Research in the Medical Entomology lab at ISU ranges from molecular exploration of vector-pathogen interactions to field ecology of mosquito and tick-borne diseases in the state of Iowa.  Specifics of some of these projects follow:

Currently funded projects:

Molecular Mechanisms of antiviral immunity in the mosquito, funded by the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust.  The objective of this project is to explore the physiology and molecular biology of cell death in association with transovarial transmission of mosquito-borne viruses. 

Genotypic and Phenotypic Analysis of West Nile Virus, Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, funded by the National Institutes of Health.   This project involves an international collaborative effort to investigate why WNV seems to cause far less disease in Mexico as compared to the United States.  Brad Blitvich (Department of VMPM, ISU) is the PI on this project. 

Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases, funded by the Iowa Department of Public Health. The objective of this project is to monitor mosquito and arbovirus activity in the state of Iowa using standard surveillance methods (i.e., mosquito trapping and sentinel chicken monitoring).  Results from these efforts can be viewed HERE.

Monitoring Mosquitoes, Encephalitis Virus, Ticks and Lyme Disease Activity in Iowa, funded by the Iowa Department of Public Health. The objective of this project is to provide a public health service to the citizens of the state of Iowa by monitoring mosquito and tick populations/arbovirus and Lyme disease activity.  Results from these efforts can be viewed HERE.

Development of a small animal model of vaccination against malaria infection, funded by the University of Iowa.  This collaborative effort between ISU and U of I entails the maintenance of the life cycle of Plasmodium berghei at ISU, and parasite challenge/vaccine development at U of I.

Previously funded projects: 

The Role of Hemocytes in Mosquito-Arbovirus Interactions, funded by the Center for Inegrated Animal Genomics, Iowa State University.  The objective of this research is to use a functional genomics approach, and a virus expressing a reporter gene, to track a virus infection in specific mosquito cells--of interest for their immune-response capacity.

Aedes vexans and Ae. triseriatus and the ecology of West Nile Virus, funded by the Centers for Disease Control. The objective of this research is to assess the potential of these mosquito species to serve as vectors for West Nile Virus, and to determine the extent to which small mammals (that would serve as hosts for these mosquito species) function as reservoirs for the virus. Kenneth Platt (Department of VMPM) and Wayne Rowley (Department of Entomology, ISU) were PI's on this project.