West Nile Virus:

Kristy Lillibridge, D.V.M., assistant professor of epidemiology, School of Public Health

If you have high blood pressure, be sure to use mosquito repellant when you go outdoors. Lillibridge has identified high blood pressure and heart disease as important risk factors for developing encephalitis among people infected with West Nile virus.

Kristy Lillibridge, D.V.M.

Lillibridge’s research focuses on zoonotic diseases, which are spread from animals to people. She is particularly interested in diseases spread by mosquitoes, including West Nile virus.

“I am looking at why certain people become very ill with encephalitis from West Nile virus infection, and how their body responds following infection,” she said. The work was funded recently by the National Institutes of Health.

“Additionally,” Lillibridge said, “I have several studies looking at the prevalence of diseases in special populations, including children and the homeless. The findings from these studies can be used to create recommendations to protect certain high risk groups from becoming infected.”

She became interested in zoonotic diseases during a fellowship at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Part of her work there involved investigating West Nile virus when it first was introduced to the United States in New York City in 1999.