DAVIS—Two entomology doctoral students at the University of California, Davis who are studying mosquitoes that transmit killer diseases have received the 2008 William Hazeltine Student Research Fellowships, memorializing a noted California entomologist.
Tara Thiemann, who studies Culex mosquitoes which transmit West Nile Virus (WNV), and Horton, who studies Anopheline mosquitoes which transmit malaria, each received $1500.
Thiemann works with research entomologist William Reisen, Center for Vectorborne Diseases, and Horton with malaria researcher Shirley Luckhart, UC Davis School of Medicine.
Last year California recorded 380 cases of West Nile virus, with 21 fatalities. Malaria, a parasitic disease, kills more than a million people a year, with 90 percent of the global incidence of malaria occurring in Africa.
Thiemann's project involves analyzing the blood meals of Culex mosquitoes to determine the host species. She is relating the feeding patterns to virus activity and host blood prevalence.
"Understanding the blood feeding patterns of these mosquitoes is important for both understanding the maintenance of WNV as well as explaining epidemic transmission of the virus," Thiemann said.
She will determine the feeding patterns of Culex mosquitoes in the rural and urban areas of three California regions: Colorado Desert (Coachella Valley), Western Martime (Los Angeles) and Central Valley (Southern San Joaquin Valley and the Sacramento Valley).
Research in the Luckhart lab has demonstrated insulin signaling induces oxidative damage in the mosquito, and oxidative damage reduces lifespan. The research may lead to the development of novel control strategies to break the cycle of transmission.
Thiemann joined the Entomology Graduate Program in 2004, and Horton in 2005. Thiemann received her bachelor's and master's degree in biology from Truman State University, Kirksville, Mo. Horton received her bachelor's degree in public health studies at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
Hazeltine (1926-1994) managed the Butte County Mosquito Abatement District, Oroville, from 1966 to 1992, and the Lake County Mosquito Abatement District from 1961-64. He was an ardent supporter of the judicious use of public health pesticides to protect public health, according to colleague Robert Washino, emeritus professor and former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology.
Medical entomologist Bruce Eldridge of UC Davis eulogized him at the 2005 American Mosquito Control Association conference. His talk was later published in the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association. (See PDF)
Previous Recipients:
2007: Lisa Reimer and Jacklyn Wong (See story)
2006: Christopher Barker and Tania Morgan (See story)
2005: Nicole Mans
2004: Sharon Minnick
2003: Hannah Burrack
2002: Holly Ganz and Andradi Villalobos
2001: Laura Goddard and Linda Styer