Professor Harrington became interested in global health issues and vector-borne diseases after living and working for several years in rural Thailand. She contracted both dengue and malaria while living abroad and realized the impact these infections have on children and adults in resource poor nations. Her research focuses on the biology, ecology and behavior of mosquitoes that transmit human diseases. Current research projects in her laboratory address the blood feeding and mating behavior of mosquito vectors of dengue fever, Zika, Chikungunya, West Nile virus and malaria. She also studies human and animal-mosquito interactions and the role of climate change and globalization on emerging vector borne diseases. Dr. Harrington studies mosquito biology in the field locally as well as abroad, with past or present field sites in Thailand, Tanzania, and Mexico.
Research Focus
Biology, behavior and ecology of mosquitoes that transmit human pathogens.
Outreach and Extension Focus
Although Harrington has no formal extension appointment, she is active in extension and outreach activities in New York and the Northeastern United States. She regularly provides information to media and the public about mosquitoes and vector borne diseases. In addition, Harrington identifies insects for hospitals and the general public and provide informal guidance to international collaborators and students.
Teaching Focus
She offers courses in Medical and Veterinary Entomology (ENTOM 3520), a non-majors course, Plagues and People (BIO&SOC/ENTOM 2100), she teaches the malaria module of Introduction to Global Health (NS 2060), and she has offered seminars with international service learning formats (ENTOM 4100: Malaria Interventions in Ghana and ENTOM 4110: Health Care in Honduras). Harrington mentors undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of entomology, ecology and evolutionary biology, comparative biomedical sciences, biomathematics, general biology, animal science, and biology and society.
Additional Links
Awards and Honors
- Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow (2016) Cornell University
- Outstanding Alumna Award (2015) North Carolina State University
- Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching (2012) Eastern Branch Entomological Society of America
- Provosts Award for Distinguished Scholarship, Cornell University 2010 (2010) Cornell University
Selected Publications
Journal Publications
- Benedict, M. Q., Charlwood, J. D., Harrington, L. C., Lounibos, L. P., Reisen, W. K., & Tabachnick, W. J. (2018). Guidance for Evaluating the Safety of Experimental Releases of Mosquitoes, Emphasizing Mark-Release-Recapture Techniques. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. 18:39-48.
- Villarreal, S. M., Winokur, O., & Harrington, L. C. (2017). The Impact of Temperature and Body Size on Fundamental Flight Tone Variation in the Mosquito Vector Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae): Implications for Acoustic Lures. Journal of Medical Entomology. 54:1116-1121.
- Degner, E. C., & Harrington, L. C. (2016). Polyandry depends on post-mating time interval in the dengue vector Aedes aegypti. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 94:780-785.
- Harrington, L. C., & Ledesma, N. (2015). Fine-scale temperature fluctuation and modulation of Dirofilaria immitis larval development in Aedes aegypti. Veterinary Parasitology. 209:93-100.
- Hardstone, M., Strycharz, J., Kim, J., Park, I., Yoon, K., Ahn, Y., Harrington, L. C., Lee, S., & Clark, J. (2014). Development of multi-functional metabolic synergists to suppress the evolution of resistance against pyrethroids in insects that blood feed on humans. Pest Management Science.
- Wang, D., Bowman, D. D., Brown, H., Harrington, L. C., Kaufman, P. E., McKay, T., Nelson, C. T., Sharp, J. L., & Lund, R. (2014). Factors Influencing U.S. Canine Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) Prevalence. Parasites and Vectors. 7:264.
- Guerra, C. A., Reiner, R. C., Perkins, T. A., Lindsay, S. W., Midega, J. T., Brady, O. J., Barker, C. M., Reisen, W. K., Harrington, L. C., Takken, W., Kitron, U., Lloyd, A. L., Hay, S., Scott, T. W., & Smith, D. L. (2014). Global assembly of adult female mosquito mark-release-recapture data to inform the control of mosquito-borne pathogens. Parasites and Vectors. 7:276.
- Harrington, L. C., Fleisher, A., Ruiz-Moreno, D., Vermeylen, F., Wa, C., Poulson, R. L., Edman, J. D., Clark, J. M., Jones , J. W., Kitthawee, S., & Scott, T. W. (2014). Heterogeneous feeding patterns of the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti, on individual human hosts in rural Thailand. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 8:e3048 .
- Helinski, M. E., & Harrington, L. C. (2012). The role of male harassment on female fitness for the dengue vector mosquito Aedes aegypti. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 66:1131-1140.
- Ruiz-Moreno, D., Vargas, I. S., Olson, K. E., & Harrington, L. C. (2012). Modeling Dynamic Introduction of Chikungunya Virus in the United States. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 6:e1918.
Presentations and Activities
- Vector behavior essential for genetic control. Tropical Infectious Diseases. February 2013. Gordon Conference. Galveston, TX.
- Mosquito-borne Threats in a Changing World. Public Health Preparedness Conference. January 2013. University of Maryland Center for Health & Homeland Security (CHHS) . Maryland.
- Movement of Aedes mosquito vectors: considerations and research goals. Research and Policy for Infectious Disease Dynamics (RAPIDD). September 2012. Fogerty Center. California.
- Vector Competence of US strains of the Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus, for Chikungunya Epidemic Virus (CHIKV 226OYP). American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2011. ASTMH. Philadelphia, PA.