The article, "Wolbachia Establishment and Invasion in an Aedes aegypti Laoratory Population," focuses on the efforts of the UK team as they work to develop new approaches to controlling mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit. These diseases include various forms of encephalitis, including West Nile, malaria, and many others which impact both humans and animals.

For instance, the potential negative economic impact of mosquito-borne illnesses is very significant in Kentucky, where many people raise horses and other livestock.

Dobson, an associate professor of entomology at UK and the principal investigator on this published study, credits the work of his colleagues, Xi, formerly a post-doctoral appointment at Kentucky who just recently was hired at Johns Hopkins University, and Khoo, who is a current doctorate student in entomology at UK.

Dobson, who teaches classes in medical entomology and livestock entomology at UK, earned his doctorate at the University of California-Berkeley and served a post-doctoral fellowship at Yale University before joining the UK faculty in 1998.

"UK is a very supportive environment in which to pursue my research," said Dobson. "The Department of Entomology, the College of Agriculture, and the overall university have provided us with the tools we need to do this important work."

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Contact: Carl Nathe
cnath1@uky.edu
859-257-1754
University of Kentucky
14-Oct-2005