Publications

When infection alters host behaviour such that the pathogen benefits, the behaviour is termed a manipulation. There are several examples of this fascinating phenomenon in many different systems. Vector-borne diseases are no exception. In some instances, as the term implies, pathogens directly interfere with host processes to control behaviour. However, […]

The reemergence and growing burden of mosquito-borne virus infections have incited public fear and growing research efforts to understand the mechanisms of infection-associated health outcomes and to provide better approaches for mosquito vector control. While efforts to develop therapeutics, vaccines, and novel genetic mosquito-control technologies are underway, many important underlying […]

Illuminating the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of parasites is one of the most pressing issues facing modern science, and is critical for basic science, the global economy, and human health. Extremely important to this effort are data on the disease-causing organisms of wild animal hosts (including viruses, bacteria, protozoa, helminths, […]

Mercury is a pervasive heavy metal that often enters the environment from anthropogenic sources such as gold mining and agriculture. Chronic exposure to mercury can impair immune function, reducing the ability of animals to resist or recover from infections. How mercury influences immunity and susceptibility remains unknown for bats, which […]

Humans provide supplemental food to wildlife under many contexts, ranging from professional feeding areas for game species to backyard bird feeders. Such resources benefit wildlife by providing reliable resources during periods of food shortages, but may also alter the risk of pathogen transmission and development of disease. This paper comprehensively […]

Not all hosts, communities or environments are equally hospitable for parasites. Direct and indirect interactions between parasites and their predators, competitors and the environment can influence variability in host exposure, susceptibility and subsequent infection, and these influences may vary across spatial scales. To determine the relative influences of abiotic, biotic […]

In an attempt to address the rise in pertussis cases in developed communities once thought immune to any resurgence of the deadly infant disease, the Rohani lab explores maternal immunization that has been proposed, this far, as an effective strategy for protecting neonates, who are at higher risk of severe pertussis […]

In spite of medical breakthroughs, the emergence of pathogens continues to pose threats to both human and animal populations. To address this challenge, members of the Rohani lab, along with a collaboration with John Drake, present candidate approaches for anticipating disease emergence prior to large-scale outbreaks. Through use of ideas from […]

Steve Bellan, of the CEID, developed a mathematical model to test the hypothesis that early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces the risk of drug-sensitive HIV transmission but may increase the transmission of drug-resistant HIV. His model estimates the long-term population-level benefits of ART and determines the scenarios under which earlier ART (treatment […]

Steven Bellan, a biostatistician from UGA’s College of Public Health, developed a quantitative framework for real-time ZIKV risk assessment that captures uncertainty in case reporting, importations, and vector-human transmission dynamics. His findings, published recently in BMC Infectious Diseases, reveal that though large metropolitan regions of the United States (such as the […]