Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » ABADRU » Research » Research Project #427618

Research Project: Biology of Mosquito Vectors of Arbovirus Transmission Associated with Emerging Disease Threats of Livestock

Location: Arthropod-borne Animal Diseases Research

Project Number: 3020-32000-014-002-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 1, 2014
End Date: Aug 31, 2019

Objective:
The purpose of this agreement is to facilitate research to enhance the understanding of arbovirus maintenance, transmission and infection/disease in mosquitos, swine and other relevant animals. The overall goals of this research program will be two-fold: 1) understanding how arboviruses differentially adapt to insect and animal hosts, and how this knowledge can be used to break the cycle of transmission and 2) develop better countermeasures (detection and preventative tools) to increase the efficiency of livestock production, and in the case of zoonotic diseases, prevent the transmission to human hosts.

Approach:
The arbovirus transmission project in ABADRU and KSU will aim to understand the biological processes associated with establishment of infection in vectors, transmission of virus, establishment of mammalian infection as well as disease pathogenesis and immunity that could impact the domestic feral and commercial swine. A multidisciplinary approach combining genetics, microbiology, vector ecology, insect physiology, ecology, virology, pathology and immunology and other sub-disciplines will be used to address this research objective described above. Specifically, this agreement will establish funding to support two Ph.D. graduate students for four years to work with the principle investigators (ARS ABADRU and KSU) to fulfill these objectives. Trainees will be selected based upon previous experience, accomplishments and interests to participate in projects and be trained in techniques related to research on vector-borne viruses. The goal is to add to the collective expertise in the U.S. and enhance our response capabilities to indigenous and foreign disease threats to livestock. Complimentary expertise of ABADRU and KSU personnel would provide training to include virus propagation, arthropod infection and analysis, and transmission studies at BSL-3, molecular genetic analysis and predictive epidemiological modelling.