Community Group Visits Insectaries

On July 9, members of the Galveston National Laboratory Community Liaison Committee had the unique opportunity to tour the mosquito colonization insectaries that are housed inside the GNL-Keiller high containment laboratory complex on the UTMB campus.

As one of the leading institutions in the U.S. studying mosquito-borne viruses, the UTMB Insectary Services Division plays a critical role, maintaining more than 30 different colonies featuring mosquitos from around the world.  This allows scientists and students to study the pathogenesis of disease within the vectors and to learn how they transmit disease. 

UTMB also has tick colonies that are raised for research into tick-borne illnesses, including infectious diseases like Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, a deadly Ebola-like disease that is transmitted via ticks.