Susan Paskewitz

Education:
Ph.D. Entomology – University of Georgia, Athens, 1987
M.A. Zoology – Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, 1982
B.S. Zoology – Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, 1979

Research Interests:
My research centers on management of arthropods involved in disease transmission, with a focus on mosquitoes and ticks.  A key question is the basis for compatibility versus incompatibility between various mosquito species and malaria parasite strains or species.  Compatibility can be mediated by the immune response of the host mosquito as well as evasion mechanisms of the parasite.  Our major contributions to this field include 1) identification of the role of important enzymes involved in regulating the melanization response through gene silencing studies, 2) a model Sephadex bead system for investigation of immune responses that is now widely used for molecular and ecological studies, and 3) discovery of a mosquito protein that binds to parasites and facilitates their development in this host.  Ongoing NIH-funded work focuses on the mosquito lysozyme gene family and the relationship of these proteins to adult and larval biology as well as their interaction with parasites.

To address the outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) in the US and to gain expertise in methods of mosquito control, another line of research was initiated in 2005 on Integrated Mosquito Management (IMM) of local pests.  This Hatch-supported research focused on identification of major human biting species in southern Wisconsin and diagnosis of WNV in pooled samples from these collections. In addition, we 1) characterized aquatic sites that produce WNV vectors in Madison and identified superproducing sites (with Dr. Christine Arcari, Pop. Health, and John Hausbeck, Dane County Public Health), 2) investigated the co-occurrence of avian Plasmodium and WNV in Culex spp., (with Dr. Erik Hofmeister, USGS), and 3) successfully piloted the use of native fish species for control of the larval stages of Culex restuans/pipiens, work that has now been funded for an additional 4 year period as part of a multistate Hatch project.  Continuing projects will focus on development of local species of predatory microcrustaceans for biological control, on examining the impacts of WNV and nuisance mosquitoes on human behavior and quality of life (with RWJ Fellow Katie Dickinson), and on monitoring the effects of a newly introduced species (Aedes japonicus japonicus) on transmission of La Crosse virus and WNV (with local public health departments and the State Division of Health). Undergraduates were involved in mosquito research with projects that centered on tests of mosquito control methods that are marketed or promoted to our citizens, including CO2-generating backyard traps and ingestion of Vitamin B1 (with Prof. Tony Ives, Zoology) or bananas.

Tick-borne disease remains an important issue for Wisconsin with the incidence of Lyme disease increasing dramatically since 2002.  Over the past 10 years, projects focused on identification of risk levels in high-use urban forests and on identifying determinants of tick distribution in the state.  Currently, in collaboration with the State Division of Health, we are investigating the expansion of the range of Ixodes scapularis in eastern Wisconsin.  In collaboration with CDC and Prof. Ken Raffa’s group, we are also examining the ecology and effects of changes in forest structure on the dynamics of tick populations and Lyme disease infection rates.

Research Category: Suborganismal. Basic and Applied.