Mission:
The mission of Veterinary Pest Genetics Research Unit is to provide fundamental research on the genetics of veterinary arthropod pests to mitigate fly and tick pests and the pathogens they transmit that threaten US cattle and wildlife. Research on arthropod pest genetics generates information that can be used to identify weaknesses of the pest and to help develop models that assess entomological and epidemiological risk to host populations. Research includes: 1) analysis of tick and fly genomes to identify new targets of control and methods of surveillance and 2) advancement of genetic methods to control ticks and fly pests including development of novel vaccines through reverse vaccinology, gene editing/silencing, gene drives and genetic approaches to reduce pesticide resistance.