Major Research Interest
Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are threats to public health increasingly exacerbated by globalization, expansion of arthropod-vector habitats, and urban development. Arboviruses rely on transmission cycles between hematophagous arthropod vectors and vertebrate hosts, however, not all vertebrates can support transmission back to the arthropod vector. Vertebrate-to-arthropod transmission requires the development of a viremia of sufficient amplitude and duration—especially in the context of mosquito-transmitted viruses where a single bloodmeal may average only ~3 µL. Viremia development is also of clinical importance, as high patient viremia titers often correlate with increased disease severity. Yet, the molecular mechanisms that dictate viremia development in vertebrates are poorly defined.
Research in the lab is focused on investigating conserved and species-specific host-virus interactions that influence arbovirus viremia, pathogenesis, and ecology. Current areas of interest are eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) interactions with species-specific glycosaminoglycans and blood-filtering phagocytes; and conserved, phagocyte-independent mechanisms of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) viremic control.
