Anthrax outbreaks in nature

August 31, 2011

Carcass of a zebra infected with anthrax. Photo by Steve Bellan Carcass of a zebra infected with anthrax. Photo by Steve Bellan

Steve Bellan, a Ph.D. student in the Getz Lab, is interested in behavioral and spatial aspects of wildlife disease.  He studies anthrax outbreaks on herbivores, like the zebra pictured above, and rabies outbreaks in jackals in Etosha National Park, Namibia.

He uses a combination of dynamic modeling and field work to gain insight into how host movement and social behavior contribute to the epidemiologic dynamics of infectious diseases.

Learn more about Steve's research

Watch a movie of lions, jackals, vultures and marabou storks scavenging an anthrax confirmed zebra carcass

Update March 2013:
Steve received his PhD in 2012 and is now a postdoctoral  researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, where he uses a combination of mathematical modeling and field work to gain insight into the epidemiological dynamics of infectious diseases in wildlife (such as anthrax) as well as diseases of humans.