A5052291920- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Brucella: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment
- Burkholderia infections and melioidosis
- Salmonella and Campylobacter epidemiology
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Escherichia coli research studies
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Bird parasitology and diseases
- Plant and animal studies
- Avian ecology and behavior
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Bacillus and Francisella bacterial research
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Rabies epidemiology and control
- Botulinum Toxin and Related Neurological Disorders
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Marine animal studies overview
- Plant Pathogenic Bacteria Studies
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
Northern Arizona University
2016-2025
University of New Hampshire
2014-2023
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
2006-2022
United States Army Corps of Engineers
2022
Wyoming Department of Education
2022
University of Wyoming
2022
University of California, Santa Cruz
2015-2022
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
2022
Virginia Tech
2022
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
2022
Since its discovery in the early 2000s, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clonal complex 398 (CC398) has become a rapidly emerging cause of human infections, most often associated with livestock exposure. We applied whole-genome sequence typing to characterize diverse collection CC398 isolates (n = 89), including MRSA and methicillin-susceptible S. (MSSA) from animals humans spanning 19 countries four continents. identified 4,238 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) among...
Nucleotide sequence and taxonomy reference databases are critical resources for widespread applications including marker-gene metagenome sequencing microbiome analysis, diet metabarcoding, environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys. Reproducibly generating, managing, using, evaluating nucleotide creates a significant bottleneck researchers aiming to generate custom databases. Furthermore, database composition drastically influences results, lack of standardization limits cross-study comparisons. To...
We characterized the prevalence, antibiotic susceptibility profiles, and genotypes of Staphylococcus aureus among US meat poultry samples (n = 136). S. contaminated 47% samples, multidrug resistance was common isolates (52%). profiles differed significantly sample types, suggesting food animal-specific contamination.
Abstract Aim We investigated the effects of disease on local abundances and distributions species at continental scales by examining impacts white‐nose syndrome, an infectious hibernating bats, which has recently emerged in N orth A merica. Location merica E urope. Methods used four decades population counts from 1108 populations to compare bats before after emergence syndrome situation urope, where is endemic. also examined probability extinction for six eastern assessed influence winter...
Seasonal patterns in pathogen transmission can influence the impact of disease on populations and speed spatial spread. Increases host contact rates or births drive seasonal epidemics some systems, but other factors may occasionally override these influences. White-nose syndrome, caused by emerging fungal Pseudogymnoascus destructans, is spreading across North America threatens several bat species with extinction. We examined drivers P. destructans measuring infection prevalence loads six at...
Abstract Background Phylogeographic reconstruction of some bacterial populations is hindered by low diversity coupled with high levels lateral gene transfer. A comparison recombination and at seven housekeeping genes for eleven species, most which are commonly cited as having transfer shows that the relative contributions homologous versus mutation Burkholderia pseudomallei over two times higher than Streptococcus pneumoniae thus highest value yet reported in bacteria. Despite potential to...
Brucellae are worldwide bacterial pathogens of livestock and wildlife, but phylogenetic reconstructions have been challenging due to limited genetic diversity. We assessed the taxonomic evolutionary relationships five Brucella species-Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, suis, canis, ovis-using whole-genome comparisons. developed a phylogeny using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 13 genomes rooted tree closely related soil bacterium opportunistic human pathogen, Ochrobactrum anthropi....
Abstract Whole-genome sequencing has provided fundamental insights into infectious disease epidemiology, but rarely been used for examining transmission dynamics of a bacterial pathogen in wildlife. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), outbreaks brucellosis have increased cattle along with rising seroprevalence elk. Here we use genomic approach to examine Brucella abortus evolution, cross-species and spatial spread GYE. We find that was introduced wildlife this region at least five...
ABSTRACT Poxvirus infections have been found in 230 species of wild and domestic birds worldwide both terrestrial marine environments. This ubiquity raises the question how infection has transmitted globally dispersed. We present a comprehensive global phylogeny 111 novel poxvirus isolates addition to all available sequences from GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis Avipoxvirus genus traditionally relied on one gene region (4b core protein). In this study we expanded analyses include second locus...
Abstract Background Castor bean ( Ricinus communis ) is an agricultural crop and garden ornamental that widely cultivated has been introduced worldwide. Understanding population structure the distribution of castor cultivars challenging because limited genetic variability. We analyzed genetics R. in a worldwide collection plants from germplasm naturalized populations Florida, U.S. To assess diversity we conducted survey sequencing genomes seven diverse compared data to reference genome...
Disease dynamics during pathogen invasion and establishment determine the impacts of disease on host populations mechanisms persistence. Temporal progression prevalence infection intensity illustrate whether tolerance, resistance, reduced transmission, or demographic compensation allow initially declining to persist. We measured fungal Pseudogymnoascus destructans that causes white-nose syndrome in bats by estimating load seven bat species at 167 hibernacula over a decade as invaded, became...
The bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei causes melioidosis, a rare but serious illness that can be fatal if untreated or misdiagnosed. Species-specific PCR assays provide technically simple method for differentiating B. from near-neighbor species. However, substantial genetic diversity and high levels of recombination within this species reduce the likelihood molecular signatures will differentiate all other Burkholderiaceae. Currently available detection lack rigorous validation across...
Disease can play an important role in structuring species communities because the effects of disease vary among hosts; some are driven towards extinction, while others suffer relatively little impact. Why impacts host remains poorly understood for most multi-host pathogens, and factors allowing less-susceptible to persist could be useful conserving highly affected species. White-nose syndrome (WNS), emerging fungal bats, has decimated sympatric closely related have experienced effect. We...
Brucella species include important zoonotic pathogens that have a substantial impact on both agriculture and human health throughout the world. Brucellae are thought of as "stealth pathogens" escape recognition by host innate immune response, modulate acquired evade intracellular destruction. We analyzed genome sequences members family Brucellaceae to assess its evolutionary history from likely free-living soil-based progenitors into highly successful pathogens. Phylogenetic analysis split...
Increases in anthropogenic movement have led to a rise pathogen introductions and the emergence of infectious diseases naive host communities worldwide. We combined empirical data mathematical models examine changes disease dynamics little brown bat ( Myotis lucifugus ) populations following introduction emerging fungal Pseudogymnoascus destructans , which causes white-nose syndrome. found that infection intensity was much lower persisting than declining where fungus has recently invaded....
Abstract White-nose syndrome has devastated bat populations in eastern North America. In Midwestern United States, prevalence increased quickly the first year of invasion (2012–13) but with low population declines. second (2013–14), environmental contamination led to earlier infection and high Interventions must be implemented before or soon after fungal prevent collapse.
Abstract Transmission of avian malaria in the Hawaiian Islands varies across altitudinal gradients and is greatest at elevations below 1500 m where both temperature moisture are favorable for sole mosquito vector, Culex quinquefasciatus , extrinsic sporogonic development parasite, Plasmodium relictum . Potential consequences global warming on this system have been recognized over a decade with concerns that increases mean temperatures could lead to expansion into habitats cool currently...
Bats are geographically widespread and play an important role in many ecosystems, but relatively little is known about the ecology of their associated microbial communities taxa bat health, development, evolution. Moreover, few vertebrate animal skin microbiomes have been comprehensively assessed, thus characterizing microbiome will yield valuable insight into variability as a whole. The recent emergence fungal disease white-nose syndrome highlights potentially could health. Understanding...
White-nose syndrome (WNS) represents one of the most consequential wildlife diseases modern times. Since it was first documented in New York 2006, disease has killed millions bats and threatens several formerly abundant species with extirpation or extinction. The spread WNS eastern North America been relatively gradual, inducing optimism that mitigation strategies could be established time to conserve susceptible western America. recent detection fungus causes Pacific Northwest, far from its...
Globalization has facilitated the worldwide movement and introduction of pathogens, but epizoological reconstructions these invasions are often hindered by limited sampling insufficient genetic resolution among isolates. Pseudogymnoascus destructans, a fungal pathogen causing epizootic white-nose syndrome in North American bats, exhibited few polymorphisms previous studies, presenting challenges for both tracking spread this fungus determining its evolutionary history. We used single...
Invasive birds spread native seeds When humans introduce exotic species to sensitive ecosystems, invasion and extinction of often follow. The resulting ecological communities can develop unusual interactions between the survivors newcomers. Vizentin-Bugoni et al. analyzed structure seed dispersal networks in Hawai'i, where bird have been mostly replaced by invaders. They found that plants now depend on invasive for dispersal. network is complex stable, which are features seed-dispersal other...
Disease outbreaks and pathogen introductions can have significant effects on host populations, the ability of pathogens to persist in environment exacerbate disease impacts by fueling sustained transmission, seasonal epidemics, repeated spillover events. While theory suggests that presence an environmental reservoir increases risk declines threat extinction, influence dynamics transmission population remains poorly described. Here we show extent explains broad patterns infection severity a...