Aug. 14, 2026
By Roger Meissen | Division of Research
Viral research at academic meetings might not captivate many, but a full room listened intently as Jessica Spengler from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explained what was learned after a deadly outbreak of Andes hantavirus on a cruise ship in May.
“For us to be ready, we need good animal models so we can answer future questions in real time,” said Spengler, a research veterinary medical officer working with the Viral Special Pathogens branch of the CDC. “This outbreak was the perfect justification to highlight where there are gaps in our [animal disease] models and why we need to establish what I call fit-for-purpose models that basically let us know how to design experiments moving forward regardless of the question being asked.”
Spengler was one of many scientists who shared their expertise at the 2026 Research Alliance for Veterinary Science and Biodefense BSL-3 Network (RAV3N) meeting in July on the University of Missouri campus. The meeting brings together university and federal scientists in high-containment research nationwide to share expertise in studying infectious pathogens.
Mizzou’s Laboratory for Infectious Disease Research (LIDR) hosted this year’s three-day conference at the NextGen Precision Health building.
“These meetings connect people who face many of the same scientific and operational challenges, allowing them to exchange ideas, identify complementary capabilities and develop new collaborations,” LIDR Director Anthony Griffiths said. “It was also a great opportunity to showcase not only LIDR, but the breadth of research and infrastructure available across Mizzou.”
Topics ranged from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) screwworm response to testing of air handling safety in facilities that house deadly pathogens.
MU Health Care’s Dr. Ben Casterline, an assistant professor of dermatology, gave a picture of the growth of Alpha-Gal Syndrome’s relationship to tick and wildlife sources. The syndrome is spread via Lone Star tick bites and causes sensitivity to a particular carbohydrate present in meat that results in extreme allergic reactions. He pointed to overlap of urban and rural environments as a key reason for its sharp rise.
“Since the 1990 census, the population of Missouri has increased by about 20%, but more than 100% of that increase is in what I'm describing as high tick-exposure fringe counties,” Casterline said. “It's these kinds of high-tick exposure areas — all farmland returning to nature, well-managed gardens with plants that deer like to eat — where deer and humans are really sharing their arthropods.”
Speakers weren’t he only draw for attendees. Michael Puckette works for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), where he facilitates diagnosis of foreign animal diseases, and said he values the personal insight and resource exposure he gets from RAV3N meetings.
“When people publish results or give talks, they usually don't talk about their problems — they talk only about their successes, and it's really rosy,” Puckette said “It's only in the person-to-person interactions at meetings that you get to know what people's problems are, and where the areas are that we can work together.”
Seeing capabilities available at Mizzou also were a highlight for participants. They toured MU’s Research Reactor and LIDR’s facilities, learned about pig models available at our National Swine Resource and Research Center and heard about ongoing flu research at the NextGen Center for Influenza and Emerging Infectious Diseases.
RAV3N Program Manager Renata Landers said that exposure is why the meeting rotates between its member institutions.
“We have laboratory directors, some veterinarians, junior and senior scientists or researchers, and some who are more focused on facility operations, maintenance and leadership, but all these people work in high-containment laboratories,” Landers said. “Members get to see Mizzou’s capabilities firsthand, and Mizzou can showcase the institution as a whole. It’s a mutual benefit, and, in case we have another pandemic, it will help them work together to respond.”