Biosafety Aspects of Arthropod-Borne Disease Vectors Laboratory

Arthropod Vectors and Disease Transmission: Translational Aspects

Numerous diseases are transmitted by arthropod vectors, and for many of those diseases, effective vaccines are still not available. The contribution of the vector to the process of pathogen transmission is often overlooked, despite providing new avenues for combating vector-borne diseases, some of which could complement and significantly enhance ongoing efforts. To explore novel approaches to f...

Containment of arthropod disease vectors.

Effective containment of arthropod vectors of infectious diseases is necessary to prevent transmission of pathogens by released, infected vectors and to prevent vectors that escape from establishing populations that subsequently contribute to increased disease. Although rare, past releases illustrate what can go wrong and justify the need for guidelines that minimize risks. An overview of recom...

Microbial control of arthropod-borne disease

Arthropods harbor a diverse array of microbes that profoundly influence many aspects of host biology, including vector competence. Additionally, symbionts can be engineered to produce molecules that inhibit pathogens. Due to their intimate association with the host, microbes have developed strategies that facilitate their transmission, either horizontally or vertically, to conspecifics. These a...

Arthropod Infestations and Vectors of Disease

Biosafety of lentiviral vectors.

The characteristics of lentiviral vectors (stable integration in non-dividing and dividing cells, long-term expression of the transgene, absence of immune response) make them ideal gene transfer vehicula for future gene therapy. However, the most potent lentiviral vectors are derived from highly pathogenic human viruses, such as HIV. We describe how the field has engineered lentivectors with in...