Graduate Teaching Assistant
Utah State University, Utah, United States
Emily Calhoun is a PhD Candidate from Utah State University studying the various aspects of the Culex pipiens species complex and its role as a prominent West Nile Virus vector in Utah. Her work focuses on blood-feeding habits of Culex pipiens s.l. and Culex tarsalis mosquitos in the greater Salt Lake City area as well as the level of hybridization of Cx. pipiens and Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitos throughout the state of Utah.
Hybridization of these mosquitos species has profound implications for West Nile Virus transmission dynamics, being that Cx. quinquefasciatus prefer mammals and Cx. pipiens prefer birds. By uncovering the identities of the host preferences of these mosquitoes from their bloodmeals, Emily's research sheds light on the disease ecology of West Nile Virus — including the role that different bird species play as amplifying hosts in the transmission cycle.
Disclosure information not submitted.
68 - Culex pipiens complex-ities in Salt Lake City, Utah
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
4:20 PM - 4:30 PM PDT