Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (VBD)

Related Pages

Location: University of Florida, Florida International University, University of Miami, University of South Florida

Funded through December 2021

Key VBD Issues

  • Mosquito-borne diseases: Dengue, West Nile virus
  • Tickborne diseases: Spotted fever group rickettsioses, includes Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and ehrlichiosis
  • Invasive species: Asian longhorned tick

By the Numbers

Person looking at ticks in a collection tube.

A Southeast COE student trainee examines the results of a tick drag at Sesquicentennial State Park in South Carolina.

  • 149 undergraduate students completed Urban Vector Ecology course; 362 student interns trained in invasive Aedes aegypti surveillance and source reduction
  • 975 people enrolled in Online Mosquito Training Program for pest managers and public health entomologists
  • 224 students and professionals trained across multiple workshops designed for specific locations

Regional Resources

  • A Mosquito Training for Pest Managers and Public Health Entomologists course offers free training in integrated pest management best practices.
  • Detailed species distribution models for tick species throughout Florida. The model will be expanded to the region for data-driven decision making.
  • Services to stakeholders, including mosquito sample testing for pathogens during West Nile virus and dengue outbreaks and locally tailored training workshops.

Research

  • Identifying mosquito habitats, behavior, and arbovirus infection rates in urban areas to improve effectiveness of mosquito control
  • Discovering new compounds and figuring out new ways to use Environmental Protection Agency-registered active ingredients to reverse insecticide resistance in mosquitoes
  • Person standing in between stacked tires holding a mosquito larvae collection dip.

    A Southeast COE partner dips for mosquito larvae at a construction site in Miami, Florida.

    Characterizing occurrence, mechanisms, and effects of pesticide resistance in ticks to improve tick control

Major Collaborators

  • Departments of health or agriculture in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia
  • Academic partners in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia
  • Local and regional mosquito and vector control agencies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Puerto Rico
  • Navy Entomology Center of Excellence; USDA-ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology; and the CDC Dengue Branch

See a mapexternal icon of our partners.

For More Information

Southeastern COE websiteexternal icon

Page last reviewed: June 17, 2021
Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD)