Principal Investigators and Program Directors
Kristen Bernard
Deputy Laboratory Chief, Wadsworth Center,
Zoonotic Disease and Clinical Virology
Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, Biomedical Sciences
D.V.M., University of California-Davis (1989)
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison (1995)
Postdoctoral training, University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill
Research Interests
Pathogenesis of Arthropod-borne Viruses: Unraveling the Disease Process
The central theme of my research program is to further our understanding of the virus-host interaction. By understanding this interaction, we can develop new therapies and vaccines. In particular, I study the pathogenesis of arthropod-borne viruses, including West Nile virus (WNV), a significant cause of human disease in the United States. I use molecular virologic techniques in combination with in vitro and in vivo models to ascertain the steps in the disease process and to understand mechanisms of virulence or attenuation. My current research falls into four major areas. One of my research interests is to understand how WNV causes disease, including the effect of the virus on the immune and nervous systems during the initial infection and after recovery. My laboratory has fully characterized a mouse model of West Nile disease, and we discovered that mortality correlates with the destruction of lymphoid tissues early in infection. We have also found that infectious virus persists in the brain and spinal cord for up to four months in survivors of WNV infection. These results have implications for long term effects in humans recovering from West Nile disease, in organ transplantation, and in how WNV persists in nature across transmission seasons. Another research interest lies in identifying genetic determinants of viral virulence and attenuation and ascertaining the mechanisms. In collaboration with others, we have identified attenuating mutations in WNV, which are possible future vaccine candidates. A third research area focuses on the interactions of the mosquito, virus, and the vertebrate host. We have found that mosquito saliva affects early viral replication, and we will next focus on the mechanisms involved. Finally, in collaboration with others, we have tested new therapies and vaccines, using our fully characterized mouse model.
Contact Information
E-mail: kab17@health.state.ny.us