Research Programs

Vector Biology Laboratory

Jennifer Meece, Ph.D.
Infectious Disease Staff Scientist
Clinical Research Center

E-mail: meece.jennifer@mcrf.mfldclin.edu

Education:

Ph.D., 2002, Vector Genetics , The University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Center for Tropical Disease Research and Training, Quantitative genetic analyses if Plasmodium susceptibility in Aedes aegypti and preliminary genetic investigations of Plasmodium susceptibility in Anopheles gambiae s.l.

M.S., 1995, Biological Sciences, Parasitology emphasis, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL Determination of the validity of the digenetic trematode species, Echinostoma paraensei

B.S., 1990, Biological Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND

Research Interests:

My research interests are focused on zoonotic diseases, especially those transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks. My research has both a basic science as well as public health focus. Ongoing projects include:

• Ecology of Infectious diseases. Disease transmission cycles are strongly affected by land use, habitat, vertebrate population composition, and climate. I am interested in examining how these various components influence the risk of infectious diseases to humans and animals.
  
  
• Genetic tools for mammal inventory and monitoring. We are partnering with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to use a genetic method developed in our laboratory (T-RFLP) to improve inventory and monitoring of populations of Wisconsin mammals of greatest conservation and information need.
  
  
• Zoonotic Disease Surveillance. I am involved in a multi-institutional surveillance project testing scavenging mammals collected from the Chronic Wasting Disease Eradication zone in Wisconsin. We have a panel of pathogens for which we are in process of screening. Included in this panel are Anaplasma phagocytophila, Borrelia burgdorferi, Mycoplasma avium paratuberculosis , and Raccoon roundworm.
  
  
• Blastomyces dermatitidis. We are involved in ongoing investigations of outbreaks of this soil-borne fungal pathogen in Wisconsin in collaboration with the Wisconsin Division of Public Health.
  

Recent Publications

1. Reed KD, Meece JK, Archer JR, Peterson AT. Ecologic Niche Modeling of Blastomyces dermatitidis in Wisconsin (submitted for publication).
   
   
2. Anderson, J.L., Meece J.K., Koziczkowski, J.J., Clark, D.L. Jr., Radcliff, R.P., Nolden, C.A., Samuel, M.D., and Ellingson, J.L.E. (2007) Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in scavenging mammals in Wisconsin. J Wild Dis (in press).
   
   
3. Stockwell, P.J., Wessell, N., Reed. D.R., Kronenwetter-Koepel, T.A., Reed, K.D., Turchi, T.R., and , Meece.J.K. (2006) A Field Evaluation of Four Mosquito Control Methods in a Central Wisconsin Community-2005. J Am Mosq Cont Assoc 22(4): 666-671.
   
   
4. Meece JK , Kronenwetter-Koepel TA, Vandermause MF, Reed KD. West Nile virus infection in commercial waterfowl operation, Wisconsin. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2006 Sep [date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol12no09/05-1648.htm
   
   
5. Kronenwetter-Koepel, T.A., Meece, J.K., Miller, C., and Reed, K.D. (2005) Surveillance of above- and below- ground mosquito breeding habitats in a rural Midwestern community: Baseline data for larvicidal control measures against West Nile virus vectors. Clinical Medicine and Research 3 (1): 3-12.
   
   
6. Stout, W.E., Cassini, A.G., Meece, J.K., Papp, J.M., Rosenfield, R.N., and, Reed, K.D. (2005) Serologic evidence of West Nile virus infection in three wild raptor populations. Avian Diseases; 49: 371-75.
   
   
7. Meece, J.K., Reynolds, C.E., Stockwell, P.J., Christensen, J.E., Turner, B.F., and Reed, K.D. (2005) Identification of mosquito bloodmeal source by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism profile analysis of the Cytochrome B gene. J Med Ent 42(4): 657-667.
   
   
8. Meece, J.K., Henkel, J.S., Glaser, L., and Reed, K.D. (2003) Mosquito Surveillance for West Nile Virus in Southeastern Wisconsin-2002. Clinical Medicine and Research 1(1): 37-42.
   
   
9. Reed, K.D., Meece, J.K. , Henkel, J.S., and Shukla, S.K. (2003) Birds, Migration and Emerging Zoonoses: West Nile Virus, Lyme Disease, Influenza A and Enteropathogens. Clinical Medicine and Research 1(1): 5-12.
   
   

Photo courtesy of Tamara A. Kronenwetter-Koepel

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Links to Collaborators:

Mike Samuel, Ph.D.

Sanjay K. Shukla, Ph.D.