understanding, predicting, and mitigating

Zoonotic & Vector-borne Diseases

under the forces of climate and environmental changes

Main Research Areas

Changes in Climate, Environment and Health

Costa Rica secondary & primary forest drone

The Ecology of Zoonosis

HLC collections by mosquito genus as a function of HLC capture rate (A) minutes from sunlight (B) by photoperiod (AM vs PM). HLC capture rates were calculated as (summation of unique species collected/summation of all species collected ) across all collections. Mosquitoes below the horizontal line were collected in the daytime (between sunrise and sunset) while mosquitoes above line were collected at nighttime (between sunset and sunrise). A total of 8 mosquitoes were collected in the AM hours, while the remainder were collected in the PM hours. Unique letters below genus/species names indicate significantly different groupings, designated by Tukey's HSD.

Zoonoses video

Box plot distributions (median, quartiles, and outliers) of mosquito by genus and species collected via human landing catch by CDC epidemiologic week. HLC collections occurred within the 55 hexagon study regions of the NWMAD over the summers of 2018 and 2019. Each dot represents an individually collected mosquito. Unique letters below genus/species names indicate significantly different groupings, designated by Tukey's HSD.

Improving Estimates of Risk

Model comparisons, calculated as the difference between the best-fit larger scale model and the best-fit larger-scale model, for county-local (A), county-UFS (B), and local-UFS (C).

High-resolution human WNV risk maps for county (A), local (B), and ultra-fine (B) scales. Values correspond to total infections per 10,000 people from 2005-2016. Each pixel is populated by the best-fit models for each respective scale.

Overall performance for each predictor and final model used in this study. Each of the 70 covariates used in the study, listed in alphabetic order by data availability/work load to acquire score (1-4), were evaluated by mean performance (A). Highest performing covariates are noted by enlarged label text and darker blue bar color. The overall performance for each linear and logistic model (n=14 for both) was evaluated by BIC value (B). Means for each outcome (xcovariate = 0.48; xlinear = -193406; xlogistic = 670.9) are designated by vertical dashed lines.

Mean SARS-CoV-2 age-adjusted case (a) and mortality (b) epidemic curves among United States cases between January 1, 2020 and March 30, 2021. Key periods of interests: before and after Fall 2020 semester begins, and Waves 1-3, are overlaid for visual reference. Shaded widths of each line are 95% confidence limits. Unique letters, arranged in descending order (highest mean value = A and so on), indicate statistically different groups (case and mortality rates, respectively; assessed by Student’s t-test, p-value  0.05). 

Conservation and Sustainability

Toilet parts in a residence hall during the Green Fund project installation. Photo by Nathan Jandl.