Vector-Borne Disease

Chris Barker

VM: Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

Mosquito-borne diseases, Surveillance (see also: Epidemiology)

My program focuses on the epidemiology and ecology of mosquito-borne diseases, primarily those caused by West Nile, chikungunya, and dengue viruses, and including other livestock diseases such as Rift Valley fever and bluetongue. My research combines laboratory studies and epidemiological methods to understand the environmental drivers of disease outbreaks, and I manage the UC Davis component of the statewide surveillance program for mosquito-borne viruses.

STAR project opportunities in my lab include [1] development of laboratory assays to monitor feeding by individual mosquitoes over time (methods: MALDI-TOF, mosquito rearing and handling) , [2] experiments to define the relationship between temperature and incubation of chikungunya virus in mosquitoes (methods: RT-PCR, MALDI-TOF, mosquito rearing and handling), or [3] analysis of the relationship between West Nile virus risk and drought in California (methods: epidemiology, GIS, basic statistics).

Dr. Barker can be reached via email at cmbarker@ucdavis.edu.

Faculty Bio


Lark L. Coffey, Ph.D.

Davis Arbovirus Research and Training
Center for Vectorborne Diseases
Assistant Professor
Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology

(See also: Microbiology/Parasitology, Pathology/Virology)

Dr. Coffey  studies the ecology, evolution, and transmission dynamics of mosquito-borne viruses including chikungunya, Zika, West Nile, and St. Louis encephalitis that are significant causes of human disease with no licensed human vaccines or treatments beyond supportive care. The goal of her research is to understand patterns of viral molecular evolution and the viral genetic factors that promote arbovirus emergence and severe disease. Her work focuses on how intrahost viral genetic diversity generated by error-prone viral replication influences infectivity and transmissibility between mosquitoes and people or animals. She and her team also developing cheap and convenient improvements to surveillance in mosquitoes by detecting viral RNA in saliva expectorated by sugar-feeding West Nile virus vectors in California. They are also developing approaches to increase safety of candidate live-attenuated chikungunya virus vaccines by restricting their potential to develop revertant mutations that cause illness in vaccinees. Together with the California National Primate Research Center, the team is developing a non-human primate model of human Zika virus in pregnancy that is being used to define the roles of Zika virus mutations in fetal disease and for pre-clinical testing of therapies and vaccines. 

Please see http://coffeylab.ucdavis.edu for more information.


Jonathan Dear, DVM, MAS, DACVIM (SAIM)

VM: Medicine & Epidemiology

(see also: Microbiology/parasitology, microbiology/parasitology)

Dr. Jonathan Dear is a board-certified small animal internal medicine specialist at the University of California, Davis. A graduate of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Dear completed his residency at UC Davis. Dr. Dear also completed a master's degree in clinical research at the UC Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Dear's clinical interests include urinary and respiratory medicine, while his research interests also include small animal infectious diseases. Dr. Dear is the current president of the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Disease.

Possible 10-week research projects:

Investigation of tick vectors in areas where Babesia conradae is endemic

-this project will focus on the epidemiology of B. conradae, a protozoal parasite of domestic and wild canids. Tick vectors have been identified most of the Babesia species affecting humans and small animals, however, a competent tick vector for B. conradae has not been identified. The aim of this project would be to trap and identify both soft and hard ticks in areas of California where B. conradae has been diagnosed. Additionally, the project will aim to identify tick species found on trapped coyotes and work to determine whether they harbor known pathogens of domestic dogs.

Validation of a point-of-care assay for disseminated, invasive aspergillosis

-Aspergillosis can be an invasive fungal disease of dogs and is generally associated with a grave prognosis. At present, diagnosis can be made by either identification of the organism via cytology or histopathology (which requires expertise and/or invasive techniques) or urine or serum tests which must be sent out for interpretation. In this project, a student would work to validate a point-of-care Aspergillus antigen test kit, comparing results to the current gold standard. 

Contact information: Jonathan Dear, jddear@ucdavis.edu, 530-752-7133

Faculty Bio


Janet Foley, DVM, PHD

Center for Vectorborne Diseases

Tick-borne diseases

Summer veterinary students have several opportunities from which they can choose a summer project. The emphasis in the laboratory is disease ecology, epidemiology, and theory of infectious diseases, primarily in vector-host-pathogen systems although there are several non-vector transmitted diseases being studied as well. Students should expect to work every day all day, learn laboratory and/or field skills appropriate to their interests and project, and meet with Dr. Foley as early as possible (preferably in the spring) to confirm a project. Skills will be acquired through work with other students, technicians, and faculty in the laboratory; once a veterinary student is comfortable, they may expect to spend much of the rest of the summer obtaining data relevant to their project, analyzing the data with faculty supervision, and hopefully prepare it for publication.

Dr. Foley can be reached at jefoley@ucdavis.edu.

Faculty Bio