# Research Training Program on the Impact of Zoonotic and Vector-borne Viruses, Rickettsiae, and Leptospira in Acute Undifferentiated Febrile Illnesses

> **NIH NIH D43** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MED BR GALVESTON · 2020 · $217,091

## Abstract

   
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Non-malarial acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses (AUFIs) are caused by infectious diseases, without an identifiable source or focus of infection, in
patients who present with undifferentiated fever and have negative results in diagnostic tests for malaria. AUFIs are believed to cause significant morbidity and mortality based on small focal studies. However, their true incidence remains unknown in Latin America for at least three reasons: 1) the etiologic agents tend to be underrecognized under the umbrella of malaria and dengue; 2) epidemiological surveillance without appropriate diagnostic tools; and 3) lack of proper training among scientists and health care personnel. The goal of this Global Infectious Disease Research Training Program is to form a strong team of Colombian scientists from Universidad de Antioquia, Universidad Nacional, and Instituto Colombiano de Medicina Tropical investigating endemic causes of non-malarial AUFIs with researcher partners at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and University of California at San Diego. Program faculty have diverse and complementary areas of expertise conducive to developing synergistic research efforts to target the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of these neglected and frequently lethal diseases. To achieve the goal of this training program, we will offer a carefully
planned portfolio of medium- and long-term training to address the needs identified in this proposal. Specifically, during the first year of the Program, we will train six medium-term (six-month duration) faculty members from three participating institutions in Colombia on fundamental methodology to rapidly establish a basic research infrastructure. Immediately thereafter, researchers from UTMB will travel to each participating institution for three weeks to assist in the process of implementation. We will support training across institutions in the region
through visits for in-country training and through the use of advanced communication technologies and web-based common repositories of projects, research results, protocols, and publications. During Years 02 to 05 of the Program, we will provide long-term training to four PhD students and four postdoctoral fellows enrolled in local programs in Colombia, with a maximum out-of-country training component of 12 months. The research produced during training will be locally relevant and will address multiple areas in epidemiology, ecology, vector competence, and pathogenesis. An important planned outcome is the increased awareness of these diseases at the level of human and veterinary health professionals, as well as public health authorities. We will also contribute to the long-term impact and continuity of this training
program by funding reintegration mini-grants for our long-term trainees and by appointing Colombian faculty as UTMB adjunct faculty members. At the completion of Year 05, we expect the three participating...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9884659
- **Project number:** 5D43TW010331-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MED BR GALVESTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Patricia Veronica Aguilar
- **Activity code:** D43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $217,091
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-05-09 → 2021-03-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9884659

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9884659, Research Training Program on the Impact of Zoonotic and Vector-borne Viruses, Rickettsiae, and Leptospira in Acute Undifferentiated Febrile Illnesses (5D43TW010331-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9884659. Licensed CC0.

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