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Vector-borne Diseases Programme
Vector-borne diseases are transmitted between hosts by other animals such as midges, mosquitoes and ticks. Most vector species are small, cold-blooded, and fast-breeding, meaning that they can respond quickly to changes in their environment such as flooding or a warm summer. Climate change and the globalisation of trade mean that some vector-borne diseases are currently spreading into previously unaffected areas. For example, bluetongue virus (BTV) has been emerging in southern Europe for the last ten years, and arrived in northern Europe for the first time ever in 2006.
The Vector-borne Diseases Programme, headed by Professor Philip Mellor OBE, studies a number of vector-borne diseases. These include bluetongue and African horse sickness, which are spread by Culicoides biting midges, and African swine fever, which is spread by ticks. The programme consists of the following groups:
- Entomology and Modelling Group (head of group: Dr Simon Carpenter)
- Group description: http://www.iah.ac.uk/research/arbovirology/enttran.shtml
- Group website: http://www.culicoides.net
- Arbovirus Research Group (head of group: Professor Peter Mertens)
- Group description: http://www.iah.ac.uk/research/arbovirology/arbo.shtml
- Group website: http://www.reoviridae.org/dsRNA_virus_proteins/
- Non-Vesicular Reference Laboratory (head: Dr Chris Oura)
- Group description: http://www.iah.ac.uk/research/arbovirology/diag.shtml
- Group website: http://www.bluetonguevirus.org/
The programme also has strong links with the Mathematical Biology group (http://www.iah.ac.uk/research/mathbiol/mathbiol.shtml).
- Reseach leaders:
- Philip Mellor
- Peter Mertens
- Chris Oura
Research areas:
Part of the Division of Epidemiology.