Mosquitoes are carrying viruses that can jump into humans, and researchers want to understand exactly how the insects’ own immune systems decide whether to let those viruses multiply and spread. This matters because viruses transmitted by mosquitoes—such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya—are emerging and spreading faster as cities grow, farming changes, and people travel more. Scientists know that some mosquitoes are better at transmitting certain viruses than others, but they do not fully understand why. This programme focuses on the fundamental biology of mosquito immune responses to arboviruses, filling a gap in knowledge about what makes a mosquito “competent” to transmit a virus. If the research succeeds, it could lead to new ways to block transmission—for example, by making mosquitoes less able to carry or pass on viruses. The team is also working with the Uganda Virus Research Institute to identify which viruses and pathogens are causing fevers in three distinct regions of Uganda, helping to spot emerging threats early. This is primarily fundamental science, but understanding mosquito immunity has already informed past breakthroughs in controlling insect-borne disease.
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Dr Alain Kohl and Dr Emma Thomson, Lead Investigators, Dr Emilie Pondeville and Prof Massimo Palmarini as Collaborators, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR), University of Glasgow. Urbanisation, agricultural practices, mass transportation and changing interactions between humans and their environment create unprecedented opportunities for viruses to emerge and spread globally among human populations. Many emerging viruses are transmitted to vertebrate hosts, including humans by arthropod vectors, such as mosquitoes. “Arboviruses” can replicate in both vertebrates and arthropods and thus overcome a diverse array of hostile antiviral responses from the mosquitoes and the mammalian hosts. In this programme we aim to understand the fundamental processes governing the immune responses of mosquitoes to arboviruses. These studies will increase our understanding of vector “competence” (i.e. the ability of insect vectors to transmit certain arboviruses) and facilitate the development of novel control measures. Studies on arboviruses and other emerging viruses will also be conducted in collaboration with the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Uganda, where several emergent viruses with epidemic potential have been identified in the past. We aim to identify viruses and other pathogens causing febrile illness in the human population living in 3 geographically distinct regions of Uganda (North West, Central and South West districts).
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