Han-Jung (Millie) Lee

Areas of Expertise

• Insecticide resistance

Professional Summary

Han-Jung Lee (Millie) is a doctoral student in the Texas A&M Univerisity Department of Entomology. Her research focuses on factors affecting the efficacy of pyrethroid synthetic adulticide to control the field Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito. Culex quinquefasciatus is the primary mosquito vector of West Nile virus in Harris County, Texas. The application of synthetic adulticide is the fastest approach to abate mosquito populations for controlling arboviral disease transmission. However, the development of insecticide-resistant mosquito populations could hinder control efficacy. To assess and minimize the risk of pyrethroid insecticide failing to control the mosquito population in Harris County, it is crucial to investigate the resistance of the mosquito population in Harris County both genotypically and phenotypically. The first study on kdr-like mutation frequencies in Cx. quinquefasciatus population in Harris County was published in the journal of PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases in 2020 (doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008860).