Vector Borne Diseases

INFECTIOUS DISEASES / Virology

Research Interests

Arboviral pathogenesis, vector biology, virus-host interactions, virology, Molecular epidemiology, emerging infectious diseases.

Description of Research

The Vector Borne Diseases Group, led by Dr. Sujatha Sunil, investigates the molecular, viral, vector, and epidemiological mechanisms that underpin arboviral infections, with primary focus on chikungunya and dengue viruses — and an expanding interest in Zika and Chandipura viruses.

At the molecular level, the group studies virus–host and virus–vector interactions, identifying viral and cellular factors that modulate replication, immune evasion, and disease progression. Using molecular virology, functional genomics, small RNA biology, and reverse genetics, the laboratory has characterised host regulatory networks, the role of microRNAs in vector immunity, and viral RNAi suppressors that shape pathogenesis in both the human host and the mosquito vector.

Complementing this, the group conducts vector biology studies to characterise Aedes mosquito populations across India, assessing their competence, genetic diversity, and role in virus transmission and maintenance. These studies bridge laboratory and field biology to understand how mosquito physiology and genetics influence transmission efficiency.

The group also integrates molecular epidemiology and climate analysis to examine how environmental factors — temperature, rainfall, and humidity — affect mosquito vectorial capacity, virus evolution, and disease dynamics, with the aim of developing predictive models for arboviral outbreak risk under changing climate conditions.

Through this multidisciplinary framework, Dr. Sunil’s group translates fundamental discoveries into diagnostics, therapeutics, and strategies that strengthen preparedness for emerging vector-borne diseases.

Recent publications