UC Davis Medical Entomologist Bruce Eldridge, alum PhD ‘65, Receives Coveted International Award; One of Only 15 Ever Awarded

Univeristy of California, Davis
October 23, 2007

Bruce Eldridge (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

DAVIS—University of California, Davis medical entomologist Bruce Eldridge, whose military and academic career spans 52 years, is the recipient of the international Harry Hoogstraal Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Medical Entomology.  He is one of only 15 entomologists ever to receive the award, and the third at UC Davis.

Eldridge will receive the prestigious medal at the 56th annual meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), set Nov. 4-8 in Philadelphia.

“I feel both humble and proud,” said Eldridge, who retired from UC Davis in 2000 as professor of entomology and director of the statewide UC Mosquito Research Program. He continues to work on campus with vectorborne disease and surveillance projects.

"It is difficult to put into words my feelings about receiving this award,” Eldridge said. “I never imagined that my name would be forever associated with that of Harry Hoogstraal, nor with those of scientists who have been awarded the medal previously. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the opportunities that I have had, and to have been helped along in my career by so many outstanding individuals.”

“Bruce Eldridge’s long-term leadership and accomplishments in medical entomology are truly exemplary,” said Walter Leal, professor and chair of the Department of Entomology. “We now have three UC Davis medical entomologists who have won the Harry Hoogstraal Medal, more than any other university. This attests to our department’s world-renowned stature.” Robert Washino received the coveted award in 2005 and John Edman in 2004.

UC Davis entomologists William Reisen and Thomas Scott, who nominated Eldridge for the award, described Eldridge’s career as “outstanding.” Eldridge developed administrative programs in both military and academic environments; advanced research in mosquitoes and the arboviruses they transmit, culminating in 153 publications; and mentored 13 doctorate and postdoctoral students and other young scientists.

“Throughout his career, Bruce has remained the consummate professional, always representing himself, his country, his state and his university at the highest professional and personal level,” they wrote. Eldridge served as chair or president of the four primary American medical entomology societies, and “head of the Entomology Department at the prestigious Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the highest position possible for a military entomologist.”

Eldridge, who retired from his 21-year military career in 1978, chaired the Department of Entomology at Oregon State University, Corvallis, from 1978 to 1986 before accepting the directorship of the UC Mosquito Research Program. 

As director, he helped to broker the move of the Arbovirus Research Unit from the School of Public Health at Berkeley to the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis, thereby founding the Center for Vectorborne Diseases (CVEC),” Scott and Reisen wrote. Eldridge subsequently served as interim director of CVEC.

“The move led to his new research on arbovirus ecology in seasonal wetlands and on modernizing and improving the California Encephalitis Virus Surveillance Program,” they wrote. “Through Bruce’s pivotal relationships with the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California and the California Department of Health Services, CVEC has become a key player in arbovirus research and surveillance in California.”

Earlier in his career, Eldridge pioneered research on the overwintering Culex pipiens mosquito and the St. Louis encephalitis virus, resulting in a series of publications in high profile journals, including Science. His studies helped resolve the role of various mosquito and vertebrate species in virus transmission cycles, including overwintering.

Eldridge said he remembers parasitologist-entomologist Harry Hoogstraal (1917-1986) well. He first met him in the late 1950s, and later, as an ESA editor, worked with him in preparing manuscripts for publications. Hoogstraal was a global authority on ticks and tick-borne diseases who maintained research facilities in Egypt.

Eldridge also worked with mosquito expert William C. Reeves (1916-2004) of UC Berkeley, the first recipient (1987) of the Harry Hoogstraal Award.  “Bill was one of my mentors,” Eldridge said. “When I came to the University of California in 1986, Bill and I became close friends. We used to take annual mosquito collecting trips into the mountains all over the western United States.”

A native of San Jose, Eldridge received his undergraduate degree in biological sciences from San Jose State College and his master’s degree in entomology at Washington State University, Pullman. He earned his doctorate in entomology from Purdue while in the military.

As a military entomologist, he saw duty in Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Seoul, Korea; the Panama Canal Zone; and Washington D.C. He taught medical entomology, parasitology, aquatic entomology and preventive medicine in the military and at Oregon State University.

Eldridge served as an Entomological Society of America (ESA) editor; president of the American Mosquito Control Association and the Society of Vector Ecologists; and chaired the Second International Congress of Vector Ecology.

His awards include Fellow of ESA and the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Medal of Honor from the American Mosquito Control Association; Meritorious Service Award from the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California (one of five ever given) and the John V. Osmun Alumni Professional Achievement Award from Purdue.

Humble about his accomplishments, Eldridge said research usually involves a team sharing ideas, work, writing and credit.

His research led to a better understanding of the winter biology of Culex pipiens mosquitoes, which transmits human diseases. “During my dissertation work at Purdue, I observed the presence of a phenomenon that later came to be called ‘ovarian diapause.’ I found that if larvae and pupae were reared under short-day conditions, the adult females that emerge have ovaries that remain in an immature state, even if the female mosquito takes a blood meal. A student of Andy Spielman later observed the same phenomenon, for which Andy coined the term “ovarian diapause.”

Also, while at Purdue, Eldridge confirmed that while Culex pipiens, the northern house mosquito, undergoes ovarian diapause, Culex quinquefasciatus, the southern house mosquito, does not.

During his final assignment at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Eldridge and his team discovered that Keystone virus is transmitted from parent to offspring. Their work won a silver medal for best presentation at the Army Science Conference in 1974.

Eldridge has “contributed immensely as a teacher,” working with doctoral and post-doctoral students, Reisen and Scott said.  “In addition to graduate students, Bruce has been active teaching courses in entomology, parasitology and preventive medicine first in military training and then at Oregon State University and then at the University of California.  Perhaps Bruce’s greatest achievement is his willingness to expend his time ‘behind the scenes’ to selflessly promote the careers of those around him.”

Said UC Davis doctoral student Christopher Barker: “As my major advisor, Bruce obviously has had a strong influence on my research, from his endless insight into mosquito biology to his emphasis on precise scientific writing. He also guided me toward the epidemiology graduate group here at UC Davis, and for that I will always be grateful.

"In addition to his career-related successes, Bruce sets a good example in balancing his work and personal life. I am sure this has been more easily accomplished in his retirement, but Bruce has always enjoyed his family and hobbies, including railroading and playing the banjo in his bluegrass band. As a student, it is refreshing to see that it is possible to achieve success in so many facets of one's life.”

Eldridge traces his interest in natural science and biology to his mother, who “loved the outdoors and would take me hiking and teach me the names of flowers, trees and animals.” He attributes a San Jose State College medical entomology class, taught by J. Gordon Edward, and a part-time job in the Santa Clara County Health Department’s vector control program with sparking his interest in the field. The vector control job involved identifying mosquitoes collected in light traps throughout the county.

Today Eldridge maintains an office at CVEC, working on projects to incorporate contemporary technology into surveillance data management on the California Vectorborne Disease Surveillance System site. As “Dr. Vector,” he responds to arbovirus questions and also continues to provide leadership in mosquito control in California.