Virology and pathogen discovery 2024
Head of Lab: Dr. Gary Wong, PhD
Email:
The Virology Laboratory was created in 2024 at the Institut Pasteur du Laos after the merging of the “Virology and
Pathogen Discovery” and “Medical Virology and Rabies” groups. The main activities include:
• Understanding the ecology and emergence of known and novel viruses in Lao PDR;
• Developing countermeasures to diagnose, prevent, or control viral infections of public health importance in Laos;
• Training, education, and capacity building for scientists from Laos and regional partners to adapt and establish
novel, cutting-edge technologies for outbreak response;
• Providing other Lao partners diagnostic support and in-depth molecular analysis for arboviruses, respiratory
viruses, or other (re)-emerging pathogens studies and/or outbreak investigations.
Executive summary
During the 21st century, the world experienced an increasing frequency of zoonotic disease outbreaks caused by novel or neglected emerging viruses, such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), H1N1 “swine” flu, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Ebola virus disease, Zika fever, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and monkeypox (mpox). Lower and middle-income countries, including Lao PDR, have limited resources that can be allocated to medical care or public health. The rapid development of Lao PDR in recent years has resulted in substantial environmental, climate, and land-use changes. This results in a higher than-typical number of interactions between humans, wild animals and their respective environments, and an increased possibility of cross-species transmission as well as outbreak risk. There is extensive trade activity between Lao PDR and neighboring countries, resulting in a high volume of cross-border movement of workers and goods. In addition, wild animals and vectors are not confined by national boundaries. Therefore, the geographical location of Lao PDR, at the heart of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), means that outbreaks in Lao PDR have a high risk of negatively impacting its neighbors.
The Virology Laboratory aims to build and reinforce laboratory capacity with Lao and regional partners through regular training workshops and educational courses. The Virology Laboratory provides public health services to support Lao national institutes and hospitals with diagnostic, sequencing and surveillance activities against a number of priority pathogens, such as Dengue-, Chikungunya-, Zika, avian influenza-, and SARS corona-viruses. Through its research activities, the Virology Laboratory strives to characterize the prevalence, maintenance, and transmission of known and unknown viruses in humans, animals, and the environment of Lao PDR, studying associated factors influencing spillover risk, and provide countermeasure options, such as the rational design, validation, and implementation of cutting-edge diagnostic assays. In 2024, the Virology Laboratory was involved with the following research projects:
Reinforced Collaboration for the Investigation and Response to Emerging Viral Pathogens of Security Concern.
In collaboration with the National Microbiology Laboratory in Canada, we reinforced the biosafety and biosecurity of the BSL-2/3 laboratories, as well as field safety, through standardized operating procedures and the creation of a dedicated biosafety office, promoting sustainable local capacity building, establishing an inventory of natural bat and rodent reservoirs for detection of SARS-like-CoVs and other putative zoonotic viral pathogens, and studying interspecies spill-over of these putative zoonotic viral pathogens.
Team:
Scientist and Group Leader – Medical Virology
Dr. Cécile Troupin, PhD
Scientist and Group Leader – Pathogen Discovery
Dr. Chittaphone Vanhnollat, MD, PhD
Scientist and Biosafety Officer
Dr. Somphavanh Somlor, MD, MSc
Research Engineer
Mrs. Thep Aksone Chindavong, MSc
Laboratory technicians
Mrs. Phaithong Bounmany
Mrs. Sitsana Keosenhom
Mrs. Phoutsana Khamsuvat
Mrs. Souksakhone Viengphouthong
Mr. Kedkeo Intavong
Mr. Longthor Vachouaxiong
Project carried on in the lab:
+ Reinforced Collaboration for the Investigation and Response to Emerging Viral Pathogens of Security Concern.
+ Investigation of the etiology of undifferentiated febrile syndromes through an integrated virological/ entomological/high-throughput sequencing approach to map the circulation of arboviruses, rickettsioses and other intracellular bacteria in humans and vectors in Lao PDR.
+ Innovative platform for molecular and serological diagnostics (PIMES).
+ Surveillance of arboviruses in Lao PDR.
+ SARS-CoV-2 variants surveillance in Lao PDR.
+ Molecular epidemiology of rabies in Lao PDR.
+ Genomic surveillance of avian influenza viruses in Lao PDR.