Faculty

Ravi V. Durvasula, M.D.

Assistant Clinical Professor
Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases

The focus of Dr. Durvasula's laboratory is development of novel approaches to treatment of human infectious diseases. Using insect-borne Chagas disease as a paradigm, his group has developed a strategy termed paratransgenesis- the expression of transmission-blocking molecules in the arthropod host via genetically engineered symbiotic bacteria. Initially, the insect immune peptide, cecropin A, was expressed in the Chagas vector at levels that eliminated the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi. Subsequently, a marker single chain antibody fragment was expressed and the Durvasula lab is currently expressing single chain antibodies that target key epitopes of T. cruzi. A strategy for spread of genetically altered bacteria amongst field populations of reduviids is being developed in collaboration with CDC groups in Atlanta and Guatemala. Application of the paratransgenic approach to sandfly-transmitted leishmaniasis is another focus of the lab. The Durvasula lab is also pursuing paratransgenic approaches to human respiratory tract infections via engineered human commensal bacteria. Dr. Durvasula also serves as Medical Director of Yale University Health Services.

Selected Publications
Beard, C.B., Cordon-Rosales, C., and Durvasula, R.V. Bacterial Symbionts of the Triatominae and Their Potential Use in Control of Chagas Disease Transmission. Annual Review of Entomology, 47: 124-142, 2002.

Beard, C.B., Dotson, E.M., Pennington, P., Eichler, S., Cordon-Rosales, C., and Durvasula, R.V. Bacterial symbiosis and paratransgenic control of vector-borne Chagas disease. Int. Journal of Parasitology, 31: 621-627, 2001.

Beard, C.B., Durvasula, R.V., and Richards, F.F. Bacterial Symbiont Transformation in Chagas Disease Vectors. In: Insect Transgenesis. Methods and Applications Handler, A.M.and James, A.A. (eds.). CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida 289-303, 2000.

Durvasula, R.V., Panackal, A., Taneja, J., Gumbs, A., Kruglov, O., Richards, F., and Beard, C.B. A Strategy for Spreading Anti-trypanosomal Genes in Populations of the Chagas disease Vector, Rhodnius prohxus. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 92(6): 937-943, 1999.

Durvasula, R.V., Gumbs, A., Panackal, A., Whitharn, R., Taneja, J., Kang, A., Richards, F., and Beard, C.B. Expression of a Functional Antibody Fragment in the Gut of Rhodnius prolixus via the Transgenic Bacterial Symbiont, Rhodococcus rhodnii. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 13: 1-5, 1999.

Beard, C.B., Durvasula, R.V., and Richards, F.F. Bacterial Symbiosis in Arthropods and the Control of Disease Transmission. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 4(4): 581-591, 1998.

Durvasula, R.V., Gumbs, A., Panackal, A., Kruglov, A., Aksoy, S., Merrifield, R.B., Richards, F., and Beard, C.B. Prevention of Insect-borne Disease: An Approach Using Transgenic Symbiotic Bacteria. Proceedings of the National Academy USA, 94: 3274-3278, 1997.