Wolbachia transinfection of Culex tritaeniorhynchus mosquitoes to impact transmission of Japanese encephalitis virus

Tom is based in the Department of Disease Control at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and is working on developing a mosquito biocontrol method to reduce the transmission of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) using the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia. His research aims to determine whether particular strains of this bacterium can prevent or reduce the transmission of JEV in mosquitoes. Laboratory-based experiments to infect mosquitoes with Wolbachia and to determine the subsequent effects will aim to form the basis for an applied control programme to reduce JEV transmission in wild mosquito populations.