Natural History Biorepositories are Critical Infrastructure for Pandemic Preparedness

Jones BA, Grace D, Kock R, Alonso S, Rushton J, Said MY, et al. Zoonosis emergence linked to agricultural intensification and environmental change. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013;110(21):8399–404. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1208059110

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Keusch GT, Amuasi JH, Anderson DE, Daszak P, Eckerle I, Field H, et al. Pandemic origins and a One Health approach to preparedness and prevention: solutions based on SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA viruses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022;119(42):e2202871119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2202871119

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

World Health Organization. Imagining the future of pandemics and epidemics: a 2022 perspective. 2022. IBSN 978-4-005209-3. Available at: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/361252/9789240052093-eng.pdf

Aceng JR, Ario AR, Muruta AN, Makumbi I, Nanyunja M, Komakech I, et al. Uganda’s experience in Ebola virus disease outbreak preparedness, 2018–2019. Glob Health. 2020;16(1):24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-020-00548-5

Article  Google Scholar 

Bwire G, Sartorius B, Guerin P, Tegegne MA, Okware SI, Talisuna AO. Sudan Ebola virus (SUDV) outbreak in Uganda, 2022: lessons learnt and future priorities for sub-Saharan Africa. BMC Med. 2023;21(1):144. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-023-02847-1

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Nanyondo SJ, Nakato S, Franklin J, Kwiringira A, Malikisi M, Kesande M, et al. Implementation of an infection prevention and control response strategy to combat the Sudan Virus Disease outbreak in an urban setting, the Kampala Metropolitan area, Uganda, 2022. BMC Infect Dis. 2025;25(1):317. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-025-10720-0

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Oppenheim B, Gallivan M, Madhav NK, Brow N, Serhiyenko V, Wolfe N, et al. Assessing global preparedness for the next pandemic: development and application of an epidemic preparedness index. BMJ Glob Health. 2019;4:e001157. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2018-001157

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Williams BA, Jones CH, Welch V, True JM. Outlook of pandemic preparedness in a post-COVID-19 world. Npj Vaccines. 2023;8(1):178. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-023-00773-0

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Pagel C, Robertson DA, Yates CA. Foresight approaches for future health shocks: integration into policy making and accompanying research priorities. BMJ. 2024;387:e078647. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-078647

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Mollentze N, Streicker DG. Predicting zoonotic potential of viruses: where are we? Curr Op Virol. 2023;61(101346):101346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coviro.2023.101346

Article  Google Scholar 

Zinsstag J, Schelling E, Waltner-Toews D, Tanner M. From one medicine to one health and systemic approaches to health and well-being. Prev Vet Med. 2011;101(3–4):148–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2010.07.003

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Metcalf CJE, Lessler J. Opportunities and challenges in modeling emerging infectious diseases. Science. 2017;357(6347):149–52. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aam8335

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Colella JP, Cobos ME, Salinas I, Cook JA, PICANTE Consortium. Advancing the central role of non-model biorepositories in predictive modeling of emerging pathogens. PLoS Patho. 2023;19(6):e1011410. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1011410

Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

World Health Organization. The world health report 2006: Working together for health. 2006. IBSN 9241563176. World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9241563176

Jones KE, Patel NG, Levy MA, Storeygard A, Balk D, Gittleman JL, et al. Global trends in emerging infectious diseases. Nature. 2008;451(7181):990–3. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06536

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Bakker FT, Antonelli A, Clarke J, Cook JA, Edwards SV, Ericson PGP, et al. The Global Museum: natural history collections and the future of evolutionary biology and public education. PeerJ. 2020;7:e8225. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.8225

Article  Google Scholar 

Johnson KR, Owens IFP, The Global Collection Group. A global approach for natural history museum collections. Science. 2023;379(6638):1192–94. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adf6434

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Vincent MJ, Quiroz E, Gracia F, Sanchez AJ, Ksiazek TG, Kitsutani PT, et al. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in panama: identification of novel hantaviruses and their likely reservoirs. Virology. 2000;277(1):14–9. https://doi.org/10.1006/viro.2000.0563

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Bayard V, Kitsutani PT, Barria EO, Ruedas LA, Tinnin DS, Muñoz C, et al. Outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, Los Santos. Emerg Inf Dis. 2004;10(9):1999–2000. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1009.040143

Article  Google Scholar 

Gonzalez P, Salazar JR, Salinas TP, Avila M, Colella JP, Dunnum JL, et al. Two decades of wildlife pathogen surveillance: case study of choclo orthohantavirus and its wild reservoir Oligoryzomys costaricensis. Viruses. 2023;15(6):6. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15061390

Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Cobos ME, Dunnum JL, Armién B, González P, Juárez E, Salazar JR, et al. Selecting sites for strategic surveillance of zoonotic pathogens: A case study in Panamá. EcoHealth. 2025;1–17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-025-01731-z.

Yates TL, Mills JN, Parmenter CA, Ksiazek TG, Parmenter RR, Vande Castle JR, et al. The ecology and evolutionary history of an emergent disease: hantavirus pulmonary syndrome: evidence from two El Niño episodes in the American southwest suggests that El Niño–driven precipitation, the initial catalyst of a trophic cascade that results in a delayed density-dependent rodent response, is sufficient to predict heightened risk for human contraction of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. BioSci. 2022;52(11):989–98. https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2002)052[0989:TEAEHO]2.0.CO;2.

Article  Google Scholar 

Dunnum JL, Yanagihara R, Johnson KM, Armien B, Batsaikhan N, Morgan L, et al. Biospecimen repositories and integrated databases as critical infrastructure for p athogen piscovery and pathobiology research. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2017;11(1):e0005133. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005133

Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Contreras S, Dehning J, Loidolt M, Zierenbeg J, Spitzner FP, Urrea-Quintero JH, et al. The challenges of containing SARS-CoV-2 via Test-Trace-and-Isolate. Nat Comm. 2021;12(1):378. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20699-8

Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Hu WH, Sun HM, Wei YY, Hao YT. Global iInfectious disease early warning m models: an updated review and lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Inf Dis Mod. 2024;10(2):410–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idm.2024.12.001

Article  Google Scholar 

Liu AB, Lee D, Jalihal AP, Hanage WP, Springer M. Quantitatively assessing early detection strategies for mitigating COVID-19 and future pandemics. Nat Comm. 2023;14(1):8479. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44199-7

Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

• One Health High-Level Expert Panel (OHHLEP), Markotter W, Mettenleiter TC, Adisasmito WB, Almuhairi S, Behravesh CB, et al. Prevention of zoonotic spillover: From relying on response to reducing the risk at source. PLoS Patho. 2023;19(10):e1011504. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1011504

Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Poisot T, Becker DJ, Catchen MD, Gibb R, Shimabukuro PHF, Carlson CJ. Biodiversity science and biosurveillance are fellow travelers. BioSci. 2025;biaf091. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaf091.

Galbreath KE, Hoberg EP, Cook JA, Bell KC, Campbell ML, Dunnum JL, et al. Field collection of parasites from mammals: building an integrated infrastructure for investigating biodiversity. J Mamm. 2019;100(2):382–93. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyz048

Article  Google Scholar 

Colella JP, Stephens RB, Campbell ML, Kohli BA, Parsons DJ, McLean BS. The OpenSpecimen movement. BioSci. 2020;71(4):405–14. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaa146

Article  Google Scholar 

Juman M, Doty JB, Morgan CN, Matheny A, Caudle A, Breslin M, et al. Historic and contemporary museum specimens implicate Northern Red-backed Vole (Clethrionomys rutilus) as borealpox host as early as 1990s. BioRxiv. 2026;1–17. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.22.713527.

Springer YP, Hsu CH, Werle ZR, Olson LE, Cooper MP, Castrodale LJ, et al. Novel orthopoxvirus infection in an Alaska resident. Clin Inf Dis. 2017;64:1737–41. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cix219

Article  Google Scholar 

Timm RM, Colella JP, McLaren SB, Genoways HH. Innovations that changed mammalogy: frozen tissue collections. J Mamm. 2025;gyaf007. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyaf007

Article  Google Scholar 

Wiecsorek J, Bloom D, Guralnick R, Blum S, Döring M, Giovanni R, et al. Darwin Core: an evolving community developed biodiversity data standard. PLoS ONE. 2012;7(1):e29715. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0029715

Article  CAS 

Comments (0)

No login
gif