The goal of Dr. Bente's research is to better understand the
transmission and pathogenesis of tick‐borne hemorrhagic fever viruses
and to develop countermeasures to combat the disease. The intersection
between arbovirology and hemorrhagic fever
research requires an interdisciplinary approach, involving virology
(classical techniques as well as molecular
techniques such as reverse genetics), immunology (human and animal
models), and tick physiology. Dr. Bente's is the first laboratory in the
world to establish a tick‐host transmission model in a BSL-4 setting. A
number of
collaborations have been established with other virologists at UTMB,
including Drs. Alan Barrett, Thomas Ksiazek, David Beasley, Alexander
Freiberg and Thomas Geisbert, that include studies on Crimean‐Congo
hemorrhagic fever virus, Kyasanur forest disease
virus, Alkhurma hemorrhagic fever virus, and West‐Nile virus.