Professor Alain Kohl, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom

• Professor (Virology)

Arboviruses are transmitted by arthropod vectors such as mosquitoes, midges or ticks to susceptible vertebrates. They can cause disease in humans and animals, displaying a variety of symptoms. Most arboviruses group into four RNA virus families, the Flaviviridae, Bunyaviridae, Togaviridae and Reoviridae.

Dengue virus, Zika virus (both of the Flaviridae family) and chikungunya virus (Togaviridae family) are particularly prominent human pathogens.

Dengue virus alone causes an important number of human infections each year, and chikungunya and Zika viruses has recently emerged in the Americas. Among animal pathogens, the Rift Valley fever virus is of particular interest to us.

We now know that arbovirus replication and dissemination in arthropod vectors leads to activation of a variety of host responses (immune signalling pathways, RNA interference, other responses) which control arboviruses, and this appears to have consequences also for transmission.

Studies on vector immune responses to arbovirus infection as well as viral interference with these response therefore do not just increase our overall understanding of virus/host interactions but may also lead to clues on how to best stop transmission from the arthropod vector.

We have an important number of virus and reporter systems available to study the viruses above as well as model arboviruses such as Semliki Forest virus or Bunymwera virus. Our work on arthropod cells is now being extended to study to live mosquitoes where we are currently establishing a genetic modification programme. We also investigate the effects of endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria on arbovirus transmission. A further interest of the group is focused on the host responses of vertebrate cells in response to virus infection, and virus-host interactions.

The CVR is dynamic environment to carry out modern virology work. We have access to state of the art facilities including insectaries at high containment level. Prospective students or post-doctoral fellows are encouraged to apply by email (alain.kohl@glasgow.ac.uk).