Name: Celine Ng Boon Yuan
December 8, 2022: My experience in presenting my research at the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH), London
___________________________________________________________________________
RSTMH Student Ambassador - Celine Ng recently attended Research In Progress London, 2022, hosted by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in London, United Kingdom where she shared her research and networked with public health experts and young professionals in the field.
A picture of me presenting my research on Screening Infectious Diseases With Zoonotic Potential In Wild Southern Pig-Tailed Macaques Using Faecal Samples And Field-Modified Diagnostics
Two words to describe my journey in RSTMH: Honored and Humbled.
The COVID-19 pandemic certainly impacted every walk of living, and my research that commenced in early 2021 was not spared as well. I vividly remember the challenges faced from field sampling to conducting my laboratory work at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), as well as managing financial matters during the pandemic period. During my research, I was encouraged by my supervisor, Dr Siti Khayriyyah (Kye) and Dr Nadine Ruppert to apply to the RSTMH Early Career Grants program, which I eventually became one of the grant awardees in the year 2021. This award warranted numerous wonderful opportunities to pursue my career in the One Health field.
Non-invasive Approach for Infectious Disease Screening: Is it feasible?
After one-year of conducting my research, I was selected to be an RSTMH student ambassador, and invited to present my research in London. I endeavour to shed light to wildlife conservation and zoonotic diseases in Southeast Asia. Arriving in London 2 days before the program, I stood up on the stage with an exciting yet quite nerve-wracking feeling to share my research on Southern pig-tailed macaques, Macaca nemestrina. This macaque species can be found in SE Asia and currently facing a decline in population due to immense anthropogenic pressures such as habitat fragmentation, illegal pet trading, road kills etc.
Picture of me presenting my research.
In my presentation, I spoke about past disease outbreaks demonstrating non-human primates (NHPs) are potential reservoir hosts of zoonotic agents. Evidence in past research has shown NHPs have a higher susceptibility to respiratory infections such as tuberculosis or shared gastrointestinal disease with livestock or domestic animals as documented with giardiasis. This was later shown in my results on several screening approaches using microbiology, metagenomics, and immunology methods on non-invasive macaque stool samples. My study also assesses the difference in the gut microbiome profile of macaques of two different study groups in habitats with high versus low human interactions.
The research outcome has demonstrated that the macaque population with low human interactions have a higher gut microbiome diversity compared to that with high human interactions. Referring to past research on host-microbiome relations, it was suggested that habitat urbanization can be associated with lower microbiota species diversity and the prevalence of pathogens in the macaque’s population. The preliminary screening of bacteria genera was identified for the associated pathogen or opportunistic pathogenic that can potentially transmit directly (host-to-host) or indirectly through contaminated water, food or vectors.
Primates & People: Conflicts or coexistence in Human-wildlife interfaces?
Picture of study subject- Southern pig-tailed macaques, Macaca nemestrina in mangrove habitat
The big picture of my research anticipates providing stronger awareness of human-wildlife coexistence. The research strives to convey one message - to establish a safe distance from wildlife, using macaques as indicator species. As ecological pressures increase, human-wildlife interfaces converge, resulting in higher zoonotic transmission risk between humans and wildlife. Apart from sharing baseline data of the gut microbiome of pig-tailed macaques from groups exposed to different anthropogenic pressures to inform better conservation practices, this research investigates the macaque’s behavior induced by human actions such as wildlife feeding interactions. My take-home message emphasized the need for more intersectoral collaboration, transparent communication, and open data sharing among researchers, policy maker and local communities for the future of people and primates.
“Thanks for staying with me till the end, this is my very first in-person presentation after three years of virtual activities. I know I sounded nervous, hence, I appreciate your time”, I said that as soon as I ended my presentation. Afterwards, some of the audience approached me with words of encouragement and asked more questions about primates in Malaysia. The room was filled with immense curiosity and thirst for knowledge on infectious diseases – from malaria to monkeypox viruses, snake venom, antimicrobial resistance research etc. I was enlightened by the conversation sparks among the researchers. The program also included keynote lectures by Prof. Rosanna Peeling and Prof. David Heymann from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). In my conversation with Prof. Peeling, we spoke about channeling information and interactive tools that can be shared with the public and educating them to exercise their rights and addressing their roles in building a more resilient community against future disease outbreaks. All participants were given different workshops by the RSTMH team including effective communication, techniques to publish scientific articles and upskilling class for grant writing applications.
A picture of me with Prof Rosanna Peeling, Director of International Diagnostic Centre (IDC) (left); and with Tamar Ghosh, Chief Executive of RSTMH (centre); Award ceremony (right)
It was truly a rewarding experience, as one of the main highlights was awarded a first runner-up for my oral presentation. This gave me greater hope to continue my passion and I implore more young researchers to explore the endless opportunities in the One Health sector.
Get the latest information and opportunity in the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH) here: https://www.rstmh.org/