Members directory

Leishmania-midges and Leishmania-sandly interactions

Taxonomy, identification and distribution of Culicoides biting midges. African horse sickness epidemiology

Malaria vector ecology and  vector control.

Parasitology (Leishmania) and zoology of invertebrates

Vector biology, animal and zoonotic diseases

I'm interested in understanding the transmission dynamics of tropical vector borne diseases, mainly the ecological aspects. Currently, I'm a Wellcome Trust Fellow at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. My fellowship focuses on establishing the baseline of the transmission cycle of cutaneous leishmaniasis in an endemic area in Guatemala. We'll be looking at the diversity of Leishmania parasites circulating in human patients, natural infection in sandflies and blood sources of the sandflies. 

Population dynamics, modelling, species distribution, ecology

I have been working on onchocerciasis for 18 years, focusing on the Onchocerca ochengi bovine system as an analogue of the human disease. My research spans vaccine, drug and diagnostics development for onchocerciasis using this bovine system, as well as basic questions about the evolution of filarial nematodes, their association with Wolbachia symbionts, and their capacity for immune evasion. 

I am interested in the  ecology  of blackflies (adults and immature stages) and their role as vectors of different parasites for human and birds.

Investigating the mechanisms of resistance to neonicotinoid insectciides in mosquito species. This involves in silico work looking at variant gene expression using Ag1000G project data, in vitro work looking at gene expression levels and in vivo work to assess phenotypic susceptibility to insecticides.

Diptera of medical and veterinary importance; insect anatomy and development; visualisation of Diptera metamorphosis; visualisation of host/parasite interfaces.

A molecular biology research scientist with interest is on utilising genomics in the control vector borne diseases mainly malaria and leishmaniasis

Biology of Culicoides spp & predatory midges

Vector ecology & host vector interaction of Culicoides spp.

Morphological and molecular characterization of Culicoides spp

Vectors of livestock pathogens, zoonoses, virus-vector interactions, vector surveillance, vector control

My research interests are focused on vector ecology and the role of ecology in understanding the epidemiology and epizootiology of pathogens. My research also spans laboratory based infection and vector competency studies.

CAREER UPDATE: I graduated last May with my PhD in entomology from the University of Florida. I did a postdoc at the CDC where I studied an invasive population of Aedes aegypti and also completed laboratory studies with West Nile virus and Oropouche virus. I have since started a full time research entomologist position with the USDA Agricultural Research Service at the Arthropod borne Animal Diseases Research Unit in Manhattan, KS. I continue to study Culicoides ecology in this capacity, with specific areas of interest including host associations, sugar feeding ecology, spatial ecology, and larval ecology. I am also interested in the ecology of Culicoides-borne diseases including epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus, bluetongue virus, and vesicular stomatitis virus. Through the vast breadth of ecological research we pursue, we hope to leverage our results to better understand not just the true breadth of vector species in North America but also management and control strategies that target specific ecological characteristics of vector midges.

Retired - more or less

Primarily mathematical modelling of vector and infection dynamics.
I am also interested in (laboratory based) behavioural studies with mosquitoes.

I work with Culicoides and vector mosquito species in the South Carolina area. My lab identifies vectors and pathogens from field collections. We also utilize RNAi to determine the molecular mechanisms behind blood-feeding and pathogen transmission in Culicoides sonorensis.  

As an early career researcher and PHD student, in order to develop and solidify my knowledge in entomology, taxonomic and molecular techniques, i look forward to participate the gnatwork.

Molecular diagnostics, vector borne diseases in animal and its control, Stem cell biology, Cloning

Alternative email: drsushilmohapatra@gmail.com

Kala-azar or Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) is a parasitic disease which has been recorded in South-East Asia during early 1800’s. It seems to have blowout along the Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers, the major transport routs of Bengal and Bangladesh. In this area, Kala-azar was first described in 1824 in the Jessore district where about 75,000 people died. An intensive control program aimed at the eradication of malaria was mounted in the late 1950s and early 1960s throughout the South Asian sub-continent with the main effort based on indoor residual spraying (IRS) of DDT. Kala-azar is mainly caused by Leishmania donovani, L. infantum, or L. chagasi, but occasionally these species may cause other forms of disease. The cutaneous form of the disease is caused by more than 15 species of Leishmania. Leishmaniasis is mainly transferred by the bite of infected female phlebotomine sandflies which can transmit the protozoa Leishmania. This sandflies act as the vector.

VL is now endemic in many Bangladeshi areas, with the Mymensingh district representing over 50% of the cases. There is substantial underreporting. In 2007, the estimated number of active cases was 136,500. However, less than 5,000 cases were reported that same year. The estimated incidence of VL, according to recent studies, is 15.6/1,000 person-years in Fulbaria and 27/10,000 population in Godagari and Rajshahi.

A survey, conducted in 2006-2007, showed that when seeking care outside the community, 52% of patients made use of the public sector, 13% used poorly trained private practitioners and 28% used local chemists in order to obtain treatment. The awareness of VL is very low. Generally, in communities, VL is seen as ‘any fever that cannot be cured by the local drug sellers’.

As sandflies play a significant role in spreading the dangerous VL disease in different parts of Bangladesh, so this alarming rate of occurring VL in Bangladesh lead me to fix the mind setup to work with sand flies.

Vectorial competence of sand flies for leishmaniasis and arboviruses

Ecological parameters and biology of Culicoides.

I just started a job as a sand fly collection techinician so I started do study sand flies txonomy. My carear was developed studying sand flies interaction with leishmania and bacteria, but now I need to improve my epidomiology and taxonomy skills on this insect. 

Phlebotomine Taxonomy; Barcoding, Epidemiology; Molecular Biology and natural infection; Blood meal.

Vector transmitted parasitic diseases, Veterinary Vaccine Production, Rational Use of Veterinary Drugs. currently investigating major tabanids transmitting Camel trypanosomiasis in Mudug Region, Somalia.

Insect surveillance and monitoring

Integrated pest management

Animal health, vector-borne diseases and parasitic vaccine production

Transcriptome, genome and microbiome projects in biting midges and other diptera. Vector-microbe interactions, vector competence, larval microbial ecology.

Development and evaluation of novel and highly sensitive and specific point of care diagnostics/vaccine for neglected tropical diseases such as human onchocerciasis. 

Biting midge ecology, trapping and surveillance

Vector biology, ecology, surveillance and control.

Vector population dynamics, molecular characterisations, and parasite transmission potentials.

Control of vectors that transmits  diseases using natural products

The mechanism of action of the anti-trypanocidal drugs such as pentamidine, fexinidazole and acoziborole (to mention but a few) and even some natural herbs which are being administered to cases of African trypanosomiasis revealed that they are usually directed to assault and kill the trypanosomes in the body. The red blood cell (RBC) membrane which form the first site of infection are usually unprepared for the first attack and hence the RBCs suffer massive destruction as seen in various anaemic shape the cells assumed after the first wave of parasitaemia. The bilayer membrane of RBCs consist of glycoproteins such as glycophorin A which bound to neuraminic acid (NA) and O-linked oligosaccharide sugar. This conjugate forms the binding site for trypanosome on RBCs. NA can be oxidized or cleaved from glycophorin by neuraminidase or sialidase secreted by the invading trypanosome. The research interest lies in the ability to screen for neuraminidase inhibitors either natural or synthetic compounds which can be used to block the parasite before adhering itself to the surface of RBCs and damage the cells. This will requires designing or screening for compound, its bioavailability, molecular basis and understanding its toxicity as well as its effectiveness. 

Surveillance for zoonotic and emerging infectious diseases of livestock, companion animals and wildlife; viral discovery and ecology; arthropod-borne viral diseases of medical/veterinary importance.

Taxonomy, biology, ecology, vector competence and control of blackflies. I am working on a blackfly problems a long Salado river at Buenos Aires Province. I found 4 species of blackflies breeding in this river and closer chanels. One species, Simulium chaquense is a big problems for more than 1.500.000 people living in the area. I want to go deep in this problem trying to give some solutions to those people.

My research interests are in the areas of molecular epidemiology of tropical diseases and identification of potential bio-markers for the diagnosis and control of diseases. In the area of tropical diseases I focus on control of leishmaniasis and malaria with particular interest on sandfly.

Sand fly fauna, leishmaniasis epidemiology, sand fly identification tools

I work on molecular taxonomy of Culicoides spp  to elucidate species complexes.

Vector-borne pathogens, PCR-based diagnostics, Parasites, Molecular phylogenetics, population genetics

age grading Culicoides

Chemical ecology of haematophagous insects including chemical characterisation of natural signals mediating behaviour and development e.g. the first identification of mosquito and sandfly pheromones and developing sustainable production systems for their use, particularly of pheromones and host related attractants and repellents.

Many districts in West Bengal are endemic for Kala-azar. The number of cases are rising every year. Despite of performing Indoor Residual Spray in the endemic areas, there are abundant sandflies found during the post-IRS entomological survey. The reason behind this can be attributed to their change in habitat & resting places, increasing resistance against insecticides, poor management of patients leading to increased transmission of the disease and many more to discover. if these problems are addressed, will lead to change in the guidelines in the management of sandflies in an effective way.