Ongoing Funded projects

Vector-Borne Disease Surveillance:  Working with the CDC, through a CDC funded Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, I am working to conduct surveillance activities in the RGV.  While the initial focus was on mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases, we have subsequently expanded to Rickettsial diseases and tick-borne diseases.  Our efforts include field collections, identification of species (mosquito or tick), and testing for infection.  We plan to expand these efforts to conduct preliminary serological surveys for tick-borne diseases in the RGV.  This work is done in partnership with Hidalgo County Health Department, City of McAllen, UTEP, UTMB, and TAMU, and funded by the CDC.

Insecticide Resistance Monitoring:  We have set up a monitoring system to assess insecticide resistance in Aedes mosquito populations along the TX/MS border.  Initiated in 2017, we aim to collect long term data about the evolution and change in resistance in mosquito populations, as well as identify any seasonal variation or geographic variation.  We work closely with local city vector control in this effort, as we hope our data will allow for more effective control efforts. This work is funded by the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Control of Asian Citrus Psyllid:  Working with the USDA, we are assisting in efforts to help monitor and control the Asian Citrus Psyllid population, primarily through biological control methods include using parasitic wasps and entomopathogenic fungi.  This work is primarily conducted at the USDA, and I provide assistance through a variety of cooperative agreements.  This work has been funded since 2012.

Previous projects, including student projects

Control of the Mexican Fruit Fly through SIT

Distribution and abundance of Anopheline mosquitoes

Behavior and activity patterns of assassin bugs

Vertical transmission of Zika virus

Environmental factors influencing infection and dissemination of Zika virus

Co-infection between dengue and Zika virus in mosquitoes

Native flies for use in forensic entomology

Mosquito population genetics

Mosquito midgut fauna