Basic research conducted and supported by NIAID examines the relationship of arthropod vectors with their environment, the pathogens they transmit, and the vertebrate hosts they feed on. By understanding the mechanisms involved in these interactions, researchers can identify potential targets to impact vector populations and prevent vectors from blood feeding and transmitting pathogens.
NIAID conducts and supports a broad range of basic research in vector biology, including projects on:
- Ecology, epidemiology, and behavior of vectors
- Vector physiology and biochemical mechanisms
- Population biology, genetics, genomics, and proteomics
- Transgenic approaches, including genome editing tools such as CRISPR-Cas9
- Pathogen-vector interactions and factors affecting pathogen development and blood feeding, and the effect of vector saliva on the transmission of vector-borne microbes
- Vector-vertebrate host interactions and how vector-derived factors affect the bite site, skin immunity, and conditions that favor pathogen transmission and pathogenesis
- Vector microbiome and its effect on the vector and pathogens within the vector
- Vector immunity and its effect on pathogen development.
- Insecticide resistance and the discovery of chemical and non-chemical targets for development of novel larvicides, insecticides, and repellents
In 2021, NIAID organized a workshop, Targeting the Parasite Within the Vector: Exploring Novel Approaches to Prevent Transmission of Vector-Borne Diseases, which brought together experts in vector biology, parasitology, and related areas to discuss approaches to interrupting parasite development within the arthropod host, which would prevent transmission of vector-borne diseases to humans.