Ohio State University-Main Campus · BiologyShort Microbiology Lab
Sarah M Short · Columbus, Ohio
Research Focus
Dr. Sarah M Short's lab at Ohio State University studies how bacteria affect the life traits and mating success of male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are important for controlling mosquito populations and preventing diseases. The lab investigates how different bacterial communities can influence mosquito characteristics like longevity and mating success, as well as the role of vitamins in these interactions. This research aims to improve methods for mass rearing sterile males used in population control strategies.
Aedes aegyptimicrobiotamosquito matingpopulation controlSterile Insect Techniquemale fitness traitsbacterial communitieslife historyB vitamins
Research Aims
5AIM 01Identify bacterial isolates that affect male mosquito traits.
AIM 02Assess the impact of bacterial communities on mating success.
AIM 03Evaluate the role of B vitamins in mosquito-microbe interactions.
AIM 04Investigate how microbiota influences longevity and flight capacity.
AIM 05Determine the effects of genetic background on microbiota impacts.
Skills the Lab Values
PCRmicrobial community analysisinsect rearingfitness assessmentfield experimentsdata analysismolecular techniquesgenetic strain analysisexperiment design
Output against the department
Publications60bottom 15% of dept.874th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations2.6kbottom 19% of dept.837th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.