Brian Byrd

Bio

Brian Byrd is a vector-borne disease biologist and uses eco-epidemiological approaches to address domestic arboviral pathogens. His laboratory at Western Carolina University primarily focuses on La Crosse encephalitis (LACE). The biology of LACE is complex and human disease is the result of pathogen spillover from enzootic viral cycling within small rodent populations and vertical (generational) transmission within native and invasive mosquito species. Environmental factors, including proximity to hardwood tree holes (as habitat for mosquitoes) likely play key roles for exposure risk. As changes in human movement, host abundance/behavior, vector distribution, and climate increase the complexity of this natural system, One Health approaches will be increasingly necessary to prevent and mitigate additional morbidity and mortality.

Brian earned a B.A. in biology from UNC-Asheville, and his M.S.P.H. and Ph.D from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. During his studies at Tulane, he was a pre‐doctoral fellow in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded training program in vector‐borne infectious diseases. His laboratory primarily engages undergraduate and M.S. students at Western Carolina University.