Bruce Christensen

Research Areas: Parasitology/Medical Entomology Mosquito-Parasite Relationships Innate Immunity in Mosquitoes Research Description: Parasitology/Medical Entomology, Mosquito-Parasite Interactions and Pathogenesis, Mosquito Innate Immunity, Epidemiology of Mosquito-borne Diseases. Mosquito-borne diseases, including malaria, lymphatic filariasis and numerous arboviruses cause morbidity and mortality in hundreds of millions of people throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In order to best utilize existing control methodology or to develop new approaches to mosquito-borne disease control, it is important that we gain a better understanding of those factors that influence vector competence and vectorial capacity of mosquitoes involved in pathogen transmission. My present research efforts involve collaborative programs with scientists at the University of Miami, Virginia Tech, University of Missouri, Iowa State University and with foreign scientists working in Taiwan, Egypt, Mali, Colombia, and Papua New Guinea. Of special interest are studies seeking to clarify (1) the specific role select species of Anopheles play in the transmission of the filarial worm Wuchereria bancrofti, (2) the influence of irrigation on mosquito-borne diseases in arid regions of North Africa and the Middle East, and (3) the ecology of dengue virus in Colombia.