Congratulations are due to Dr. Brian H. Bird, co-principal investigator for the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARP)-funded Preventing Emerging Pandemic Threats (PREEMPT) project, as well as lead for Ebola-related surveillance activities as part of the USAID-funded PREDICT project led by UC Davis.

The sixth ebolavirus, Bombali virus, has been detected in insect-eating bats in Guinea. In addition to findings reported by researchers earlier this month, scientists from the University of California, Davis, detected the virus in Angolan free-tailed bats roosting inside people’s houses in Guéckedou and Kissidougou.

Predicting the emergence of highly pathogenic viruses in animals and preventing them from spilling over to humans is the goal of a multi-million-dollar cooperative agreement from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) with collaborating researchers at the University of California, Davis; the University of Idaho; and Plymouth University in England.