Infectious Diseases & Medical Entomology



Alan J. Thomson
B.Sc. DLSHTM M.Sc. Ph.D

Victoria, BC, Canada

email: ajthomson@AdaptiveKM.com

Infectious Diseases and Medical Entomology:

My early research was in the field of parasitology and medical entomology, on the blowflies Pollenia rudis and Phormia regina. Most recently, my research has focused on climate and malaria, as well as collaborating in the Global Burden of Disease project.

Pollenia rudis (Cluster fly), is an unusual blowfly species in that the larvae are parasites of earthworms. Infestations in homes and hospitals pose health risks due to mechanical transmission of pathogens.

Phormia regina (Black blowfly) is an an important species in forensic entomology, and the maggots (larvae) are used in maggot therapy (also known as maggot debridement therapy (MDT), biodebridement or biosurgery). The larvae may cause human and veterinary facultative cutaneous myiasis (Service, M. 2000. Medical Entomology for Students 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press).


Malaria publications:

Murray CJL‡, Ortblad KF, Guinovart C, Lim SS, Wolock TM, Roberts DA, Dansereau EA, Graetz N, Barber RM, Brown JC, Wang H, Duber HC, Naghavi M, Dicker D, Dandona L, Salomon JA, Heuton KR, Foreman K, Phillips DE, Fleming TD, Flaxman AD, Phillips BK, Johnson EK, Coggeshall MS, ... Thomson AJ*, ... Lopez A†, Vos T†. 2014. Global, regional, and national incidence and mortality for HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria during 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet 384: 1005–1070 [*Authors listed alphabetically; †Joint senior authors; ‡Corresponding author]

Thomson, A.J. 2010. Climate indices, rainfall onset and retreat, and malaria in Nigeria. J Vector Borne Dis 47:193-203.

Phormia regina publications:

Solari, P., Stoffolano, J.G., Fitzpatrick, J, Gelperin, A., Thomson, A., Talani, G., Sanna, E. and Liscia, A. 2013. Regulatory mechanisms and the role of calcium and potassium channels controlling supercontractile crop. muscles in Phormia regina. J. Insect Physiology 59: 942-952.

Thomson, A.J. 1995. The object-oriented blowfly: a study in computational neuroethology. AI Applications 9 (2): 15-25.

Thomson, A.J. and C.S. Holling. 1977. A model of carbohydrate nutrition in the blowfly Phormia regina Meigen. Can. Ent. 109: 1181-1198.

Thomson, A.J. and W.A. Thompson. 1977. Dynamics of a bistable system: the click mechanism in dipteran flight. Acta Biotheoretica 26: 19-29.

Thomson, A.J. 1977. The mechanics of proboscis extension by the blowfly Phormia regina Meigen. Can. J. Zool. 55: 602-606.

Thomson, A.J. 1977. Measurement of feeding threshold in the blowfly Phormia regina Meigen. Can. J. Zool. 55: 1942-1947.

Thomson, A.J. and C.S. Holling. 1976. Crowding and Activity. Can. Ent. 108: 1417-1426.

Thomson, A.J. and C.S. Holling. 1976. A model of foregut activity in the blowfly Phormia regina Meigen. III. Dynamics of valve function during the crop- emptying process. Can. J. Zool. 54: 1140-1142.

Thomson, A.J. and C.S. Holling. 1976. A model of foregut activity in the blowfly Phormia regina Meigen. II. Peristalsis in the crop duct during the crop emptying process. Can. J. Zool. 54: 172-179.

Thomson, A.J. and C.S. Holling. 1975. A model of foregut activity in the blowfly Phormia regina Meigen. I. The crop contraction mechanism. Can. J. Zool. 53: 1039-1046.

Thomson, A.J. and C.S. Holling. 1975. Experimental Component Analysis of the feeding rate of the blowfly Phormia regina Meigen. Can. Ent. 107: 167-173.

Thomson, A.J. 1975. Synchronization of function in the foregut of the blowfly Phormia regina Meigen. Can. Ent. 107: 1193-1198.

Thomson, A.J. 1975. Regulation of crop contraction in the blowfly Phormia regina Meigen. Can. J. Zool. 53: 451-455.

Thomson, A.J. and C.S. Holling. 1974. Experimental Component Analysis of blowfly feeding behavior. J. Insect Physiol. 20: 1553-1563.

Pollenia rudis publications:

Liang, Q., and A.J. Thomson. 1994. Habitat-abundance relationships of the earthworm Eisenia rosea (Savigny) (Lumbricidae) using principal component regression analysis. Can. J. Zool. 72: 1354-1361.

Thomson, A.J. 1975. The biology of Pollenia rudis the cluster fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) IV. A preliminary model of the cluster fly life cycle, and some possible methods of biological control. Can. Ent. 107: 855-863.

Thomson, A.J. and D.M. Davies. 1974. Mapping methods for studying soil factors and earthworm distribution. Oikos 25: 199-203.

Thomson, A.J. and D.M. Davies. 1974. The biology of Pollenia rudis, the cluster fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae). III. The effect of soil conditions on the host-parasite relationship. Can. Ent. 106: 107-110.

Thomson, A.J. and D.M. Davies. 1973. The biology of Pollenia rudis, the cluster fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae). II. Larval feeding behavior and host specificity. Can. Ent. 105: 986-990.

Thomson, A.J. and D.M. Davies. 1973. The biology of Pollenia rudis, the cluster fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae). I. Host location by first-instar larvae. Can. Ent. 105: 335-341.

Thomson, A.J. 1972. The ecology of Pollenia rudis (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and its host earthworms (Lumbricidae) with special reference to the host-parasite relationship between P. rudis and Eisenia rosea. Ph.D. Thesis, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.

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