Biography

Tim graduated from the National Veterinary School of Toulouse in 2009. After having completed a Master of Science on Epidemiology and Animal Health in Tropical Regions, he undertook a PhD (2009-2012) at the University of Paris XI on the use of capture-recapture methods for evaluating quantitatively animal health surveillance systems (supervision: Barbara Dufour, Benoît Durand and Vladimir Grosbois). He then moved to the Royal Veterinary College (London, United Kingdom, 2012-2016) to study the transmission of infectious diseases, including African swine fever, highly pathogenic avian influenza, bovine tuberculosis and foot-and-mouth disease (supervision: Dirk Pfeiffer). In 2016, he joined the Institute of Research for Development (Montpellier, France) to unravel the spatial spread of the chikungunya virus during the unprecented epidemic in the Martinique Island (supervision: Benjamin Roche). Since 01 January 2018, Tim holds a lectureship position on veterinary public health at the National Veterinary School of Toulouse

Recherche

Tim’s primary research interests include the understanding of detection and transmission processes of infectious diseases of humans and animals using statistical and mathematical modelling tools, in order to optimize the way infectious diseases are managed. During the past few years, his research was focused on the spread of African swine fever in Europe (FP7 ASFORCE), the development of innovative surveillance strategies for animal health (FP7 RISKSUR), the role of free-grazing ducks in the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Southeast Asia, the optimisation of surveillance strategies for HPAI in live-bird markets in Asia and the transmission dynamic of bovine tuberculosis in UK badger populations. He regularly acts as a consultant for governmental bodies and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Publications

– Meyer, A., Dinh, T.X., Nhu, T.V., Pham, L.T., Newman, S., Nguyen, T.T.T., Pfeiffer, D.U., Vergne, T., 2017. Movement and contact patterns of long-distance free-grazing ducks and avian influenza persistence in Vietnam. PLoS ONE 12, e0178241. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0178241

– Vergne, T., Chen-Fu, C., Li, S., Cappelle, J., Edwards, J., Martin, V., Pfeiffer, D.U., Fusheng, G., Roger, F.L., 2017. Pig empire under infectious threat: risk of African swine fever introduction into the People’s Republic of China. Vet. Rec. 181, 117. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.103950

– Vergne, T., Del Rio Vilas, V.J., Cameron, A., Dufour, B., Grosbois, V., 2015. Capture-recapture approaches and the surveillance of livestock diseases: A review. Prev. Vet. Med. 120, 253–264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2015.04.003

– Vergne, T., Gogin, A., Pfeiffer, D.U., 2017. Statistical Exploration of Local Transmission Routes for African Swine Fever in Pigs in the Russian Federation, 2007-2014. Transbound Emerg Dis 64, 504–512. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.12391

– Vergne, T., Grosbois, V., Jobre, Y., Saad, A., El Nabi, A.A., Galal, S., Kalifa, M., El Kader, S.A., Dauphin, G., Roger, F., Lubroth, J., Peyre, M., 2012. Avian influenza vaccination of poultry and passive case reporting, Egypt. Emerging Infect. Dis. 18, 2076–2078. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1812.120616

– Paul M., Wongnarkpet S., Gasqui P., Poolkhet C., Thongratsakul S., Ducrot C., Roger F. (2011) Risk factors for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 infection in backyard chicken farms, Thailand. Acta Tropica, 118:209-216