Contact details

Dr Matthew Fisher

Senior Lecturer
Division of Epidemiology, Public Health and Primary Care

VA2 Ground Floor
Norfolk Place
St Mary's Campus

Email:

Dr Matthew Fisher

My research uses an evolutionary framework to investigate the biological and environmental factors that are driving emerging fungal diseases in both human and wildlife species. Wildlife species play a key role in the emergence of human emerging infectious disease (EID) by providing a 'zoonotic pool' from which previously unknown pathogens emerge. Conversely, human action impacts on patterns of wildlife disease by perturbation of natural systems and the introduction of novel pathogens. Current projects focus on many HIV-associated fungal pathogens, significantly Penicillium marneffei in southeast Asia and Cryptococcus neoformans worldwide. Recently, the emergence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in global amphibian populations has been recognised as a major driver of extinction. Our research group is focused on developing mechanistic, statistical and animal-based models to uncover the factors driving these EIDs. Major funders are the Wellcome Trust, NERC, BiodivERsA and the Leverhulme Trust.

I am the project leader of the BiodivERsA project RACE (Risk Assessment of Chytridiomycosis to European amphibian biodiversity). A Blog of our recent research on amphibian pandemic disease can be found at http://spatialepidemiology.blogspot.com/.