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| Eliane Esteves, Ph.D. |
Four researchers – including two graduate students – associated with the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Whiddon College of Medicine, presented research at the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH) annual meeting held in November in New Orleans.
Three members of the lab led by Meghan E. Hermance, Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology and immunology, presented work at the conference.
Eliane Esteves, Ph.D., an assistant professor, and Clemence Obellianne, a research technologist, had abstracts selected for oral presentations that were offered during the “Ectoparasite-Borne Diseases” scientific session of the conference.
Esteves' talk was titled “Defining the kinetics of SFTSV acquisition and dissemination within Haemaphysalis longicornis nymphs.” Obellianne's talk was titled “First evidence of non-viremic transmission of Powassan virus between co-feeding ticks.”
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| Bailey Hettinger |
Bailey Hettinger, a graduate student in the biology master's program, gave a poster presentation titled “Minimum Feeding Time Required for Haemaphysalis longicornis to Transmit Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus.”
Meagan Taylor, a Ph.D. student in the lab of Jonathan O. Rayner, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and immunology, also gave a poster presentation titled “Chikungunya virus (CHIKV)-Induced Type I Interferon Expression in Human Dermal Fibroblasts.”
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| Meagan Taylor |
During the conference, Hermance, who is a member of the executive council and treasurer for the American Committee on Arthropod-Borne Viruses and Zoonotic Viruses (ACAV), took part in ACAV subcommittee meetings, the ACAV Council meeting on the first day of the ASTMH conference, as well as several ACAV-sponsored sessions during the conference. She is serving a three-year term on the executive council that expires in 2026, and a four-year term as treasurer, which ends in 2027.
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| Clemence Obellianne |
Founded in 1903, the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene is the largest international scientific organization of experts dedicated to reducing the worldwide burden of tropical infectious diseases and improving global health. It accomplishes this through generating and sharing scientific evidence, informing health policies and practices, fostering career development, recognizing excellence, and advocating for investment in tropical medicine/global health research.
