Dr. Todd Smith receives NSERC funding for work with Hepatozoon parasites
Coadaptation of blood-dwelling apicomplexan parasites and their vertebrate and invertebrate hosts
Dr. Todd Smith has spent his career investigating blood-dwelling parasites that cause devastating diseases in humans and other animals. His latest DG funding allows him to continue this important research, with a focus on the interactions between one-celled parasites and their hosts. He is particularly interested in Hepatozoon parasites, which are related to human malaria parasites, and he and his students will examine which species of mosquitoes, frogs and snakes are suitable hosts for these parasites, and how resistant hosts eliminate these parasites at different stages of the parasite life cycle. These types of studies will be useful for developing novel control measures against species of mosquitoes that transmit West Nile Virus and other pathogens in Canada and elsewhere. This research will also help assess if these parasites cause disease in vulnerable frog populations in Canada.