2008 Public Lecture Series
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Out of the Blue: Mosquitoes and Emerging Viruses
Most arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) have the capacity to establish themselves anywhere in the world based on the availability of potential vectors, susceptible hosts and environmental conditions. The introduction and successful establishment ofWest Nile virus (WNV) in the United States alerted the public health community to the global nature of infectious diseases and that even vector-borne diseases can spread beyond their native territories. More than 27,000 individuals in the U.S. have become ill from WNV since its introduction in 1999, with approximately 11,000 neurologic cases. A related virus, dengue, is the causative agent of the greatest number of human cases caused by an arbovirus on a global scale and presents a constant threat to the U.S. Other groups of arboviruses are also important worldwide. For example, eastern equine encephalitis virus causes sporadic disease in New York State , and its relative, Chikungunya virus, has recently emerged in various countries and has the potential to emerge here. This presentation will introduce the ecology and epidemiology of these mosquito-borne viruses, with discussion focusing on their transmission cycles, pathogenicity and genetics.
Related Links
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
- National Library of Medicine
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Laura Kramer, Ph.D.
Dr. Laura Kramer is the director of the Arbovirus Laboratories at Wadsworth Center . She joined Wadsworth in May, 2000, to set up theWest Nile virus surveillance program and to establish an arbovirus research program. She previously conducted research at the University of California , Berkeley , and was instrumental in establishing the Center for Vector-borne Disease Research at UC Davis. Dr. Kramer has 40 years experience studying arboviruses in the United States , as well as in Mexico andCentral America. She was the first to identify barriers to viral transmission in mosquito vectors. Her current federally supported studies focus on clarifying interactions between mosquitoes, viruses and vertebrate hosts, and exploring how temperature and other extrinsic factors impact these interactions. Other studies concentrate on arboviral evolution and adaptation to new environments. She is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health , University at Albany , and an adjunct professor in the University's Biology Department.
Kristen Bernard, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Dr. Bernard is the deputy chief of the Laboratory of Zoonotic Diseases and Clinical Virology. She joined the Center in 2000 as part of the team investigating theWest Nile virus outbreak in New York State . In addition to her role in overseeing surveillance forWest Nile virus and other insect-transmitted viruses, she is active in virus research funded by the National Institutes of Health. Her studies focus on understanding the interaction of viruses with their animal hosts. In particular, she is interested in how viruses invade the brain and cause encephalitis. Dr. Bernard received a veterinary degree from the University of California-Davis and a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She has taught virology and immunology, and given numerous research presentations.