Name: Professor Ned Walker

Department name: Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

Type of research: Determining why there are higher rates of West Nile virus infections in certain types of communities.

Date of research: The study began in 2004 and will end in 2007. Walker has been conducting research on mosquito-borne diseases since 1979.

Basics of the project: Walker analyzed data on West Nile virus infections in metropolitan areas of Detroit and Chicago and found that the largest number of victims came from suburban residential communities developed in the 1940s to the 1960s.

"Our study is trying to find out why," said Walker. "We are particularly interested in a phenomenon called amplification."

Amplification is an increase in the number of West Nile virus infections among bird and mosquito populations in the communities he studied during certain weeks in the summer.

"When infections among birds and mosquitos increase, people in these areas who are bitten have a greater risk of contracting West Nile virus," Walker said.

Walker is trying to understand the root cause of amplification in order to reduce the number of human infections in high-risk areas.

Social impact of research: "The barn door has been left open," said Walker. "West Nile virus is here to stay. But it is possible to reduce the risk of infection."

Walker says that his experiences in Africa, the Philippines and Central America have given him a global perspective on mosquito-borne diseases.

Walker said that in this modern age, deaths from mosquito-borne diseases are unacceptable.

"Anywhere in the world, people don't like it when grandma dies of a mosquito bite," Walker said.

Grants and funding: The study receives about $120,000 annually from the Ecology and Infectious Diseases program of the National Science Foundation.