Our laboratory studies the ecology and epidemiology of infectious diseases in animal and human populations. We are particularly interested in the epidemiology of vector-borne diseases, emerging infectious diseases in wildlife, infectious diseases in feline populations, and the theory and mathematical modeling of vector-borne diseases in communities. Much of our work is in rodents and domestic animals and/or vectored by ticks. Special interests include international veterinary medicine and ecological research (Asia, Australia, and Mexico), granulocytic anaplasmosis, Lyme disease, and plague.
Post-doctoral scholars and Graduate Students
Tick Diseases:
We have several research projects focused on the ecology and
epidemiology of ticks and tickborne diseases of California and
elsewhere.
- Forest change and the emergence of disease transmitted by Ixodes ricinus group hard ticks in northern California and northeastern China.
- Modeling the enzootic maintenance of granulocytic anaplasmosis in California wildlife.
- Understanding high anaplasmosis and Lyme- risk regions of far northern California through wildlife and tick studies.
- Comparative habitat analysis for hard-tick borne disease in the western US.
- Developing an active surveillance program for exotic ticks of cattle in California.
Plague: