD in spatial modelling of tick-borne zoonoses, in the SUMO team (Surveillance and Modelling) at the Pierre Louis Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health (IPLESP), Paris, France.

LB and TBE are major tick-borne zoonoses in temperate regions of the world caused by the infection with two different pathogens (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato & TBE virus). In Western Europe, LB and TBE are transmitted by the same tick Ixodes ricinus; where LB is endemic and TBE manifests mainly as foci areas of endemicity or sporadic outbreaks. No vaccine is available for LB, and TBE vaccination protocols are applied in few high-risk regions only.
In France, LB and TBE have been reported for several years, displaying a seasonal pattern (May-August), and manifesting spatially in similar areas, yet with different intensities. Spatial analysis of LB surveillance data, already conducted by our group has highlighted the importance of increased vegetation density and mild temperatures in the seasonal incidence of LB in 2016-2021. Whilst this work led to the first LB risk maps, important novel sources of data are now available to refine our estimates. In contrast, TBE has never been mapped in our country. Yet, TBE cases have been reported sporadically in the Grand-Est (GE) region since 1968, and since the early 2000s, the number of case reports have increased in frequency and in their spatial extent, affecting the central and Alpine areas (AURA region). In 2020, over 40 cases of meningo-encephalitis were reported in AURA, evidencing that the virus has now established beyond GE. The increase in both diseases’ incidence and spatial extent is a concern, and the determinants of both diseases’ distribution needs to be further understood to better mitigate diseases’ risk.

The aim of this PhD is to map Lyme Borreliosis (LB) and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in the human population in France, and to elucidate in the “One Health” framework (i.e. accounting for humans, animals and the environment) the determinants associated. This will be done by developing spatial statistical models for both diseases, and by fitting them to a series of datasets, including nationwide serological data in humans, case reports, requests from antibiotic prescription database, exposure to tick-bites (existing data and collected over the project), and seroprevalence surveys conducted in animal hosts.

We are looking for a candidate with a background in a quantitative discipline (such as biostatistics, physics, mathematics, ecology, epidemiology) and with a keen interest in conducting interdisciplinary research in the field of zoonoses and public health. The candidate will work as part as a larger project on modelling tick-borne zoonotic pathogens, looking at spatial distribution and transmission dynamics (Lyme and tick-borne encephalitis, www.mozartonehealth.com), and will interact with several collaborators and data owners (researchers, health officials, associations representatives) within and outside the host laboratory and from different disciplines.

Selection of candidates is done through our Doctoral School (ED393), with a selection process in June. For those who wish to apply please get in touch with me as soon as possible.

Subject details: https://ed393.sorbonne-universite.fr/sites/default/files/media/2023-04/Proposition%20de%20sujet_ED393_METRAS.pdf

Doctoral School details: https://ed393.sorbonne-universite.fr/sinscrire-en-these/contrat-doctoral