Ariful Islam

Dr Ariful Islam

Epidemiologist

Gulbali Institute

Biography

Dr Ariful Islam (Arif)  is an expert in the epidemiology and evolutionary ecology of emerging infectious diseases, with over 15 years of experience in studying viruses like henipavirus, filoviruses, coronaviruses, and avian influenza viruses. His work focuses on understanding how viruses persist in animal reservoirs and spillover to humans, particularly in the context of anthropogenic changes. Ariful applies a One Health approach, integrating viral genetics, statistical modeling, and behavioral ecology to prevent disease transmission. Currently, he is investigating how human behaviors, reservoir host dynamics, and viral genetics influence henipavirus and other bat borne viral spillovers from bats to humans and domestic animals  in  Australia and Bangladesh.

Research
  • Epidemic and Pandemic preparedness
  • Dynamics of Zoonotic viral spillover to humans and Livestock
  • Epidemiology and ecology of avian influenza viruses at wild birds-poultry-human interfaces
  • Henipavirus (Nipah, Hendra and other novel henipavirus strains)
  • Coronavirus diversity in wildlife
  • Bat and rodent borne emerging viral research
  • One Health Surveillance
  • Outbreak investigation
Publications
Full publications list on CRO

Recent Publications

  • Sultana, S., Islam, A., Ng, J., Dubey, S., Khan, M., Guo, C....Mishra, N. (2025). Bat Reovirus as Cause of Acute Respiratory Disease and Encephalitis in Humans, Bangladesh, 2022–2023. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 31(12), 2302-2307. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3112.250797.
  • Islam, A., Islam, M., Sayeed, M. A., Ali, T., Islam, S., Islam, K. S., Khan, M. A., Khan, A. K. M. D., Hasan, M. M., Noman, M. Z. I., Mamun, A.-A., Choudhury, S. D., Hassan, M. M., Shirin, T., & Forwood, J. K. (2025). Assessment of biosecurity practices and risk factors for avian influenza outbreaks in commercial poultry farms in Bangladesh. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 39052. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-25351-3
  • Hasan, M., Ali, T., Khan, A. K. M. D., Islam, M., Khan, A., Sayeed, A., Noman, Z. I., Al Mamun, A., Islam, S., Hassasn, M. M., Clark, C. E. F., Shirin, T., & Islam, A. (2025). Determinants of indiscriminate antimicrobial use in commercial chicken farms in Bangladesh and their impact on food safety and public health. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 30103. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14108-7
  • Balasubramaniam, K. N., Navarrete-Macias, I., Islam, S., Wells, H. L., Tubbs, C., Randhawa, N., Rostal, M. K., Darpel, K. E., Horton, D., Epstein, J. H., Islam, A., & Anthony, S. J. (2025). Anthropogenic Factors and Social Organisation Drive Picobirnavirus Communities in Wild Rhesus Macaques. Ecology and Evolution, 15(7), e71727. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71727
  • Rumi, M. A., Dutta, P., Islam, M., Sayeed, M. A., Rahman, M. K., Uddin, M. H., Islam, S., Soares Magalhaes, R. J., Epstein, J. H., Hassan, M. M., & Islam, A. (2025). Prevalence and risk factors of antimicrobial resistance patterns of Staphylococcus spp. and E. coli in rodents and shrews at human-animal interfaces in Chattogram, Bangladesh. PLOS ONE, 20(7), e0327857. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0327857