Medical-Veterinary Entomology

Undergraduate Minor · 19 units

“Some of the world’s most dangerous animals are arthropods — mosquitoes, ticks, lice and others — because of the pathogens and parasites they carry.”

Department of Entomology & Nematology · College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences · UC Davis

Why medical-veterinary entomology?

Arthropod-transmitted diseases kill more people every year than any other animals on the planet. Mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, lice, sand flies, kissing bugs and mites transmit the pathogens behind malaria, dengue, Zika, West Nile virus, Lyme disease, plague, Chagas disease, leishmaniasis and canine heartworm — and many of these diseases are expanding with climate change, urbanization and global travel.

This minor teaches you the biology of these vectors, the pathogens they carry, how disease moves through populations, and how outbreaks are detected and controlled — knowledge that applies directly to human medicine, veterinary medicine and public health.

>17%

of all infectious diseases worldwide are vector-borne (WHO)

700,000+

deaths every year from vector-borne diseases (WHO)

One Health

people, animals and the environment — the framework this field works in

Medical-Veterinary Entomology Minor · Department of Entomology & Nematology · UC Davis

Minor Requirements

19 units · College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences · open to students in any major

Required core — 16 units

Prerequisites are introductory biology (BIS 2A/2B) — courses most pre-health students already take.

Elective — choose one (3 units)

• ENT 158 Forensic Entomology
• MMG 162 General Virology

Recommended add-on

ENT 153L Lab Course in Medical Entomology (4 units). Hands-on field and lab work — not required for the minor, but the best way to build practical skills.

Medical-Veterinary Entomology Minor · Department of Entomology & Nematology · UC Davis

What you’ll learn

Vector biology & identification

Anatomy, physiology, life cycles and behavior of mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, lice, flies and mites — and why some species are such efficient disease vectors (including the evolution of blood feeding).

Pathogens & the diseases they cause

The viruses, bacteria, protozoa and worms carried by arthropods — malaria, West Nile, dengue, Zika, Lyme disease, plague, Chagas, leishmaniasis, filariasis, heartworm — their biology, symptoms, detection and treatment.

Parasitology & host–parasite relationships

Biological and ecological principles governing how parasites infect, persist in, and move between human and animal hosts.

Epidemiology, surveillance & control

How outbreaks are detected and tracked, the history and future of vector control, and how climate change, urbanization and land use are reshaping disease risk.

Medical-Veterinary Entomology Minor · Department of Entomology & Nematology · UC Davis

Skills you’ll practice

Course projects and lab work are built around the real workflow of vector-borne disease control

Microscopy & specimen identification

Identify mosquito and tick species and parasites using dichotomous keys

Field sampling

Set mosquito traps and drag for ticks at field sites; record and interpret collection data

Laboratory assays

Arbovirus testing and insecticide-resistance bioassays — experimental design, LD50 and data analysis

Surveillance data & epidemiology

Use online surveillance and epidemiological databases (e.g., VectorSurv) to assess disease risk

Designing a disease control plan

Research and write a full vector-borne disease control plan — epidemiology, vector and pathogen biology, treatment, public health measures

Public health communication

Produce outreach materials that explain risk and prevention to the public

Medical-Veterinary Entomology Minor · Department of Entomology & Nematology · UC Davis

Pathways to careers in health

The minor complements any pre-health track and gives you a distinctive story for applications and interviews

Medicine

• Recognize and manage vector-borne and parasitic disease
• Infectious disease, travel & tropical medicine, emergency and rural care
• Strong foundation for MD/DO, PA and nursing programs

Veterinary medicine

• Heartworm, tick-borne disease, flea and mite infestations, myiasis
• Livestock, wildlife and companion-animal health
• One Health perspective valued by DVM programs

Public health

• Vector control districts and state/county health departments
• CDC, CDPH, epidemiology and disease surveillance
• Natural lead-in to an MPH

Research & global health

• Graduate study in vector biology, parasitology, epidemiology
• NGOs and global health organizations working on malaria, dengue, NTDs
• Diagnostic and biotech laboratories

Medical-Veterinary Entomology Minor · Department of Entomology & Nematology · UC Davis

Getting started

1

Talk with an advisor

Map the 19 units onto your major and pre-health prerequisites

2

Start with ENT 100 or ENT 153

ENT 153 (Medical Entomology) is offered in Winter quarter

3

Add hands-on experience

ENT 153L, undergraduate research in a vector biology lab, or a vector control district internship

4

Declare the minor

File the minor declaration through your college advising office — your advisor can walk you through timing

Questions?

Elvira Galvan Hack

Academic Advisor, Entomology & Animal Biology

160 Hutchison Hall

ent-advise@ucdavis.edu

(530) 754-7277

Minor requirements:

catalog.ucdavis.edu → Entomology & Nematology → Medical-Veterinary Entomology, Minor

entomology.ucdavis.edu

Medical-Veterinary Entomology Minor · Department of Entomology & Nematology · UC Davis