Javier conducts applied public health research on a range of topics across the animal and human health spectrum, mostly focusing on zoonotic diseases and food safety. His work combines primary data generated through epidemiological studies in livestock and human populations and secondary data sources. Javier is involved in research in the UK, India, Rwanda, Jordan, Peru and Bolivia. Ongoing projects include:

• Modelling biological hazards in the dairy chains of Andhra Pradesh to inform food safety policy
• Control of brucellosis in dairy herds in Rwanda
• Design and testing of interventions to reduce MERS-CoV infection risk in Jordan
• Food safety, consumer preferences and governance in the supply of meat to urban markets in Peru
• Reducing COVID-19 transmission in food markets in Peru and Bolivia
• Improved decision making for control of Johne’s disease in UK dairy herds

This research work involves a team of around 10 pre and post-doctoral researchers based in London and overseas and an extensive network of collaborators.

For a full list of publications click here.

Modelling habitat suitability in Jordan for the cutaneous leishmaniasis vector (Phlebotomus papatasi) using multicriteria decision analysis. Takahashi EA, Masoud L, Mukbel R, Guitian J, Stevens KB.PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2020 Nov 23;14(11):e0008852. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008852.

Control of Brucella melitensis in endemic settings: a simulation study in the Nile Delta, Egypt. Mohammed Hegazy Y, Schley D, Ridler A, Beauvais W, Musallam I, Guitian J.Transbound Emerg Dis. 2020 Oct 28;. doi: 10.1111/tbed.13897.

Viraemic pigs entering the food chain are the most likely source of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in pork meat: Modelling the fate of HEV during slaughtering of pigs. Food Control. Volume 121, March 2021, 107662. doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2020.107662.

Invasive alien species and disease risk: An open challenge in public and animal health. Chinchio E, Crotta M, Romeo C, Drewe JA, Guitian J, Ferrari N. PLoS Pathog. 2020 Oct;16(10):e1008922. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008922. 

Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis infection of calves - The impact of dam infection status. Patterson S, Bond K, Green M, van Winden S, Guitian J. Prev Vet Med. 2020 Aug;181:104634. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.02.009. 

"We never boil our milk, it will cause sore udders and mastitis in our cows"- consumption practices, knowledge and milk safety awareness in Senegal. Chengat Prakashbabu B, Cardwell JM, Craighead L, Ndour APN, Yempabou D, Ba E, Bada-Alambedji R, Akakpo AJ, Guitian J. BMC Public Health. 2020 May 20;20(1):742. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-08877-1. 

The prevalence and risk factors for human Brucella species infection in a cross-sectional survey of a rural population in Punjab, India. Mangtani P, Berry I, Beauvais W, Holt HR, Kulashri A, Bharti S, Sagar V, Nguipdop-Djomo P, Bedi J, Kaur M, Guitian J, McGiven J, Kaur P, Singh Gill JP, Grover GS, Kumar R. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2020 Apr 8;114(4):255-263. doi: 10.1093/trstmh/trz133.

Brucellosis in dairy herds: A public health concern in the milk supply chains of West and Central Africa. Musallam I, Ndour AP, Yempabou D, Ngong CC, Dzousse MF, Mouiche-Mouliom MM, Feussom JMK, Ntirandekura JB, Ntakirutimana D, Fane A, Dembele E, Doumbia A, Ayih-Akakpo AAPS, Pato P, Pali M, Tapsoba ASR, Compaore GM, Gagara H, Garba AI, Chengat Prakashbabu B, Craighead L, Takahashi E, McGiven J, Nguipdop-Djomo P, Mangtani P, Alambédji-Bada R, Akakpo AJ, Guitian J. Acta Trop. 2019 Sep;197:105042. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.105042. 

Rapidly assessing the risks of infectious diseases to wildlife species. Beauvais W, Zuther S, Villeneuve C, Kock R, Guitian J. R Soc Open Sci. 2019 Jan;6(1):181043. doi: 10.1098/rsos.181043.

The transmission dynamics of Campylobacter jejuni among broilers in semi-commercial farms in Jordan. Neves MI, Malkawi I, Walker M, Alaboudi A, Abu-Basha E, Blake DP, Guitian J, Crotta M. Epidemiol Infect. 2019 Jan;147:e134. doi: 10.1017/S0950268818003308. 

Risk-based inspection as a cost-effective strategy to reduce human exposure to cysticerci of Taenia saginata in low-prevalence settings. Chengat Prakashbabu B, Marshall LR, Crotta M, Gilbert W, Johnson JC, Alban L, Guitian J. Parasites & vectors. 2018; 11(1):257.

Integrated cost-benefit analysis of tsetse control and herd productivity to inform control programs for animal African trypanosomiasis. Meyer A, Holt HR, Oumarou F, Chilongo K, Gilbert W, Fauron A, Mumba C, Guitian J. Parasites & vectors. 2018; 11(1):154.

A probabilistic approach to the interpretation of milk antibody results for diagnosis of Johne's disease in dairy cattle. Meyer A, Bond K, Van Winden S, Green M, Guitian J.Prev Vet Med. 2018 Feb 1;150:30-37. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2017.11.016.

Knowledge gaps in host-parasite interaction preclude accurate assessment of meat-borne exposure to Toxoplasma gondii.Crotta M, Limon G, Blake DP, Guitian J. International journal of food microbiology. 2017; 261:95-101.

Evidence for more cost-effective surveillance options for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and scrapie in Great Britain. Wall BA, Arnold ME, Radia D, Gilbert W, Ortiz-Pelaez A, Stärk KD, Van Klink E, Guitian J. Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles. European communicable disease bulletin. 2017; 22(32).

Cross-Sectional Study of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Pig Farms in England. Limon G, Beauvais W, Dadios N, Villena I, Cockle C, Blaga R, Guitian J. Foodborne pathogens and disease. 2017; 14(5):269-281.

Quantitative risk assessment of Campylobacter in broiler chickens–Assessing interventions to reduce the level of contamination at the end of the rearing period. Crotta M, Georgiev M, Guitian J. Food control. 2017 May; 75:29.

Towards an integrated food safety surveillance system: a simulation study to explore the potential of combining genomic and epidemiological metadata. Hill AA, Crotta M, Wall B, Good L, O'Brien SJ, Guitian J. Royal Society open science. 2017; 4(3):160721.

Effect of enhanced biosecurity and selected on-farm factors on Campylobacter colonization of chicken broilers. Georgiev M, Beauvais W, Guitian J. Epidemiology and infection. 2017; 145(3):553-567.

Consumers' behavior in quantitative microbial risk assessment for pathogens in raw milk: Incorporation of the likelihood of consumption as a function of storage time and temperature. Crotta M, Paterlini F, Rizzi R, Guitian J. Journal of dairy science. 2016; 99(2):1029-38.

Assessment of animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) vulnerability in cattle-owning communities of sub-Saharan Africa. Holt HR, Selby R, Mumba C, Napier GB, Guitian J. Parasites & vectors. 2016; 9(1):53.

Vaccination control programs for multiple livestock host species: an age-stratified, seasonal transmission model for brucellosis control in endemic settings. Beauvais W, Musallam I, Guitian J. Parasites & vectors. 2016; 9(1):55.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Associated with Brucellosis in Livestock Owners in Jordan. Musallam II, Abo-Shehada MN, Guitian J. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. 2015; 93(6):1148-55.

Cross-sectional study of brucellosis in Jordan: Prevalence, risk factors and spatial distribution in small ruminants and cattle. Musallam II, Abo-Shehada M, Omar M, Guitian J. Preventive veterinary medicine. 2015; 118(4):387-96.

Interventions for avian influenza A (H5N1) risk management in live bird market networks. Fournié G, Guitian J, Desvaux S, Cuong VC, Dung do H, et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2013; 110(22):9177-82.

Javier is involved with undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in epidemiology and veterinary public health. He is co-director for the MSc Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health by distance learning . Javier regularly contributes to international training courses and in the last 10 years he has designed and taught courses in Eastern Europe, South East Asia, South Asia, Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Internationally, Javier co-leads the OIE Veterinary Education Twinning Programme between the RVC and the Jordan University for Science and Technology, one of the first education twinning programs endorsed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Javier is also involved in the design and delivery of the China Field Epidemiology Training Program for Veterinarians, which has already trained 5 cohorts of veterinary epidemiologists. 

Javier is actively involved in promoting veterinary science and its potential contribution to public health with the general public, in particular with school students, through different outreach activities.

 

 

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  AMFORA: Applying a One Health systems modelling approach to formulate strategies for mitigating the risk to human health of antibiotic resistance in Aquaculture

  People: Lucy Brunton, Maria Garza Valles, Barbara Haesler, Ana Mateus, Javier Guitian

  AMFORA is an RVC-led multidisciplinary project which aims to use a ‘systems-thinking’ approach to map aquaculture systems in Vietnam, Bangladesh and Egypt, and identify potential hotspots for the emergence and selection of resistance and human exposure to antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant organisms. This will enable the identification of potential drivers of ABU and interventions to reduce ABU.

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  China Field Epidemiology Training Programme for Veterinarians (FETPV)

  People: Dirk Pfeiffer, Javier Guitian, Julian Drewe, Barbara Haesler

  China FETPV seeks to improve animal and public health using scientific and risk based approaches to the control of transboundary animal diseases and emerging infectious diseases.

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  Control of brucellosis in dairy herds in Rwanda

  People: Javier Guitian, Barbara Haesler, Alma Dogra, Erica Nunney, Imadidden Musallam

  In partnership with Rwanda Agriculture Board and University of Rwanda, we are conducting cross-sectional studies to assess the frequency and distribution of brucellosis among dairy herds, and longitudinal studies to identify Brucella species causing infection in dairy herds.

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  Food safety, consumer preferences and governance in the supply of meat to urban markets in Peru

  People: Javier Guitian, Matteo Crotta, Ana Mateus

  In this project we study the safety of chicken meat and beef, how poor people access these meats and how can their safety be improved to increase people's nutrition and health in Peru.

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  Improved farm-level decision making for control of Johne’s disease in UK dairy herds

  People: Javier Guitian, Steven Van Winden, Matteo Crotta, Erica Nunney

  This project includes extensive analysis of the large body of Johne's disease (JD) data accumulated by the two main milk recording companies through repeated testing of a large number of UK dairy cows, and a longitudinal study of dairy heifers followed up since birth along their entire lives. 

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  LinkTADs

  People: Dirk Pfeiffer, Javier Guitian, Julian Drewe

  Linking Epidemiology and Laboratory Research on Transboundary Animal Diseases and zoonoses in China and the EU.

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  Modelling exposure to biological hazards in the dairy chains of Andhra Pradesh to inform food safety policy

  People: Javier Guitian, Matteo Crotta, Bhagya Chengat Prakashbabu, Hannah Holt, Ben Swift

  The dairy industry in Andhra Pradesh is intensifying and its output increasing to satisfy the growing demand for milk and dairy products, but this expansion has taken place without food safety challenges being fully addressed. This project combines microbiological surveys of milk and dairy products, probabilistic modelling of the likely impact of control strategies and strong stakeholder engagement including participatory model building to explore the broad implications of milk hygiene policies and identify gender based constraints.

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  Novel diagnostic tools and strategic vaccination to control brucellosis in Punjab

  People: Javier Guitian, Hannah Holt

  In this project our aim is to carry out a detailed study of the epidemiology of brucellosis in bovines and humans in Punjab, including the use of novel diagnostic tests that can differentiate between vaccinated and infected animals.

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  Reducing COVID-19 transmission in food markets in Bolivia and Peru

  People: Javier Guitian, Imadidden Musallam, Erica Nunney

  Traditional food markets are important locations for the spread of COVID-19, but they also play important economic and socio-cultural roles in most low and middle-income countries. In this project, we aim to co-design bespoke plans to reduce COVID-19 transmission in markets in Bolivia and Peru, two countries disproportionately hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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  Responding to the challenge of MERS-CoV: Development and testing of interventions to reduce risk among Bedouin populations in Southern Jordan

  People: Javier Guitian, Jackie Cardwell, Imadidden Musallam, Peter Holloway

  In this interdisciplinary research, we study the biological and sociocultural contexts of MERS-CoV among at-risk Bedouin populations in southern Jordan. In particular, we are seeking to understand which individuals, or camels, should be targeted for future vaccination, the correct seasons for the deployment of such vaccines and the sociocultural issues that are driving the infection.