Wolbachia are inherited bacterial parasites of a large number of invertebrates. There has been an upsurge in research interest in these organisms in recent years because of their newly appreciated wide host range together with the array of newly discovered effects they have on the hosts they infect. These include inducing developmental defects such as cytoplasmic incompatibility in young embryos, overriding chromosomal sex-determination, inducing parthenogenesis and even selectively killing male hosts. This proposal plans to provide a research infrastructure to support this newly established and rapidly growing field of scientific research. This will be done through the establishment of an internet-based research resource for Wolbachia workers. This web site will collect and distribute data and resources for the international community of scientists working with this system. In addition this proposal will help to fund a series of scientific meetings aimed at bringing established workers in this field together with new investigators.
This project will help to provide an important infrastructure to this emerging research area. It will allow for the global dissemination of data and resources as well as provide a forum for scientists worldwide to meet and exchange data. This infrastructure will promote the rapid development of this young and emerging area of biological research.
