Brian is broadly interested in the ecology of infectious diseases, particularly diseases transmitted via the bite of an infected arthropod (e.g., ticks, mosquitoes). Much of Brian's research focuses upon the consequences of human-mediated global change, such as climate change and human land-use, on the risk of exposure to parasites and pathogens carried by wildlife. While Brian works on these questions in a wide variety of wildlife communities and disease systems, he is especially interested in understanding the effects of landscape change on the emergence and transmission of tick-borne diseases. He uses a broad array of tools in approaching these questions, including molecular technologies, remote sensing applications, and theoretical modeling.

Representative Publications

Allan, B.F., F. Keesing and R.S. Ostfeld. 2003. The effect of forest fragmentation on Lyme disease risk. Conservation Biology 17(1): 267-272.

Allan, B.F., R.B. Langerhans, W.A. Ryberg, W.J. Landesman, N.W. Griffin, R.S. Katz, B.J. Oberle, M. Schutzenhofer, K.N. Smyth, A. de St. Maurice, L. Clark, K.R. Crooks, D. Hernandez, R.G. McLean, R.S. Ostfeld and J.M. Chase. 2009. Ecological correlates of risk and incidence of West Nile Virus in the United States. Oecologia 158(4): 699-708.

Allan, B.F., H.P. Dutra, L.S. Goessling, K. Barnett, J.M. Chase, R.J. Marquis, G.C. Pang, G.A. Storch, R.E. Thach and J.L. Orrock. 2010. Invasive honeysuckle eradication reduces tick-borne disease risk by altering host dynamics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107(43): 18523-18527.

Keesing, F., B.F. Allan, T.P. Young and R.S. Ostfeld. 2013. Effects of wildlife and cattle on tick abundance in central Kenya. Ecological Applications 23(6): 1410-1418.

LaDeau, S.L., B.F. Allan, P.T. Leisnham and M.Z. Levy. 2015. The ecological foundations of transmission potential and vector-borne disease in urban landscapes. Functional Ecology 29(7): 889-901.

Mackay, A.J., E.J. Muturi, M.P. Ward and B.F. Allan. 2016. A cascade of ecological consequences for West Nile virus transmission when aquatic macrophytes invade stormwater habitats. Ecological Applications 26(1): 219-232.

Allan, B.F., H. Tallis, R. Chaplin-Kramer, S. Huckett, G. Kowal, J. Musengezi, S. Okanga, R. Ostfeld, S. Polasky, J. Schieltz, C. Warui, S. Wood and F. Keesing. 2017. Can integrating wildlife and livestock enhance delivery of ecosystem services in central Kenya? Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 15(6): 328-335.

Keesing, F., R.S. Ostfeld, S. Okanga, S. Huckett, B.R. Bayles, R. Chaplin-Kramer, L.P. Fredericks, T. Hedlund, V. Kowal, H. Tallis, C.M. Warui, S.A. Wood and B.F. Allan. 2018. Consequences of integrating livestock and wildlife in an African savanna. Nature Sustainability 1(10): 566-573.

Complete Publications List