Disease Ecology at the Wasserberg Lab

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Disease Ecology at the Wasserberg Lab

Current research focuses on the following themes:

  1. The effect of anthropogenic land use change on disease emergence, with model systems include (a.) Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the Middle East and (b.) La Crosse Encephalitis in western North Carolina.
  2. Identifying and targeting weak links in the transmission cycle of Leishmania major (Cutaneous Leishmaniasis agent):
    • Oviposition ecology of sand flies: basic science and implications for attractant-based control.
    • Systemic control using the rodent host as a trojan horse delivering the insecticide to the vector-host contact point
  3. Study of the spread of Lyme disease from Virginia to North Carolina: patterns and mechanisms
  4. Oviposition ecology of mosquitoes: effects of conspecifics, bacteria, and natural enemies
  5. Chiggers as potential vectors of Rickettsial pathogens in North Carolina
  6. Vector-host coupling: studying the epidemiological consequences of vector’s dependency on the host as a breeding resource using Individual-based modeling