Mosquitoes and Public Health Research Group
As South Australia's only provider of mosquito-borne disease consulting
services, UniSA's Mosquitoes and Public Health Research Group aims to
improve the health of people and places by applying specialist knowledge of
mosquitoes and other insects to various ecological contexts.
The group works closely with government, industry, and interstate university
laboratories to provide expert advice on important issues to managing
mosquitoes and the diseases they spread.
Its research focus extends from the local to the global, from predicting and
preventing Ross River Virus in South Australia, to studying the nature of
tropical diseases such as Dengue Fever.
As well as its work into mosquitoes and disease, the group is also involved
in a variety of other projects that embrace biology and public health.,
including studies of allergens and aerobiology.
People
Dr Craig Williams -
Group head
Dr
Michael Kokkinn
Research staff:
Stephen Fricker, Gina Rau, Katherine Leach, Samantha Williams
Postgraduate students:
Aishah Azil, Katherine Leach, Natasha Wilson
Collaborators and clients
- Australian National University (NCEPH)
- SA Department of Health
- Various local governments, including Renmark-Paringa, Loxton-Waikerie, Berri-Barmera, Mid-Murray, Murray Bridge, Coorong, Salisbury, Port-Adelaide Enfield.
- James Cook University
- Department of Medical Entomology Westmead Hospital
- Adelaide and Mt Lofty Natural Resources Management Board
South Australian Mosquito Intelligence Report
The Mosquitoes and Public Health Research Group produces three month forecasts of mosquito-borne virus risk in SA from October-April, supported by SA Health.
Publications
Please contact the group for copies of recent peer-reviewed publications
about mosquitoes and public health
Kokkinn MJ, Roberts DM, & Williams CR. 2011. Larval
development rate of the mosquitoes Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti
(Diptera: Culicidae) varied between clutches: implications for population
ecology. Australian Journal of Entomology (in press).
Schneemilch MJ, Kokkinn MJ, & Williams CR. 2011.
Flowering Timing Prediction in Australian native understorey species (Acrotriche
R.Br Ericaceae) using meteorological data. International Journal of
Biometeorology (in press).
Schneemilch MJ, Williams CR, Kokkinn MJ. 2011. Floral
visitation in the Australian native shrub genus Acrotriche: an abundance of
ants. Australian Journal of Entomology 50, 130-138.
Williams CR & Rau G. 2011. Growth and development
performance of the ubiquitous urban mosquito Aedes notoscriptus (Diptera:
Culicidae) in Australia varies with water type and temperature.
Australian Journal of Entomology 50, 195-199.
Harley D, Bi P, Hall G, Swaminathan A, Tong S, &
Williams C. 2011. Climate change and infectious diseases in Australia:
future prospects, adaptation options and research priorities.
Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health 23 (Supp, 2), 54S-66S.
Bader CA & Williams CR. 2011. Eggs of the Australian
saltmarsh mosquito, Aedes camptorhynchus, survive for long periods and hatch
in instalments: implications for biosecurity in New Zealand. Medical and
Veterinary Entomology 25, 70-76.
Williams CR, Bader CA, Kearney MR, Ritchie SA, &
Russell RC. 2010 The extinction of dengue through natural vulnerability of
its vectors. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 4(12): e922.
doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0000922
Williams CR & Gilbert S. 2010. The role of Australians
in the eradication of imported saltmarsh mosquitoes in New Zealand and the
transient legacy of endogenous expertise. British Review of New Zealand
Studies 18, 71-83.
Azil AH, Long SA, Ritchie SA & Williams CR. 2010. The development of predictive tools for pre-emptive dengue vector control: a study of Aedes aegypti abundance and meteorological variables in North Queensland, Australia. Tropical Medicine and International Health 15, 1190-1197.
Contact
Dr Craig Williams
p: (+61) 8 8302 1906