The University of Western Australia

Assoc/Prof Cheryl Johansen

Research Associate Professor
School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Contact details

Address

School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
The University of Western Australia (M504)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

9346 4656

Fax

9346 2912

Email

cheryl.johansen@uwa.edu.au

Location

Room 1.29, L Block, QEII Medical Centre

Qualifications

BSc MSc W.Aust., PhD Qld

Biography

Dr Cheryl Johansen completed her Bachelor of Science and Masters degrees in Microbiology at The University of Western Australia. She then researched Japanese encephalitis in North Queensland and Papua New Guinea for her PhD with the University of Queensland. In 2001, Dr Johansen returned to UWA to manage the Arbovirus Surveillance and Research Laboratory. She also serves on the Mosquito Control Advisory Committee and the State Arbovirus Control Committee.

Key research

Arbovirus ecology and epidemiology

Vector ecology

Emerging infectious diseases

Arbovirus Surveillance and Research

Publications

1.Broom, A., Johansen, C., Sturrock, K., Susai, V., Lindsay, M., Harrington, S. and Smith, D. (2005). An overview of flavivirus activity in Western Australia, 2001 to 2004. Arbovirus Research in Australia 9:64-69.
2.Broom, A., Hall, R., Johansen, C., Mackenzie, J. and Smith, D. (2005). The epidemiology and ecology of Kunjin virus in Australia. Arbovirus Research in Australia 9:70-73.
3.Broom, A.K., Hall, R.A., Johansen, C.A., Oliveira, N., Howard, M.A., Lindsay, M.D., Kay, B.H. and Mackenzie, J.S. (1998) Identification of Australian arboviruses in inoculated cell cultures using monoclonal antibodies in ELISA. Pathology 30: 286-288.
4.Broom, A.K., Lindsay, M.D., Johansen, C.A., Wright, A.E. and Mackenzie, J.S. (1995) Two possible mechanisms for survival and initiation of Murray Valley encephalitis virus activity in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 53:95-99.
5.Broom, A.K., Smith, D.W., Hall, R.A., Johansen, C.A. and Mackenzie, J.S. (2003). Arbovirus Infections. In: G.C. Cook and A. Zumla (eds), Manson’s Tropical Diseases, 21st Edition. Elsevier Science Ltd., Edinburgh, United Kingdom, p 725-764.
6.Hanna, J.N., Ritchie, S.A., Phillips, D.A., Lee, J.M., Hills, S.L., van den Hurk, A.F., Pyke, A.T., Johansen, C.A. and Mackenzie, J.S. (1999). Japanese encephalitis in north Queensland, Australia, 1998. Medical Journal of Australia 170: 533-536.
7.Johansen, C.A. The ecology and epidemiology of certain arboviruses in the south of Western Australia. 1998. MSc Thesis, The University of Western Australia.
8.Johansen, C.A. Investigations into the emergence of Japanese encephalitis virus in Australia. 2002. PhD Thesis, The University of Queensland.
9.Johansen, C.A. (2003). Letter to the editor – reply. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 68: 631.
10.Johansen, C. A., Broom, A. K., Lindsay, M. D. A., Maley, F. M., Power, S. L., Gordon, C. J. & Smith, D. W. (2005). Surveillance of arboviruses in mosquitoes from the southwest of Western Australia between 2000 and 2004. Arbovirus Research in Australia 9:159-163.
11.Johansen, C.A., Farrow, R., Morrisen, A., Mackenzie, J.S. and Ritchie, S.A. (2001) Windborne mosquitoes: could they be a mechanism of incursions of Japanese encephalitis virus into Australia? Arbovirus Research in Australia 8: 180-186.
12.Johansen, C.A., Farrow, R.A., Morrisen, A., Bellis, G., van den Hurk, A.F., Montgomery, B., Mackenzie, J.S. and Ritchie, S.A. (2003). Collection of wind-borne haematophagous insects in the Torres Strait, Australia. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 17: 102-109.
13.Johansen, C.A., Hall, R.A., van den Hurk, A.F., Ritchie, S.A. and Mackenzie, J.S. (2002). Detection and stability of Japanese encephalitis virus RNA and virus viability in dead infected mosquitoes under different storage conditions. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 67: 656-661.
14.Johansen, C.A., Lindsay, M.D.A., Harrington, S., Whelan, P. Russell, R.C. and Broom, A.K. (2004). First report of Aedes (Aedimorphus) nocturnus in Australia. Northern Territory Communicable Diseases Bulletin 11: 1-5.
15.Johansen, C.A., Lindsay, M.D.A., Harrington, S., Whelan, P. Russell, R.C. and Broom, A.K. (2005). First report of Aedes (Aedimorphus) vexans vexans (Meigen) (Diptera: Culicidae) in Australia. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 21: 222-224.
16.Johansen, C.A., Mackenzie, J.S., Smith, D.W. and Lindsay, M.D.A. (2005) Prevalence of neutralising antibodies to Barmah Forest, Sindbis and Trubanaman virus in animals and humans in the south-west of Western Australia. Australian Journal of Zoology 53: 51-58.
17.Johansen, C. A., Maley, F. M. and Broom, A. K. (2005). Isolation of Stratford virus from mosquitoes collected in the southwest of Western Australia. Arbovirus Research in Australia 9:164-166.
18.Johansen, C.A., Mongtomery, B.L., Mackenzie, J.S. and Ritchie, S.A. (2003). Efficacies of the MosquitoMagnet™ and Counterflow geometry traps in north Queensland, Australia. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 19: 265-270.
19.Johansen, C.A., Nisbet, D.J., van den Hurk, A.F., Hall, R.A., Ritchie, S.A. and Mackenzie, J.S. (2004) Flavivirus isolations from mosquitoes collected from Saibai Island in the Torres Strait, Australia, during an incursion of Japanese encephalitis virus. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 18: 281-287.
20.Johansen, C., Ritchie, S., van den Hurk, A., Bockarie, M., Hanna, J., Phillips, D., Melrose, W., Poidinger, M., Scherret, J., Hall, R. and Mackenzie, J. (1997) The search for Japanese encephalitis virus in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, 1996. Arbovirus Research in Australia 7: 131-136.
21.Johansen, C.A., van den Hurk, A.F., Mackenzie, J.S., Zborowski, P., Phillips, D.A., Pyke, A.T. and Ritchie, S.A. (2001). Entomological investigations following activity of Japanese encephalitis virus in northern Queensland and the Torres Strait in 1998. Journal of Medical Entomology 38: 581-588.
22.Johansen, C.A., van den Hurk, A.F., Nisbet, D.J., Zborowski, P., Ritchie, S.A. and Mackenzie, J.S. (2003). Flavivirus isolations from mosquitoes collected from western Cape York Peninsula, Australia, 1999-2000. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 19: 392-396.
23.Johansen, C.A., van den Hurk, A.F., Ritchie, S.A., Zborowski, P., Paru, R., Nisbet, D., MacDonald, J., Bockarie, M.J., Drew, A.C., Khromykh, T.I. and Mackenzie, J.S. (2000). Isolations of Japanese encephalitis virus from mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) collected in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea, 1997-1998. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 62: 631-638.
24.Lindsay, M.D.A., Breeze, A.L., Harrington, S.A., Johansen, C.A., Broom, A.K., Gordon, C., Maley, F., Power, S., Jardine, A. and Smith, D. (2005). Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses in Western Australia, 2000/01 – 2003/04: contrasting patterns of disease activity. Arbovirus Research in Australia 9:194-201.
25.Lindsay, M.D., Broom, A.K., Wright, A.E., Johansen, C.A. and Mackenzie, J.S. (1993) Ross River virus isolations from mosquitoes in arid regions of Western Australia: implication of vertical transmission as a means of persistence of the virus. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 49: 686-696.
26.Lindsay, M.D., Broom, A.K., Johansen, C.A., Mackenzie, J.S. and Smith, D.W. (1996) Arbovirus ecology and epidemiology in Western Australia. In Boughton, C. (ed). Arboviral diseases in Australia; a manual for medical practitioners, The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, p54-59.
27.Lindsay, M.D., Condon, R., Mackenzie, J.S., Johansen, C., D'Ercole, M. and Smith, D. (1992) A major outbreak of Ross River virus infection in the south-west of Western Australia and the Perth Metropolitan area. Communicable Disease Intelligence, 16: 290-294.
28.Lindsay, M.D.A., Jardine, A., Johansen, C.A., Wright, A.E., Harrington, S.A. and Weinstein, P.A. (2006). Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) fauna and the potential for mosquito-borne disease in inland areas of south west Western Australia. Australian Journal of Entomology (in press).
29.Lindsay, M.D., Johansen, C.A., Broom, A.K., D'Ercole, M., Wright, A.E., Condon, R., Smith, D. and Mackenzie, J.S. (1992) The epidemiology of outbreaks of Ross River virus infection in Western Australia in 1991-1992. Arbovirus Research in Australia 6: 72-76.
30.Lindsay, M.D., Johansen, C.A., Smith, D.W., Wallace, M.J. and Mackenzie, J.S. (1995) An outbreak of Barmah Forest virus disease in the south-west of Western Australia. Medical Journal of Australia 162:291-294.
31.Lindsay, M.D.A., Johansen, C.A., Broom, A.K., Smith, D.W. and Mackenzie, J.S. (1995) Emergence of Barmah Forest Virus in Western Australia. Emerging Infectious Diseases 1:22-26.
32.Lindsay, M.D., Oliveira, N.M., Jasinska, E.M., Johansen, C.A., Harrington, S., Wright, A.E. and Smith, D.W. (1996) An outbreak of Ross River virus disease in the south-west of Western Australia. Communicable Diseases Intelligence (Australia) 20 (6): 136-139.
33.Lindsay, M.D., Oliveira, N.M., Jasinska, E.M., Johansen, C.A., Harrington, S., Wright, A.E. and Smith, D.W. (1996) An outbreak of Ross River virus disease in Southwestern Australia. Emerging Infectious Diseases 2 (2): 117-120.
34.Lindsay, M., Oliveira, N., Jasinska, E., Johansen, C., Harrington, S., Wright, A., Smith, D. and Shellam, G. (1997) Western Australia’s largest recorded outbreak of Ross River virus disease. Arbovirus Research in Australia 7: 147-152.
35.Mackenzie, J.S., Broom, A.K., Hall, R.A., Johansen, C.A., Lindsay, M.D., Phillips, D.A., Ritchie, S.A., Russell, R.C. and Smith, D.W. (1998) Arboviruses in the Australian region, 1990 to 1998. Communicable Diseases Intelligence (Australia) 22 (6): 93-100.
36.Mackenzie, JS., Chua, K.B., Daniels, P.W., Eaton, B.T., Field, H.E., Hall, R.A., Halpin, K., Johansen, C.A., Kirkland, P.D., Lam, S.K., McMinn, P., Nisbet, D., Paru, R., Pyke, A.T., Ritchie, S.A., Siba, P., Smith, D.W., Smith, G.A., van den Hurk, A.F., Wang, L.F. and Williams, D.T. (2001). Emerging viral diseases of south-east Asia and the western Pacific: a brief overview. Emerging Infectious Diseases 7 (Supplement No. 3): 497-504.
37.Mackenzie, J.S., Johansen, C.A., Ritchie, S.A., van den Hurk, A.F. and Hall, R.A. (2002) Japanese encephalitis as an emerging virus: the emergence and spread of Japanese encephalitis virus in Australasia. In Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, pp 49-73.
38.Mackenzie, J.S., Poidinger, M., Phillips, D., Johansen, C., Hall, R.A., Hanna, J., Ritchie, S., Shield, J. and Graham, R. (1997) Emergence of Japanese encephalitis virus in the Australasian region. In J.F. Saluzzo and B. Dodet (eds) Factors in the Emergence of Arbovirus Diseases, Elsevier, Paris, France, p191-201.
39.Nisbet, D., Johansen, C., van den Hurk, A., Paru, R., Saleh, S., Hall, R., Ritchie, S. and Mackenzie, J. (2001) Isolation of Sepik virus from the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. Arbovirus Research in Australia 8: 263-266.
40.Nisbet, DJ., Johansen, C.A., van den Hurk, A.F., Ritchie, S.A., Mackenzie, J.S. and Hall, R.A. (2005). New flaviviruses in the Kokobera virus group. Arbovirus Research in Australia 9:282-289.
41.Nisbet, D.J., Lee, K.J., van den Hurk, A.F., Johansen, C.A., Kuno, G., Chang, G.-J.J., Mackenzie, J.S. Ritchie, S.A. and Hall, R.A. (2005). Identification of new flaviviruses in the Kokobera virus group. Journal of General Virology 86: 121-124.
42.Power, S.L., Broom, A.K.., Johansen, C.A.., Lindsay, M.D.A. and Smith, D.W. (2005). Serological survey of antibodies to alphaviruses in residents of a remote Aboriginal community in the southeast Kimberley region of Western Australia – preliminary results. Arbovirus Research in Australia 9:298-301.
43.Pyke, A., Williams, D., Nisbet, D., van den Hurk, A., Taylor, C., Johansen, C., Macdonald, J., Hall, R., Simmons, R., Mason, R., Lee, J., Ritchie, S., Smith, G. and Mackenzie, J. (2001). The appearance of a second genotype of Japanese encephalitis virus in the Australasian region. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 65: 747-753.
44.Ritchie, S.A., Pyke, A.T., Smith, G.A., Northill, J., Hall, R.A., van den Hurk, A.F., Johansen, C.A., Montgomery, B.L. and Mackenzie, J.S. (2003). Field evaluation of a sentinel mosquito trap system to detect Japanese encephalitis in remote Australia. Journal of Medical Entomology 40: 249-252.
45.Spicer, P.E., Phillips, D., Pike, A., Johansen, C., Melrose, W. and Hall, R.A. (1999). Antibodies to Japanese encephalitis virus in human sera collected from Irian Jaya. Follow-up of a previously reported case of Japanese encephalitis in that region. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 93 (5): 511-514.
46.van den Hurk, A., Johansen, C., Nisbet, D., Zborowski, P., Pyke, A., Phillips, D., Ritchie, S. and Mackenzie, J. (2001) Unraveling the enigma of Japanese encephalitis in north Queensland from 1995 to the present. Arbovirus Research in Australia 8: 379-386.
47.van den Hurk, A.F., Johansen, C.A., Zborowski, P., Paru, R., Foley, P.N., Beebe, N.W., Mackenzie, J.S. and Ritchie, S.A. (2003). Mosquito host feeding patterns associated with the emergence of Japanese encephalitis virus in northern Australia and Papua New Guinea. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 17: 403-411.
48.van den Hurk, A.F., Johansen, C.A., Zborowski, P., Phillips, D.A., Pyke, A.T., Mackenzie, J.S. and Ritchie, S.A. (2000) Flaviviruses isolated from mosquitoes collected during the first recorded outbreak of Japanese encephalitis virus on Cape York Peninsula, Australia. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 64: 125-130.
49.van den Hurk, A.F., Nisbet, D.J., Johansen, C.A., Foley, P.N., Ritchie, S.A. and Mackenzie, J.S. (2001). Japanese encephalitis on Badu Island, Australia; the first isolation of Japanese encephalitis virus from Culex gelidus in the Australasian region and role of mosquito host feeding patterns in virus transmission cycles. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 95: 595-600.

Funding received

Western Australian Department of Health

Memberships

Mosquito Control Association of Australia
Australian Society for Microbiology
American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Teaching

Dr Johansen lectures on surveillance of vectors and vector-borne diseases in the Masters of Infectious Diseases program. She also supervises:
Keryn Sturrock (MSc)
Cameron Gordon (PhD)
Abby Bestall (PhD) (Co-supervised with Murdoch University)

Potential student research projects are available in any of the research areas mentioned above.

Current projects

Dr Johansen is responsible for monitoring and researching mosquito borne viruses in Western Australia. Arboviruses include Murray Valley encephalitis virus, Kunjin virus, Ross River virus and Barmah Forest virus. The prevalence and spread of these viruses is monitored by directly collecting and testing adult mosquitoes for the presence of viruses, and by detecting seroconversions in the 30 sentinel flocks of chickens that are spread across the state. When viral activity is detected the WA Department of Health and local environmental health offices are notified and the information is used to issue media releases warning people of the increased risk of vector-borne disease, and to assist mosquito management programmes.

Her research is designed to complement and enhance the monitoring program. Dr Johansen’s projects include studying vector biology and ecology, improving arbovirus detection systems, vertebrate host ecology and improving surveillance techniques, especially for remote areas.

Research profile

Research profile and publications