Vector-borne diseases
Mixing methods, embracing One Health, unravel transmission dynamics and prevention
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In our daily life, we interact with other people, our environment, animals, insects and smaller creatures. Sometimes these interactions have unwanted consequences, like disease.
Diseases spread by ticks, fleas and mosquitoes are often called vector-borne diseases.
To be more precise, these vectors (ticks, fleas, mosquitoes) transmit the disease-causing agents. These agents, bacteria, viruses and other parasites, can be transmitted when vectors bite (mechanical transmission) and feed on blood (biological transmission). A vector picks up the disease-causing agent while feeding on an infectious individual (host), often healthy wildlife (reservoir host), or the vector was already infected when it was an egg (vertical transmission).
To help prevent vector-borne diseases, I try to:
understand the disease system,
identify, test and evaluate interventions, and
communicate
People
People
Our behavior can put us at risk for bug bites. We use the Tick App to better understand what people do to avoid tick bites and when we do get bitten! New addition: pet-ownership and ticks.
vectors
vectors
Killing ticks, fleas and mosquitoes is one way to try to not get bitten. However, this is not bulletproof. We evaluate how well some of these tick prevention methods work.
animals
animals
Rodents can carry disease causing agents without getting sick, they are reservoirs. Studying rodents helps us better understand their behavior, and how to limit disease spread while keeping healthy wildlife.
In my current research, I work on socio-ecological aspects of, and interventions for vector-borne disease (control and education) in a One Health framework, including wildlife (welfare and conservation) and domestic animals focused projects. I look for sustainable solutions for healthy people, healthy animals in a healthy environment
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