Mosquitoes and the pathogens they transmit are ectothermic organisms, and it is well established that the dynamics and distribution of vector-borne diseases are strongly influenced by climate. Thus, for proper risk assessments of existing and (re)emerging diseases, and for successful disease control and elimination strategies, a good understanding of the effect of climatic factors on life-history traits of both vectors and pathogens is a prerequisite. We study how daily temperature fluctuations affect ectotherms differentially than constant temperatures, if local weather stations provide realistic measures of temperatures within actual transmission environments, and how temperature affects the effectiveness of vector control tools, amongst other topics.
A selection of relevant papers:
- The importance of temperature fluctuations in understanding mosquito population dynamics and malaria risk. Royal Society Open Science 2017
- Mapping physiological suitability limits of malaria in Africa under climate change. Vector borne and zoonotic diseases 2015
- Understanding uncertainty in temperature effects on vector-borne disease: A Bayesian approach. Ecology 2015
- Environmental temperatures significantly change the impact of insecticides measured using WHOPES protocols. Malaria Journal 2014
- Downscaling reveals diverse effects of anthropogenic climate warming on the potential for local environments to support malaria transmission. Climatic Change 2014
- Chemicals, climate and control: Increasing the effectiveness of malaria vector control tools by considering relevant temperatures. PLoS Pathogens 2013
- Temperature variation makes ectotherms more sensitive to climate change. Global Change Biology 2013
- Implications of temperature variation for malaria parasite development across Africa. Scientific Reports 2013
- Optimal temperature for malaria transmission is dramatically lower than previously predicted. Ecology Letters 2013
- Warmer temperatures reduce the vectorial capacity of malaria mosquitoes. Biology Letters 2012
- The influence of mosquito resting behaviour and associated microclimate for malaria risk. Malaria Journal 2011
- Impact of daily temperature fluctuations on dengue virus transmission by Aedes aegypti. PNAS 2011
- Influence of climate on malaria transmission depends on daily temperature variation. PNAS 2010
- Relevant microclimate for determining the development rate of malaria mosquitoes and possible implications of climate change. Malaria Journal 2010
- Understanding the link between malaria risk and climate. PNAS 2009