Alison Peel

Overview

Current Work

"Bridging the gaps in Hendra virus research" In partnership with the Queensland Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases (QCEID), Biosecurity Queensland and the Emerging Zoonotic Disease Group at the CSIRO Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL). In Australia, the most widely studied bat virus is the paramyxovirus Hendra virus (HeV), yet a diverse community of viruses has been detected in Australian flying-foxes. Although HeV or anti-HeV virus antibodies have been detected in all four flying-fox species present in Australia, recent studies investigating aspects of the host-pathogen relationship suggests that the closely related black and spectacled flying-foxes (Pteropus alecto and P. conspicillatus) may be the primary reservoir host. Natural host-virus systems are complex and there is increasing awareness of the importance of understanding ‘host communities’ (a single virus may have multiple reservoir hosts, each with heterogeneous contributions to pathogen dynamics, persistence and spillover) and ‘viral communities’ (known zoonotic viruses are often detected alongside a wide diversity of viruses in their natural hosts, with unknown pathogenic potential). The species-specificity of HeV is only just beginning to be elucidated; for other Australian bat paramyxoviruses, it is unknown. We are utilising a novel high-throughput multiplex PCR to simultaneously detect up to nine known bat paramyxoviruses in individual urine samples from four Australian flying-fox species and will interpret results in the context of a novel reservoir framework, reconsidering HeV as part of a multi-host-multi-virus community.

News

Expertise Keywords

Bats
Disease Ecology
Infectious Diseases
Mathematical modelling
Wildlife epidemiology

Country Affiliations

Australia
Equatorial Guinea
Ghana
São Tomé and Príncipe
Tanzania
United Kingdom

Research Publications and Outputs

Recent Publications

Publications: 32 (Other: 32)

Peel, A., Pulliam, J., Luis, A., Plowright, R., O’Shea, T., Hayman, D., … Restif, O. (2014). The effect of seasonal birth pulses on pathogen persistence in wild mammal populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281(1786), 1–9.
Peel, A., Sargan, D., Baker, K., Hayman, D. S., Barr, J., Crameri, G., … Cunningham, A. (2013). Continent-wide panmixia of an African fruit bat facilitates transmission of potentially zoonotic viruses. Nature Communications, 4, 2770–1–2770–14.
Peel, A., Fernández-Loras, A., Baker, K., Hayman, D. S., Kamins, A., Rossiter, S., … Cunningham, A. (2014). Evidence of Henipaviruses and Lyssaviruses in Isolated Island Populations of African Fruit Bats.
Peel, A., McKinley, T. J., Baker, K. S., Barr, J. A., Crameri, G., Hayman, D. T. S., … Wood, J. L. N. (2013). Use of cross-reactive serological assays for detecting novel pathogens in wildlife: assessing an appropriate cutoff for henipavirus assays in African bats. Journal of Virological Methods, 193, 295–303.
Chowdhury, S., Khan, S. U., Crameri, G., Epstein, J. H., Broder, C. C., Islam, A., … Luby, S. P. (2014). Serological Evidence of Henipavirus Exposure in Cattle, Goats and Pigs in Bangladesh. PL o S Neglected Tropical Diseases, 8(11), e3302.–1–e3302.–8.
Horton, D., Banyard, A. C., Marston, D. A., Wise, E., Seldon, D., Nunez, A., … Fooks, A. R. (2014). Antigenic and genetic characterisation of a divergent African virus, Ikoma lyssavirus. Journal of General Virology, 95(5), 1025–1032.
O’Shea, T. J., Cryan, P. M., Cunningham, A. A., Fooks, A. R., Hayman, D. T. S., Luis, A. D., … Wood, J. L. N. (2014). Bat flight and zoonotic viruses. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 20(5), 741–745.
Shi, J. J., Chan, L. M., Peel, A., Lai, R., Yoder, A. D., & Goodman, S. M. (2014). A Deep Divergence Time between Sister Species of Eidolon (Pteropodidae) with Evidence for Widespread Panmixia. Acta Chiropterologica, 16(2), 272–292.
Baker, K. S., Todd, S., Marsh, G. A., Crameri, G., Barr, J., Kamins, A. O., … Wang, L.-F. (2013). Novel, potentially zoonotic paramyxoviruses from the African straw-coloured fruit bat, Eidolon helvum. Journal of Virology, 87(3), 1348–1358.
GIlbert, A., Fooks, A., Hayman, D. S., Horton, D., Müller, T., Plowright, R., … Rupprecht, C. (2013). Deciphering Serology to Understand the Ecology of Infectious Diseases in Wildlife. EcoHealth, 10(3), 298–313.
Billeter, S., Hayman, D. S., Peel, A., Baker, K., Wood, J., Cunningham, A., … Kosoy, M. (2012). Bartonella species in bat flies (Diptera: Nycteribiidae) from western Africa. Parasitology, 139, 324–329.
Hayman, D. S., Bowen, R., Cyran, P., McCracken, G., O’Shea, T., Peel, A., … Wood, J. N. (2012). Ecology of zoonotic infectious diseases in bats: current knowledge and future directions. Zoonoses and Public Health, 60(1), 2–21.
Ossa, G., Kramer-Schadt, S., Peel, A., Scharf, A. K., & Voigt, C. C. (2012). The movement ecology of the straw-colored fruit bat, Eidolon helvum, in sub-Saharan Africa assessed by stable isotopes ratios. PLoS One, 7, e45729–1–e45729–9.
Peel, A., Baker, K., Crameri, G., Barr, J., Hayman, D. S., Wright, E., … Wood, J. (2012). Henipavirus Neutralising Antibodies in an Isolated Island Population of African Fruit Bats. PloS One, 7(1), e30346–1–e30346–9.
Peel, A., Hartley, M., & Cunningham, A. (2012). Qualitative risk analysis of introducing Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis to the U K through the importation of live amphibians. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 98, 95–112.
Wood, J., Leach, M., Waldman, L., MacGregor, H., Fooks, A., Jones, K., … Cunningham, A. (2012). A framework for the study of zoonotic disease emergence and its drivers: spillover of bat pathogens as a case study. Royal Society of London. Philosophical Transactions B. Biological Sciences, 367, 2881–2892.
Peel, A., Rossiter, S., Wood, J., Cunningham, A., & Sargan, D. (2010). Characterization of microsatellite loci in the straw-colored fruit bat, Eidolon helvum (Pteropodidae). Conservation Genetic Resources, 2(1), 279–282.
Peel, A., Bouts, T., Flach, E., Rivers, S., & Routh, A. (2009). Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (Equine Cushings Disease) in an Onager (Equus hemionus onager). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 40(4), 773–780.
Peel, A., Vogelnest, L., Finnigan, M., Grossfeldt, L., & O’Brien, J. (2005). Non‐invasive fecal hormone analysis and behavioral observations for monitoring stress responses in captive Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Zoo Biology, 24(5), 431–445.
Glennon, E. E., Restif, O., Sbarbaro, S. R., Garnier, R., Cunningham, A. A., Suu-Ire, R. D., … Peel, A. (2018). Domesticated animals as hosts of henipaviruses and filoviruses: A systematic review. The Veterinary Journal, 233, 25–34.
Grogan, L., Peel, A., Kerlin, D., Ellis, W., Jones, D., Hero, J.-M., & McCallum, H. (2018). Is disease a major causal factor in declines? An Evidence Framework and case study on koala chlamydiosis. Biological Conservation, 221, 334–344.
Kessler, M., Becker, D. J., Peel, A., Justice, N. V., Lunn, T., Crowley, D. E., … Plowright, R. K. (2018). Changing resource landscapes and spillover of henipaviruses. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1429(1), 78–99.
Peel, A., Baker, K. S., Hayman, D. T. S., Broder, C. C., Cunningham, A. A., Fooks, A. R., … Restif, O. (2018). Support for viral persistence in bats from age-specific serology and models of maternal immunity. Scientific Reports, 8, 3859–1–3859–11.
Stephenson, E., Peel, A., Reid, S. A., Jansen, C. C., & McCallum, H. (2018). The non-human reservoirs of Ross River virus: a systematic review of the evidence. Parasites & Vectors, 11, 188–1–188–13.
Hardy, M. C., Desselle, M. R., Allen, J., Andrews, K., Barrington, D. J., Borg, D., … Tello Velasquez, J. (2017). Engaging rural Australian communities in national science week helps increase visibility for women researchers. Royal Society Open Science, 4, 170548–1–170548–10.
Jeong, J., Smith, C. S., Peel, A., Plowright, R. K., Kerlin, D., McBroom, J., & McCallum, H. (2017). Persistent infections support maintenance of a coronavirus in a population of Australian bats (Myotis macropus). Epidemiology and Infection, 145(10), 2053–2061.
Paez, D., Giles, J., McCallum, H., Field, H., Jordan, D., Peel, A., & Plowright, R. (2017). Conditions affecting the timing and magnitude of Hendra virus shedding across pteropodid bat populations in Australia. Epidemiology and Infection, 145(15), 3143–3153.
Peel, A., Wood, J. L. N., Baker, K. S., Breed, A. C., Carvalho, A. D., Fernandez-Loras, A., … Hayman, D. T. S. (2017). How Does Africas Most Hunted Bat Vary Across the Continent? Population Traits of the Straw-Coloured Fruit Bat (Eidolon helvum) and Its Interactions with Humans. Acta Chiropterologica, 19(1), 77–92.
Giles, J., Plowright, R. K., Eby, P., Peel, A., & McCallum, H. (2016). Models of Eucalypt phenology predict bat population flux. Ecology and Evolution, 6(20), 7230–7245.
Hayman, D. T. S., & Peel, A. (2016). Can survival analyses detect hunting pressure in a highly connected species? Lessons from straw-coloured fruit bats. Biological Conservation, 200, 131–139.
Peel, A., Baker, K. S., Hayman, D. T. S., Suu-Ire, R., Breed, A. C., Gembu, G.-C., … Wood, J. L. N. (2016). Bat trait, genetic and pathogen data from large-scale investigations of African fruit bats, Eidolon helvum. Scientific Data, 3, 160049–1–160049–11.
Plowright, R. K., Peel, A., Streicker, D. G., Gilbert, A. T., McCallum, H., Wood, J., … Restif, O. (2016). Transmission or Within-Host Dynamics Driving Pulses of Zoonotic Viruses in Reservoir–Host Populations. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 10(8), e0004796–1–e0004796–21.

Funded Griffith Research

Engagement and Impact

Learning and Teaching

Current and Past Courses

Quantitative Ecology (3241ENV)

Teacher, In Person, Nathan Campus, Semester 1, 2018.

Research by Higher Degree Supervision or Scholarship

Apply for a PhD or research degree at Griffith

Supervision Overview

Current PhD Students
Jaewoon Jeong: "Modelling viral infectious diseases of bats in Australia"
John Giles: "Determining the role of flying fox population dynamics in the emergence of Hendra virus in Australia"
Eloise Stephenson: "A systems approach to Ross River virus transmission: understanding the reservoir-vector-human interface to inform management strategies"

Theses Supervised at Griffith

John Giles (2017) Fruit Bat Foraging Ecology and Emergence of Hendra Virus in Australia Thesis (PhD Doctorate)

Background

Bio

My research focus on wildlife disease ecology and epidemiology has grown out of a lifetime interest in wildlife, which further developed during my Veterinary Science degree and BVSc(Vet) research degree at the University of Sydney, and matured towards an emphasis on the dynamics and drivers of infectious disease during and since my Masters in Wild Animal Health and PhD. My MSc was based at the Royal Veterinary College and Institute of Zoology, London, and involved a research project on the risk of importing amphibian chytridiomycosis into the UK. I completed my PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2012, and investigated the population genetics and epidemiology of henipaviruses and lyssaviruses in African fruit bats. I've been based in Australia again since 2013 and am investigating Hendra- and other virus dynamics in Australian flying foxes through a Queensland Government Accelerate Early Career Research Fellowship.

Education and Training

BSc Vet Bachelor of Science (Veterinary), University of Sydney 2001 - 2001
BVSc Bachelor of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney 1998 - 2003
MWildAnimHealth Masters in Wild Animal Health, Royal Veterinary College, London 2006 - 2007
PhD Doctor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge 2008 - 2012

Academic experience

Postdoctoral Research, 2013 - 2014
Postdoctoral Research, 2012 - 2012
Postdoctoral Research, 2012 - 2012
Postdoctoral Research, University of Cambridge 2012 - 2012

Awards and Honours

'Vet Week' Student Research Poster Winner, University of Sydney 2001 - 2001
H.R Carne Prize and Medal for excellence in BSc(Vet) (award for highest aggregate marks), University of Sydney 2001 - 2001
Australasian Wildlife Disease Association Conference Student presentation award, Wildlife Disease Association 2002 - 2002
Australian Government Rural Veterinary Bonded Scholarship, Federal Government: Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service 2003 - 2004
MSc Wild Animal Health, Award for highest aggregate marks, Royal Veterinary College, London 2007 - 2007
Best Student Poster at the First International Berlin Bat Meeting, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) 2009 - 2009
Best Student Presentation at the Second International Berlin Bat Meeting, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) 2010 - 2010

Professional experience

Veterinary Surgeon, 2003 - 2008

External service roles

Queensland State Representative, Wildlife Disease Association 2015 - Present

Professional memberships

WDA Member, Wildlife Disease Association 2001 - Present
ABS Member, Australasian Bat Society 2015 - Present
AMS Member, Australian Mammal Society 2017 -
Member, Franklin Women 2017 -
AVA Member, Australian Veterinary Association 1998 - 2003

Griffith University

Griffith Experts

Popular sites

Academic Profile

Dr

Alison Peel Alison Peel

Affiliations