Mosquito Genetics and Genomics
| David
Severson
David
W. Severson
Professor
Ph.D.,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Postdoctoral,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
|
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My
research interests are directed toward understanding the
molecular factors that influence the vectorial capacity
of mosquitoes to transmit pathogens to humans. Mosquito-borne
diseases have emerged or re-emerged as significant human
health problems due to a number of factors including lack
of progress in vaccine development, emergence of drug
resistance in pathogens and insecticide resistance in
mosquitoes, and the decline in socioeconomic conditions
in many disease endemic countries that limits disease
monitoring and mosquito control efforts. Most of my research
involves the mosquito, Aedes aegypti , because
it is the primary vector for the yellow fever and dengue
fever viruses and also an excellent laboratory model for
studying transmission of the avian malarial parasite,
Plasmodium gallinaceum , as well as the lymphatic
filarioid parasite, Brugia malayi. Dengue is
a threat to >2.5 billion people, with an annual incidence
estimated at 50-100 million and several hundred thousand
cases of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever with ~24,000 cases per
year. Nearly 500 million clinical cases of malaria caused
by infection with Plasmodium parasites occur
each year, resulting in ca. 3 million deaths, mainly among
children in subSaharan Africa. Lymphatic filariasis is
caused by filarioid nematodes and is the second leading
cause of permanent and long-term disability worldwide,
with 120 million people annually presenting clinical morbidity.
No effective vaccine candidates are available or soon
anticipated for preventing transmission of any of these
diseases. I am using integrated quantitative and population
genetic approaches to investigate molecular aspects of
vector competence for these diseases that will rapidly
transition information gained from laboratory studies
into field studies. This includes DNA-based genetic marker
development, an active role in the Aedes aegypti
genome project, utilization of genomics tools such as
microarrays, and comparative genomics among mosquito species.
I have a long-standing program to investigate the population
dynamics of Aedes aegypti in Trinidad and Tobago,
and am planning for additional efforts in Haiti and Cuba.
