Qualifications | Research interests | Publications | Presentations | Awards | Grants and funding | Memberships
Andrew van den Hurk has studied the ecology, surveillance and control of mosquito-borne diseases for over 25 years.
He is a subject matter expert on entomological and virological factors that could lead to the emergence of devastating viruses, such as dengue, West Nile, yellow fever and chikungunya, in Australia. Dr van den Hurk developed protocols for conducting experiments with live mosquitoes, animals and arboviruses, which must be contained under strict Physical Containment Level 3 (PC3) conditions.
Dr van den Hurk also has a wealth of experience undertaking entomological field work in urban environments, as well in remote and rural regions, such as Cape York and the Torres Strait. Through the development of a number of diagnostic assays, he has enhanced the detection of arboviruses and the identification of mosquito species.
Dr van den Hurk embraces cutting edge technology, such as next generation sequencing, to increase our understanding of arboviruses and their vectors. He collaborates with most research groups and state government authorities within Australia who are involved in the study and control of mosquito-borne diseases. Importantly, he recognises the necessity for translation of project outcomes into public health policy and practice.
2024
Pyke AT, Burtonclay P, Pudel N, Ingall W, Nair N, Hall-Mendelin S, Craig SB, Smith C, Wang W, Darbro JM, Jansen CC, van den Hurk AF. (2024). First isolation of Japanese encephalitis virus Genotype IV from mosquitoes in Australia. Vector borne and zoonotic diseases. DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2024.0017
Vieira CJSP, Onn MB, Shivas MA, Shearman D, Darbro JM, Graham M, Freitas L, van den Hurk AF, Frentiu FD, Wallau GL, Devine GJ. (2024). Long-term co-circulation of multiple arboviruses in southeast Australia revealed by xeno-monitoring and metatranscriptions. bioRxiv. DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.29.587110
2023
Vieira C, Gyawali N, Onn M, Shivas M, Sherman D Darbro J, van den Hurk A, Frentiu F, Devine G. (2023). Tracking Ross River virus host diversity using mosquitoes as 'flying syringes'. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 130 (Supplement 2). DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.04.080
2022
Williams CR, Webb CE, Higgs S, van den Hurk AF, (2022). Japanese Encephalitis Virus Emergence in Australia: Public Health Importance and Implications for Future Surveillance. Vector borne and zoonotic diseases, 22(11) 528-534. DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2022.0037
Randika Wimalasiri-Yapa BMC, Huang B, Ross PA, Hoffmann AA, Ritchie SA, Frentiu FD, Warrilow D, van den Hurk A. Differences in gene expression in field populations of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with varying release histories in northern Australia. BioRxiv. DOI: 10.1101/2022.10.10.511644
Webb C, Clancy J, Doggett SL, McAlister E, Williams C, Fricker S, van den Hurk A, Lessard B, Lenagan J, Walter M, (2022). First record of the mosquito Aedes (Downsiomyia) shehzadae (Diptera: Culicidae) in Australia: A unique discovery aided by citizen science. Journal of Vector Ecology 47, 1. DOI: 10.52707/1081-1710-47.1.133
Ahmed M, Pollak NM, Hugo LE, van den Hurk A, Hobson-Peters J, (2022). Rapid molecular assays for the detection of the four dengue viruses in infected mosquitoes [version 1; peer review: 1 approved]. Gates Open Research. DOI: 10.12688/gatesopenres.13534.1
Kain MP, Skinner EB, Athni TS, Ramirez AL, Mordecai EA, van den Hurk AF, (2022). Not all mosquitoes are created equal: A synthesis of vector competence experiments reinforces virus associations of Australian mosquitoes. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010768.
van den hurk AF, Skinner E, Ritchie SA, Mackenzie JS, (2022). The Emergence of Japanese Encephalitis Virus in Australia in 2022: Existing Knowledge of Mosquito Vectors. Viruses, 14(6). DOI: 10.3390/v14061208
2021
Pyke AT, Shivas MA, Darbro JM, Onn MB, Johnson PH, Crunkhorn A, Montgomery I, Burtonclay P, Jansen CC, van den Hurk AF, (2021). Uncovering the Genetic Diversity Within the Aedes Notoscriptus Virome and Isolation of New Viruses from this Highly Urbanized and Invasive Mosquito. Virus Evolution, 7(2), veab082. DOI: 10.1093/ve/veab082
Kain MP, Skinner EB, van den Hurk AF, McCallum H, Mordecai EA, (2021). Physiology and ecology combine to determine host andvector importance for Ross River virus. eLife, 10, e67018. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.67018
Jansen CC, Darbro JM, Birrell FA, Shivas MA,, vanden Hurk AF, (2021). Impact of COVID-19 Mitigation Measures on Mosquito-Borne Diseases in 2020 in Queensland, Australia. Viruses, 13, 1150. DOI: 10.0090/v13061150
Pyke AT, Nair N, van den Hurk A, Burtonclay P, Nguyen S, Barcelon J, Kistler C, Schlebusch S, McMahon J, Moore F, (2021). Replication Kinetics of B.1.351 and B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern Including Assessment of a B.1.1.7 Mutant Carrying a Defective ORF7a Gene. Viruses, 13. DOI: 10.3390/v13061087
Hall-Mendelin S, Pyke AT, Ramirez AL, Staunton KM, Burtonclay P, McMahon J, Barcelon J, van den Hurk AF, (2021). Infection, Dissemination, and Replication of Urban and Sylvatic Strains of Dengue Virus Type 2 (Flaviviridae: Flavivirus) in Australian Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culcidae). Journal of Medical Entomology, 58: 1412-1418. DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjaa292
McLean BJ, Hall-Mendelin S, Webb CE, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H, Ritchie SA, Hobson-Peters J, Hall RA, van den Hurk A, (2021). The Insect-Specific Parramatta River Virus Is Vertically Transmitted by Aedes vigilax Mosquitoes and Suppresses Replication of Pathogenic Flaviviruses In Vitro. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 21(3): 208-215. DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2020.2692
Mackenzie, JS, DT Williams, AF van den Hurk, DW Smith, BJ Currie. (2022). Japanese encephalitis virus: the emergence of genotype IV and its spread to Australasia. Viruses, 14: 2480. DOI: 10.3390/v14112480
2020
Newton ND, Colmant AMG, O'Brien CA, Ledger E, Paramitha D, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H, Watterson D, McLean BJ, Hall-Mendelin Sonja, Warrilow D, van den Hurk AF, Liu W, Hoare C, Kizu JR, Gauci PJ, Haniotis J, Doggett SL, Shaban B, Johansen CA, Hall RA, Hobson-Peters J, (2020). Genetic, Morphological and Antigenic Relationships between Mesonivirus Isolates from Australian Mosquitoes and Evidence for Their Horizontal Transmission. Viruses, 12(10). DOI: 10.3390/v12101159
Huang B, Yang Q, Hoffman AA, Ritchie SA, van den Hurk AF, Warrilow D, (2020). Wolbachia Genome Stability and mt DNA Variants in Aedes aegypti Field Populations Eight Years after Release. iScience, 23(10). DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101572
Ramirez AL, Colmant AMG, Warrilow D, Huang B, Pyke AT, McMahon JL, Meyer DB, Graham RMA, Jennison AV, Ritchie SA, van den Hurk AF, (2020). Metagenomic Analysis of the Virome of Mosquito Excreta. mSphere. DOI: 10.1128/mSphere.00587-20
Slonchak, A, Hugo LE, Freney ME, Hall-Mendelin S, Amarilla AA, Torres FJ, Setoh YX, Peng NYG, Sng JDJ, Hall RA, van den Hurk A, Devine GJ, Khromykh AA (2020) Zika virus noncoding RNA suppresses apoptosis and is required for virus transmission by mosquitoes. Nature Communications, 11: 2205. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16086-y
Huang B, Montgomery BL, Adamczyk R, Ehlers G, van den Hurk AF, Warrilow D, (2020) A LAMP-based colorimetric assay to expedite field surveillance of the invasive mosquito species Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 14 (3). e0008130. ISSN 1935-2735
2019
Jansen CC, Shivas MA, May F, Pyke AT, Onn M, Lodo K, Hall-Mendelin S, McMahon JL, Montgomery BL, Darbro JM, Doggett SL, van den Hurk AF, (2019) Epidemiologic, entomologic, and virologic factors of the 2014–15 Ross River Virus Outbreak, Queensland, Australia. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 25(12): 2243-2252. DOI: 10.3201/eid2512.181810
Meyer DB, Ramirez AL, van den Hurk AF, Kurucz N, Ritchie SA (2019) Development and field evaluation of a system to collect mosquito excreta for the detection of arboviruses. Journal of Medical Entomology, 56(4): 1116-1121 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz031
Ramirez AL, Hall-Mendelin S, Hewitson GR, McMahon J, Staunton KM, Ritchie SA, van den Hurk, AF (2019) Stability of West Nile virus (Flaviviridae: Flavivirus) RNA in mosquito excreta. Journal of Medical Entomology, 56(4): 1135-1138. DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz044
Ramirez AL, van den Hurk AF, Mackay IM, Yang ASP, Hewitson GR, McMahon J, Boddey JA, Ritchie SA, Erickson SM (2019) Malaria surveillance from both ends: concurrent detection of Plasmodium falciparum in saliva and excreta harvested from Anopheles mosquitoes. Parasites & Vectors, 12:355 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-019-3610-9
Ramirez A, van den Hurk AF, Webb C, Ritchie S. (2019) Explainer : what is Murray Valley encephalitis virus? The Conversation, 26 February 2019. https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-murray-valley-encephalitis-virus-112212
van den Hurk AF, Pyke AT, Mackenzie JS, Hall-Mendelin S, Ritchie SA (2019) Japanese Encephalitis Virus in Australia: from known known to known unknown Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 4 (1). p. 38. DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed4010038
2018
Hall-Mendelin S, Pyke AT, Moore PR, Ritchie SA, Moore F, van den Hurk AF (2018) Characterization of a Western Pacific zika virus strain in Australian Aedes aegypti. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 18(6):317-322. DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2017.2232
Webb CE, van den Hurk AF (2018) What is Japanese encephalitis virus and how can I avoid it when I travel? The Conversation, November 13 2018.
van den Hurk AF (2018) From incriminating Stegomyia fasciata to releasing Wolbachia pipientis: Australian research on the Dengue virus vector, Aedes aegypti, and development of novel strategies for its surveillance and control. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 3 (3). p. 71. DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed3030071
Ritchie SA, van den Hurk AF, Smout MJ, Staunton KM, Hoffmann A (2018) Mission accomplished? We need a guide to the 'post release' world of Wolbachia for Aedes-borne disease control. Trends in Parasitology, 34(3): 217-226. DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2017.11.011
Prow NA, Mah M, Deerain J, Warrilow D, Colmant AMG, O'Brien CA, Harrison JJ, McLean BJ, Hewlett EK, Piyasena TBH, Hall-Mendelin S, van den Hurk AF, Watterson D, Huang B, SchulzBL, Webb, CE, Johansen CA, Chow WK, Hobson-Peters J, Cazier C, Coffey LL, Faddy HM, Suhrbier A, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H, Hall RA (2018) New genotypes of Liao ning virus (LNV) in Australia exhibit an insect-specific phenotype. Journal of General Virology, 99(4): 596-609. DOI:
Ramirez AL, van den Hurk AF, Meyer DB, Ritchie SA (2018) Searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack: advances in mosquito-borne arbovirus surveillance. Parasites & Vectors, 11(1): 320. DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-2901-x
Ramírez AL, Hall-Mendelin S, Doggett SL, Hewitson GR, McMahon JL, Ritchie SA, van den Hurk AF (2018) Mosquito excreta: A sample type with many potential applications for the investigation of Ross River virus and West Nile virus ecology. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 12(8), p.e0006771. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006771
Mackenzie JS, van den Hurk AF (2018) The risks to Australia from emerging and exotic arboviruses. Microbiology Australia, May 2018. DOI: 10.1071/MA18023
2017
van den Hurk AF, Hall-Mendelin S, Jansen CC (2017) Zika virus and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes: a tenuous link. The Lancet. Infectious diseases, 17 (10): 1014-1016. DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30518-2
Moore PR, van den Hurk AF, Mackenzie JS, Pyke AT (2017) Dengue viruses in Papua New Guinea: evidence of endemicity and phylogenetic variation, including the evolution of new genetic lineages. Emerging Microbes & Infection, 6(1): e114. DOI: 10.1038/emi.2017.103
Colmant AMG, Etebari K, Webb CE, Ritchie SA, Jansen CC, van den Hurk AF, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H, Hobson-Peters J, Asgari S, Hall RA (2017) Discovery of new orbiviruses and totivirus from Anopheles mosquitoes in Eastern Australia. Archives of Virology, 162(11): 3529-3534. DOI: 10.1007/s00705-017-3515-x
Lee M, Etebari K, Hall-Mendelin S, van den Hurk AF, Hobson-Peters J, Vatipally S, Schnettler E, Hall R, Asgari S (2017) Understanding the role of microRNAs in the interaction of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with an insect-specific flavivirus. Journal of General Virology, 98 (7): 1892-1903. DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000832
Colmant AMG, Hobson-Peters J, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H, van den Hurk AF, Hall-Mendelin S, Chow WK, Johansen CA, Fros J, Simmonds P, Watterson D, Cazier C, Etebari K, Asgari S, Schulz BL, Beebe N, Vet LJ, Piyasena TBH, Nguyen HD, Barnard RT, Hall RA (2017) A new clade of insect-specific flaviviruses from Australian Anopheles mosquitoes displays species-specific host restriction. mSphere 2(4): e00262-17. DOI: 10.1128/mSphere.00262-17
Hall-Mendelin S, Hewitson GR, Genge D, Burtonclay PJ, De Jong AJ, Pyke AT, van den Hurk AF (2017) FTA cards facilitate storage, shipment, and detection of arboviruses in infected Aedes aegypti collected in adult mosquito traps. American Journal of Tropical Medicine * Hygiene, 96(5): 1241-1243. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0981
Vidgen ME, Edson DW, van den Hurk AF, Field HE, Smith CS (2017) No evidence of Hendra Virus infection in the Australian Flying-fox ectoparasite Genus Cyclopodia. Zoonoses & Public Health. 64(3):228-231. DOI: 10.1111/zph.12303
Maynard AJ, Ambrose L, Cooper RD, Chow WK, Davis JB, Muzari OM, van den Hurk AF, Hall-Mendelin S, Hasty JM, Burkot TR, Bangs MJ, Reimer LJ, Butafa C, Lobo NF, Syafruddin D, Maung Maung YN, Ahmad R, Beebe NW (2017) Tiger on the prowl: invasion history and spatio-temporal genetic structure of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse 1894) in the Indo-Pacific. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 11(4). e0005546. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005546
Montgomery BL, Shivas MA, Hall-Mendelin S, Edwards J, Hamilton NA, Jansen CC, McMahon JL, Warrilow D, van den Hurk AF (2017) Rapid Surveillance for Vector Presence (RSVP): development of a novel system for detecting Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 11(3): e0005505. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005505
Muzari MO, Devine G, Davis J, Crunkhorn B, van den Hurk A, Whelan P, Russell R, Walker J, Horne P, Ehlers G, Ritchie S (2017) Holding back the tiger: successful control program protects Australia from Aedes albopictus expansion. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 11(2): e0005286. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005286
O’Brien CA, McLean BJ, Colmant AMG, Harrison JJ, Hall-Mendelin S, van den Hurk AF, Johansen CA, Watterson D, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H, Newton ND, Hall RA and Hobson-Peters J (2017) Discovery and characterisation of Castlerea virus, a new species of Negevirus isolated in Australia. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 13: 1176934317691269. DOI: 10.1177/1176934317691269
2016
van den Hurk AF, Jansen CC (2016) Arboviruses of Oceania. In Loukas, A (ed.) Neglected tropical diseases of Oceania. Springer International. pp. 193-235. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-43148-2_8
Huang B, Prow NA, van den Hurk AF, Allcock RJ, Moore PR, Doggett SL, Warrilow D (2016) Archival isolates confirm a single topotype of West Nile Virus in Australia. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 10(12):e0005159. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005159
van den Hurk AF (2016) Dengue and the introduction of mosquito-transmitted viruses into Australia. Microbiology Australia. 37(4): 167-169. https://microbiologysociety.org/publication/past-issues/the-mobile-microbe/article/dengue-and-the-introduction-of-mosquito-transmitted-viruses-into-australia-mobile-microbe.html
Colmant AMG, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H, Hobson-Peters J, Suen W, O’Brien C, van den Hurke AF, Hall RA (2016) A newly discovered flavivirus in the yellow fever virus group displays restricted replication in vertebrates. Journal of General Virology, 97(5):1087-1093. DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000430
Ye YH, Chenoweth SF, Carrasco AM, Allen SL, Frentiu FD, van den Hurk AF, Beebe NW, McGraw EA (2016) Evolutionary potential of the extrinsic incubation period of dengue virus in Aedes aegypti. Evolution. 70(11):2459-2469. DOI: 10.1111/evo.13039
Pyke AT, Moore PR, Hall-Mendelin S, McMahon JL, Harrower BJ, Constantino TR, van den Hurk AF (2016) Isolation of Zika Virus Imported from Tonga into Australia. PLoS Currents. Sep 7; 8. DOI: 10.1371/currents.outbreaks.849adc0ad16beec4536695281707f785
Hall-Mendelin S, Pyke AT, Moore PR, Mackay IM, McMahon J, Ritchie SA, Taylor CT, Moore F, van den Hurk AF (2016) Assessment of local mosquito species incriminates Aedes aegypti as the potential vector of Zika Virus in Australia. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases,10(9): e0004959. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004959
Prow N, Edmonds J, Williams DT, Setoh YX, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H, Suen WW, Hobso-Peters J, van den Hurk AF, Pyke AT, Hall-Mendelin S, Northill JA, Johansen CA, Warrilow D, Wang J, Kirland PD, Doggestt SL, Andrade CC, Brault AC, Khromykh AA, Hall RA (2016) Virulence and evolution of West Nile Virus, Australia, 1960–2012. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 22(8): 1353-62. DOI: 10.3201/eid2208.151719
Pyke AT, Moore PR, Taylor CT, Hall-Mendelin S, Cameron JN, Hewitson GR, Pukallus, D, Huang B, Warrilow D, van den Hurk AF (2016) Highly divergent dengue virus type 1 genotype sets a new distance record. Scientific Reports. 6: 22356. DOI: 10.1038/srep22356
van den Hurk AF, Nicholson J, Beebe NW, Davis J, Muzari OM, Russell RC, Devine GJ, Ritchie SA (2016) Ten years of the Tiger: Aedes albopictus presence in Australia since its discovery in the Torres Strait in 2005. One Health. 2: 19-24. DOI: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2016.02.001
Huang B, Firth C, Watterson D, Allcock R, Colmant AMG, Hobson-Peters J, Kirkland P, Hewitson G, McMahon J, Hall-Mendelin S, van den Hurk AF, Warrilow D. (2016) Genetic characterization of archived bunyaviruses and their potential for emergence in Australia. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 22(5): 833-840. DOI: 10.3201/eid2205.151566
Hobson-Peters J, Warrilow D, McLean BJ, Watterson D, Colmant AMG, van den Hurk AF, Hall-Mendelin S, Hastie ML, Gorman JJ, Harrison JJ, Prow NA, Barnard RT, Allcock R, Johansen CA, Hall RA (2016) Discovery and characterisation of a new insect-specific bunyavirus from Culex mosquitoes captured in northern Australia. Virology. 489: 269-81. DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2015.11.003
Hall-Mendelin S, McLean BJ, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H, Hobson-Peters J, Hall RA, van den Hurk AF (2016) The insect-specific Palm Creek virus modulates West Nile virus infection in and transmission by Australian mosquitoes. Parasites & Vectors. 9(1): 414. DOI: 10.1186/s13071-016-1683-2
2015
McLean BJ, Hobson-Peters J, Webb C, Watterson D, Prow NA, Nguyen HD, Hall-Mendelin S, Warrilow D, Johansen CA, Jansen C, van den Hurk AF, Beebe N, Schnettler E, Barnard RT, Hall RA (2015) A novel insect-specific flavivirus replicates only in Aedes-derived cells and persists at high prevalence in wild Aedes vigilax populations in Sydney, Australia. Virology. 486: 272-283. DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2015.07.021
Johnson BJ, Kerlin T, Hall-Mendelin S, van den Hurk AF, Cortis G, Doggett SL, Toi C, Fall K, McMahon JL, Townsend M, Ritchie SA (2015) Development and field evaluation of the sentinel mosquito arbovirus capture kit (SMACK). Parasites & Vectors. 8: 509. DOI: 10.1186/s13071-015-1114-9
Jansen CC, Williams CR, van den Hurk AF (2015) The usual suspects: comparison of the relative roles of potential urban Chikungunya Virus vectors in Australia. PLoS One. 10(8): e0134975. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134975
Ye YH, Carrasco AM, Frentiu FD, Chenoweith SF, Beebe NW, van den Hurk AF, Simmons CP, O'Neill SL, McGraw EA (2015) Wolbachia reduces the transmission potential of dengue-infected Aedes aegypti. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 9(6): e0003894. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003894
Philippe-Janon JCD, van den Hurk AF, Francis DP, Shivas MA, Jansen CC (2015) Field comparison of cyclopentanone versus carbon dioxide as an attractant for adult mosquitoes in southeast Queensland, Australia. Journal of Medical Entomology, 52(3): 483-90. DOI:
Nicholson J, Ritchie SA, Russell RC, Webb CE, Cook A, Zalukci MP, Williams CR, Ward P, van den Hurk AF (2015) Effects of cohabitation on the population performance and survivorship of the invasive mosquito Aedes albopictus and the resident mosquito Aedes notoscriptus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Australia. Journal of Medical Entomology, 52(3):375-85.
van den Hurk AF, Hall-Mendelin S, Webb CE, Tan CSE, Frentieu FD, Prow NA, Hall RA (2014) Role of enhanced vector transmission of a new West Nile virus strain in an outbreak of equine disease in Australia in 2011. Parasites & Vectors. 7: 586. DOI: 10.1186/s13071-014-0586-3
Melian EB, Hall-Mendelin S, Du FY, Owens N, Bosco-Lauth AM, Nagasaki T, Rudd S, Brault AC, Bowen RA, Hall RA, van den Hurk AF, Khromykh AA (2014) Programmed ribosomal frameshift alters expression of West Nile virus genes and facilitates virus replication in birds and mosquitoes. PLoS Pathogens, 10(11):e1004447. DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004447
Nicholson JN, Ritchie SA, Russell RC, Zalucki MP, van den Hurk AF (2014) Ability for Aedes albopictus to survive at the climatic limits of its potential range in eastern Australia. Jpurnal of Medical Entomology, 51(5):948-57. DOI: 10.1603/ME14079
Nicholson JN, Ritchie SA, van den Hurk AF (2014) Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) as a potential vector of endemic and exotic arboviruses in Australia. Journal of Medical Entomology, 51(3): 661-669. DOI: 10.1603/ME13204
Ye YH, Ng TS, Frentiu FD, Walker T, van den Hurk AF, O'Neill SL, Beebe NW, McGraw EA (2014) Comparative susceptibility of mosquito subpopulations in north Queensland, Australia to oral infection with dengue virus. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 90(3): 422-30. DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.13-0186
Frentiu FD, Zakir T, Walker T, Popovici J, Pyke AT, van den Hurk A, McGraw EA, O'Neill SL (2014) Limited dengue virus replication in field-collected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 8(2): e2688. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002688
Ritchie SA, Buhagiar TS, Townsend M, van den Hurk AF, McMahon JL, Hoffmann A, Eiras A (2014) Field validation of the Gravid Aedes Trap (GAT) for collection of Aedes aegypti. Journal of Medical Entomology, 51(1): 210-219. DOI: 10.1603/ME13105
van den Hurk AF, Hall-Mendelin S, Townsend M, Kurucz N, Edwards J, Ehlers G, Northill JA, Moore FJ, McMahon JL, Simmons RJ, Cortis G, Melville L, Wheland PI, Ritchie SA (2014) Applications of a sugar-based surveillance system to track arboviruses in wild mosquito populations. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 14(1):66-73. DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2013.1373
Jansen CC, Ritchie SA, van den Hurk AF (2013) The role of Australian mosquito species in the transmission of endemic and exotic West Nile virus strains. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 10(8):3735-52. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph10083735
Beebe NW, Ambrose L, Hill LA, Davis JB, Hapgood G, Cooper RD, Russell RC, Ritchie SA, Reimer L, Lobo NF, Syafruddin D, van den Hurk AF (2013) Tracing the tiger: population genetics provides new insights into the Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus invasion of the Australasian region. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 7(8): e2361. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002361
Jansen CC, Hemmerter S, van den Hurk AF, Whelan PI, Beebe NW (2013) Morphological vs. molecular identification of Culex annulirostris and Culex palpalis – key members of the Culex sitiens (Diptera: Culicidae) subgroup in Australasia. Australian Journal of Entomology. 52(4): 356-362. DOI:
Ritchie SA, Pyke AT, Hall-Mendelin S, Day A, Mores C, Christofferson RC, Gubler D, Bennett S, van den Hurk AF (2013) An explosive epidemic of dengue DENV-3 in Cairns, Australia. PLoS One. 8(7): e68137. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068137
Hall-Mendelin S, Allcock R, Kresoje N, van den Hurk AF, Warrilow D (2013) Detection of arboviruses and other micro-organisms in experimentally infected mosquitoes using massively parallel sequencing. PLoS One. 8(2):e58026. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058026
Ritchie SA, Cortis G, Paton C, Townsend M, Shroyer D, Zborowski P, Hall-Mendelin S, van den Hurk AF (2013) A simple non-powered passive trap for the collection of mosquitoes for arbovirus surveillance. Journal of Medical Entomology, 50(1): 185-194. DOI: 10.1603/ME12112
van den Hurk AF, Hall-Mendelin S, Pyke AT, Frentiu FD, McElroy K, Day A, Higgs S, O'Neill SL (2012) Impact of Wolbachia on infection with yellow fever and chikungunya viruses in the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 6(11): e1892. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001892
van den Hurk AF, Hall-Mendelin S, Johansen CA, Warrilow D, Ritchie SA (2012) Evolution of mosquito-based arbovirus surveillance systems in Australia. Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, 2012: 325659. DOI: 10.1155/2012/325659
Hall-Mendelin S, Jansen CC, Cheah WY, Montgomery BL, Hall RA, Ritchie SA, van den Hurk AF (2012) Culex annulirostris (Diptera: Culicidae) host feeding patterns and Japanese encephalitis virus ecology in northern Australia. Journal of Medical Entomology. 49(2): 371-377. DOI: 10.1603/ME11148
Aug 2021: Hidden genetic diversity of the Aedes notoscriptus virome uncovered in Brisbane, with Pyke A, Shivas M, Darbro J, Onn, M, Johnson P, Crunkhorn A, Montgomery I, Jansen C, van den Hurk A. In: 14th MCAA and the 13th ARA Online Symposium, online.
Aug 2021: Why don't mosquitoes transmit SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19?, with van den Hurk A, Higgs S, Webb C. In: 14th MCAA and the 13th ARA Online Symposium, online.
Aug 2019: Using Wolbachia to fight mosquito-transmitted viruses. National Science Week, Coopers Plains Qld.
Dec 2017: Evolution of West Nile virus in Australia and emergence of a pro-inflammatory phenotype, with Huang B, Prow NA, Allcock R, West N, Vider J, Moore PR, Doggett SL, Warrilow D. In: 9th Australasian Virology Society Meeting (AVS 2017), 5-8 December 2017, Glenelg, SA.
Dec 2017: Stuck in the gut: a new clade of insect-specific flaviviruses from Australian Anopheles mosquitoes displays species-specific host-restriction [poster] with Colmant A, Hobson-Peters J, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H, Hall-Mendelin S, Chow W, Johansen C, Fros J, Simmonds P, Watterson D, Cazier C, Etebari K, Asgari S, Schulz B, Beebe N, Nguyen D, Barnard R, Hall R. In: 9th Australasian Virology Society Meeting (AVS 2017), 5-8 December 2017, Glenelg, SA.
Sep 2016: From the forests of Uganda to our sunburnt country: incrimination of Australian mosquitoes as Zika virus vectors, with Hall-Mendelin S, Pyke AT, Moore PR, Mackay IM, McMahon J, Ritchie SA, Taylor CT, Moore F. In:12th Mosquito Control Association of Australia and Arbovirus Research in Australia Symposium, 4-9 September 2016, Gold Coast, Qld.
Sep 2016: Epidemiological, entomological and virological investigations of the Ross River virus outbreak in Queensland, 2015, with Jansen CC, Lodo K, Pyke AT, Hall-Mendelin S, Montgomery BL, Darbro JM, Shivas M. In: 12th Symposium of the Mosquito Control Association of Australia and Arbovirus Research in Australia, 4-9 September, 2016, Surfers Paradise, Qld.
Sep 2016: Hitchhikers from the jungle: assessment of evolution, emergence potential and public health implications of rare and divergent dengue viruses, with Pyke AT, Moore PR, Hall-Mendelin S, Cameron JN, Hewitson GR, Pukallus D, Huang B, Warrilow D. In: 12th Symposium of the Mosquito Control Association of Australia and Arbovirus Research in Australia, 4-9 September, 2016, Surfers Paradise, Qld.
May 2016: Invited speaker, A tale of yellow fever, Zika and the Asian Tiger mosquito. In: Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, 20 May 2016. James Cook University, Cairns, Qld.
Sep 2015: Understanding and preparing for the threats of exotic mosquitoes. In: Beating the Bite of Emerging Pest and Vector-borne Disease Threats in Australia Symposium, 11 September 2015, Sydney, NSW.
Sep 2014: Ten years of the tiger: studies of Aedes albopictus in Australia since 2004. In: Chasing the Tiger and the Pursuit of Innovative Solutions to Mosquito-borne Disease Threats Symposium, 12 September 2014. Sydney, NSW.
Sep 2014: Ten years of the tiger: studies of Aedes albopictus in Australia since 2004. In: 11th Mosquito Control Association of Australia Conference, 7-10 September 2014, Mandurah, WA.
Sep 2013: Invited speaker, Modern arbovirus surveillance systems. In: Queensland Tropical Health Alliance Conference, 7-8 September 2013, Cairns, Qld.
Nov 2012: Virus, vector and vertebrate host interactions in the urban environment. In: Australian Entomological Society 43rd AGM & Scientific Conference and Australasian Arachnological Society 2012 Conference, 25-28 November 2012, Hobart, Tas.
Sep 2012: Advances in sugar-based arbovirus surveillance. In: 11th Arbovirus Research in Australia and the 10th Mosquito Control Association of Australia Symposium, 9-14 September 2012, Gold Coast, Qld.
Sep 2010: The usual suspects: potential Australian vectors of yellow fever virus. In: 9th Mosquito Control Association of Australia Conference, 12-15 September 2010. Caloundra, Qld.
2010-2016: Co-author on an additional 35 presentations.
2009: Queensland International Fellowship.
Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services Cabinet Research and Development Fund (2019-2020) $39,175. D. Warrilow, A. van den Hurk, B. Huang, S. Ritchie and A. Hoffmann. Establishment of baseline genomic data for long-term surveillance of the efficacy of the Wolbachia-based mosquito control strategy in north Queensland
Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services Cabinet Research and Development Fund (2019-2020) $6,718. D. Warrilow, A. van den Hurk, B. Huang and B. Montgomery. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for invasive mosquito detection
Mosquito and Arbovirus Research Committee (MARC) (2018-2019) $27,220. C. Jansen, A. van den Hurk and M. Shivas. The role of Aedes notoscriptus in urban transmission of Ross River virus
Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services Cabinet R&D Fund (2017-2018) $10,000. van den Hurk A, Hall-Mendelin S, Pyke A, McMahon J, Ritchie S, Ramirez A. Can mosquito excreta be used to enhance surveillance of Ross River and West Nile viruses?
Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services Cabinet R&D Fund (2016-2017) $71,534. van den Hurk A, Hall-Mendelin S, Pyke A, Moore P, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H. Virus infection and replication dynamics influence Zika virus transmission by Australian mosquitoes.
Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine Capacity Building Funds (2016-2017) $35,000. Ritchie S, Johnson B, van den Hurk A, Vazquez-Prokopec G, Manrique-Saide P, Eiras A, Geier M. Development and field validation of a mozzie loo: a dynamic sentinel Zika, Chikungunya and dengue surveillance system.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Explorations Grant (2015-2017) US$100,000. Macdonald J, van den Hurk A, Hugo L, Jones C, Johansen C, Hall R. A single rapid field test for detecting Wolbachia, malaria, chikungunya and dengue.
Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services Cabinet R&D Fund (2015-2016) $9,990. van den Hurk A. Molecular characterisation of the Ross River virus responsible for the 2015 epidemic in southeast Queensland.
Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services Cabinet R&D Fund (2014-2015) $28,000. van den Hurk A, Pyke AT, Hall-Mendelin S, McMahon J, Taylor C. Zika virus as an emerging pathogen – the Australian context.
Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services Cabinet R&D Fund (2014-2015) $50,000. Characterisation and correlative molecular and phenotypic analysis of an ancestral sylvatic dengue virus strain.
Mosquito and Arbovirus Research Committee (MARC) (2013-2014) $59,200. Development, optimisation and evaluation of a novel sugar-based arbovirus surveillance system for use by local government in southeast Queensland for Barmah Forest and Ross River virus early warning.
ARC Discovery (2012-2014) $405,000. Do insect-specific flaviviruses regulate the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases in Australia?
ARC Linkage (2012-2014) $390,000. Emergence of a virulent strain of West Nile virus causing fatal equine encephalitis in south- eastern Australia.
Queensland Health Communicable Diseases Branch. CIA (2011-2012) $34,788. A novel detection system for mosquito-borne viruses.
Grand Challenges in Global Health Project 'Modifying Mosquito Population Age Structure to Eliminate Dengue Transmission' sub-contract (2010-2011) $42,000. Does the endosymbiont, Wolbachia, inhibit infection of Aedes aegypti with yellow fever and chikungunya viruses?
Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services Cabinet R&D Fund (2010) $50,800. Rapid transmission of dengue virus by mosquitoes – a new threat to public health.
Australian Biosecurity CRC for Emerging Infectious Disease (2010) $15,000. The risk of yellow fever to Australia.
Dr Andrew van den Hurk
Supervising Scientist, Entomology
Public and Environmental Health
email: Andrew.VanDenHurk@health.qld.gov.au