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6/15/17 - How insights into bug biology can improve public health

The microscope setup in Dr. Paskewitz's lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The molecular biology of different mosquito species affects their viability as transmitters of infectious diseases. Photo by Tom Richards

It’s common knowledge that diseases like Zika, Malaria, and Yellow Fever are all spread by mosquitos, while Lyme Disease is spread by ticks. But how does that actually work? What makes an organism well-suited to transmitting infections, and what can we do about the bugs that keep biting us? I talked these questions over with Dr. Susan Paskewitz. She’s a public health entomologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she studies insects and ticks that transmit diseases to humans. I had the pleasure of interviewing her in her Madison laboratory; we discussed the increased incidence of Lyme Disease, how insights into insect biology have led to new tools for fighting the spread of parasites, and some of her research into the public's willingness to invest in pest control.

Aedes vexans mosquitos, a common vector for various diseases, viewed under the microscope. Photo by Tom Richards

You can hear selections from our conversation in the above audio player. Some quick takeaways:

• A vector is any organism that acquires a pathogen or parasite and transfers it to other organisms.
• Mosquitos and ticks are common vectors, broadly speaking. However, the efficacy of an individual species as a vector has to do with its particular immune response to the pathogen in question.
  • For example, it is believed that most mosquitos are not effective vectors for the Zika virus.
• Researchers are developing genetic tools that change the immune response of mosquitos. This would allow them to eliminate mosquitos' ability to spread disease without having to eradicate the insects themselves.
• In a 2012 study, Dr. Paskewitz found that Wisconsin residents were willing to pay over 150$ to control pest mosquitos, but were not willing to pay for control of mosquitos that would mitigate the risk of contracting West Nile Virus.