Center for Vectorborne Diseases

The center is an interdisciplinary venture of the School of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. There are many programs currently underway. A lot of research is done on the epidemiology and ecology of infectious diseases vectors, and much work (an entire lab) is focused on the genetics of such vector organisms. There are several labs focusing on ticks alone, as they are only behind mosquitoes as vectors. Something unique to the Davis research center is the wide spectra the research covers. In addition to the epidemiology of diseases, they try to develop more rapid and accurate molecular methods to diagnose and survey the spread of such diseases, as well as develop strategies, methods, and tools to manage and prevent them from spreading. Many labs do additional research in other related fields to help them answer questions left from researching the available literature, or to simply understand and observe other aspects of variable diseases.