Research

In the Short Lab, we study how insects interact with harmful and helpful microbes and the ecological and evolutionary forces shaping the insect immune system. As vector biologists, we are also interested in finding ways to use this information to improve our ability to prevent the spread of vector-borne diseases. We primarily study Aedes aegypti, the mosquito vector of dengue and Zika virus.

Research focus 1: How does the microbiota impact life history traits in disease vector mosquitoes? 

We use laboratory and field experiments to study what bacteria and fungi reside in mosquitoes and ticks and the impacts of different communities and isolates have on life history traits like longevity, body size, and mating capacity. We use high throughput sequencing to profile the microbial communities of these arthropods and ecological analyses and functional experiments to investigate the structure of the microbiota and the potential function of its members.

Research focus 2: Uncover the physiological and molecular relationships between mosquitoes and microsporidian pathogens.  

We use laboratory experiments to determine the impacts of microsporidian infection on the immune response and microbiota of adult Ae. aegypti female mosquitoes. We are also interested in understanding the potential for microsporidia to be used as biocontrol agents and/or their effects on arbovirus transmission.