Heather Ferguson
Professor
Department of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medi
University of Glasgow
United Kingdom
Biography
Heather Ferguson is currently working as a Professor in the Department of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine
Research Interest
I am an infectious disease ecologist who specializes in the transmission and control of mosquito-borne diseases. My primary focus is the Anopheles mosquitoes that transmit malaria, but I have general interest in the biology of insect vectors and the diseases they transmit. My current work encompasses study of the ecology and behaviour of malaria vectors in Africa, with the aim of using this information to improve disease control. We are also studying the impacts of land-use change on the spread of the zoonotic malaria Plasmodium knowlesi from monkeys to people in south east Asia. More locally, we study the insects that transmit bird malaria in Scotland. I have a close research and training partnership with the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania through which we are developing new tools for mosquito surveillance and control, and investigating the potential for mosquito vectors to adapt in response to control measures. We are also interested in the potential impacts of environmental change on mosquito-borne diseases.
Publications
-
Emami, S. N., Ranford-Cartwright, L. C. and Ferguson, H. M. (2017) The transmission potential of malaria-infected mosquitoes (An.gambiae-Keele, An.arabiensis-Ifakara) is altered by the vertebrate blood type they consume during parasite development. Scientific Reports, 7, 40520.
-
Yakob, L., Lloyd, A. L., Kao, R. R., Ferguson, H. M., Brock, P. M. , Drakeley, C. and Bonsall, M. B. (2017) Plasmodium knowlesi invasion following spread by infected mosquitoes, macaques and humans. Parasitology,
-
Hawkes, F., Manin, B. O., Ng, S. H., Torr, S. J., Drakeley, C., Chua, T. H. and Ferguson, H. M. (2017) Evaluation of electric nets as means to sample mosquito vectors host-seeking on humans and primates. Parasites and Vectors, 10, 338.
