A5038711677- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Heat shock proteins research
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Plant and Fungal Interactions Research
- Studies on Chitinases and Chitosanases
- Climate Change and Health Impacts
- Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Travel-related health issues
- Insect Resistance and Genetics
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Malaria Research and Control
MaineHealth
2022-2024
University of Southern Maine
2020
Maine Medical Center Research Institute
2017-2020
Eastern Nazarene College
2010
The Ohio State University
2005-2009
Harvard University
2007-2008
Naval Medical Research Command
2007
United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
2007
Diapause, the dormancy common to overwintering insects, evokes a unique pattern of gene expression. In flesh fly, most, but not all, fly's heat shock proteins (Hsps) are up-regulated. The diapause up-regulated Hsps include two members Hsp70 family, one member Hsp60 family (TCP-1), at least four small Hsp and pseudogene. Expression an cognate, Hsc70 , is uninfluenced by diapause, Hsp90 actually down-regulated during thus differs from stress responses that elicit synchronous up-regulation all...
A key characteristic of overwintering dormancy (diapause) in the mosquito Culex pipiens is switch females from blood feeding to sugar gluttony. We present evidence demonstrating that genes encoding enzymes needed digest a meal ( trypsin and chymotrypsin-like protease ) are down-regulated diapause-destined females, concurrently, gene associated with accumulation lipid reserves fatty acid synthase highly up-regulated. As then enter diapause, only sporadically expressed, expression remains...
Powassan virus is an emerging tick-borne of concern for public health, but very little known about its transmission patterns and ecology. Here, we expanded the genomic dataset by sequencing 279 viruses isolated from Ixodes scapularis ticks northeastern United States. Our phylogeographic reconstructions revealed that lineage II was likely introduced or emerged a relict population in Northeast between 1940 1975. Sequences strongly clustered sampling location, suggesting highly focal...
Culex pipiens L. reared under diapause-inducing conditions (short daylength; 18°C) were more cold tolerant and desiccation resistant than their nondiapausing counterparts (long 18°C). Upon exposure (-5°C), diapausing mosquitoes at 18°C survived nearly twice as long 10 times longer 25°C. Thus, rearing temperature provided partial protection against low injury in mosquitoes, but maximum resistance to was attained by the diapause state. In this species, supercooling point is not a good...
Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) causes severe neurologic disease in North America, but only two fatal human cases have been documented South America. To test the hypothesis that alphavirus heterologous antibodies cross-protect, animals were vaccinated against other alphaviruses and challenged up to 3 months later with EEEV. Short-lived cross-protection was detected, even absence of cross-neutralizing antibodies. assess exposure EEEV Peru, sera from acutely ill healthy persons tested...
Culex pipiens L. reared under diapause-inducing conditions (short daylength; 18 degrees C) were more cold tolerant and desiccation resistant than their nondiapausing counterparts (long C). Upon exposure (-5 C), diapausing mosquitoes at C survived nearly twice as long 10 times longer 25 C. Thus, rearing temperature provided partial protection against low injury in mosquitoes, but maximum resistance to was attained by the diapause state. In this species, supercooling point is not a good...
Deer tick virus (DTV), a genetic variant (lineage II) of Powassan virus, is rare cause encephalitis in North America. We report fatal case DTV following documented bite from an Ixodes scapularis and the erythema migrans rash associated with Lyme disease.
Deer tick virus (DTV) is a genetic variant of Powassan (POWV) that circulates in North America an enzootic cycle involving the blacklegged or “deer tick,” Ixodes scapularis , and small rodents such as white-footed mouse. The number reported human cases with neuroinvasive disease has increased substantially over past few years, indicating POWV may be increasing public health importance. To this end, we sought to estimate infection rates questing I. collected from four districts Maine (York,...
Abstract The burden of ticks and the pathogens they carry is increasing worldwide. Powassan virus (POWV; Flaviviridae: Flavivirus), only known North American tick-borne flavivirus, particular concern due to rising cases severe morbidity POWV encephalitis. Here, we use a multifaceted approach evaluate emergence II lineage, as deer tick (DTV), in parts America where human occur. We detected DTV-positive from eight twenty locations Northeast USA with an average infection rate 1.4 per cent....
Abstract Lyme disease is caused by the bacterial spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt, and Brenner (Spirocheatales: Spirochaetaceae) which transmitted through bite of an infected blacklegged tick Ixodes scapularis Say (Ixodida: Ixodidae). Maine, USA, a high incidence state, with rising other tick-borne illnesses associated increasing I. abundance northward range expansion. Members public submitted ticks to identification program (1990–2013). From these passive...
The noncellular peritrophic matrix (PM) that forms around the food bolus in midgut of many arthropod species may influence fate ingested microbes. In mosquitoes, PMs have been identified pupal as well larval and adult stages. pupae, surround meconium, sloughed epithelium. Meconial PM1 (MPM1) early stadium, a second meconial PM (MPM2) sometimes time emergence. A recent study suggests MPMs contribute to sterilization by sequestering microorganisms during stage, which, along with remaining...
Incidence of human granulocytic anaplasmosis is rising in Maine, USA. This increase may be explained part by adoption tick panels as a frequent diagnostic test persons with febrile illness and range expansion Ixodes scapularis ticks zoonotic amplification Anaplasma phagocytophilum.
A major expenditure in vector biology laboratories is the rearing of mosquitoes. Most mosquito colonies require substantial effort to maintain, including frequent bloodmeals for optimal performance. Successful cryopreservation mosquitoes continues be elusive. Although using diapause as a storage mechanism an option preservation, several obstacles include lack well-characterized or inability some species enter diapause. Thus, other options preservation are needed. To address this issue, we...
Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV) is a mosquito-borne arbovirus that circulates in North America. We detected JCV 4 pools of mosquitoes collected from midcoastal Maine, USA, during 2017-2019. Phylogenetic analysis sequence obtained Aedes cantator clustered within clade A, which also Connecticut, USA.
The continuous culture of mosquitoes is a costly endeavor for vector biology laboratories. In addition to the resources that must be committed colony maintenance, biological costs, including genetic drift and accidental loss, also can occur. Although alternatives do exist, their application limited. Mosquito cryopreservation remains elusive, many important species lack well-defined diapause. Previously, we demonstrated cold storing nondiapausing mated adult females northern house mosquito,...
Abstract Powassan virus is an emerging tick-borne of concern for public health, but very little known about its transmission patterns and ecology. Here, we expanded the genomic dataset by sequencing 279 viruses isolated from Ixodes scapularis ticks northeastern United States. Our phylogeographic reconstructions revealed that lineage II was likely introduced or emerged a relict population in Northeast between 1940-1975. Sequences strongly clustered sampling location, suggesting highly focal...
Powassan virus lineage II or deer tick (DTV) is a rare but increasingly reported human infection in the United States transmitted by Ixodes scapularis ticks. The thought to be maintained environmental foci that are optimal for and vertebrate reservoirs, details on DTV ecology poorly understood. We investigated rates reservoir host abundance focus of consistent activity Maine, USA. Host abundance, vegetation, microclimate conditions were measured three forest sites representing increasing...
Powassan virus (POWV) is a tick-borne flavivirus in the encephalitis (TBEV) serogroup endemic to United States, Canada, and parts of Russia. POWV remains an under-studied pathogen, despite potential for serious life-threatening neurologic complications following infection. While prior studies have characterized viral diversity due single nucleotide polymorphisms, little known about recombination, defective RNAs (D-RNAs), functional structural variants (SVs). Understanding recombination its...
Deer tick virus (DTV), also known as Powassan lineage II, is a rising health concern due to increased recognition cause of human encephalitis. Since European tick-borne encephalitis persists in nature enzootic foci (i.e., higher prevalence rates small pockets nature), we sought determine whether DTV focally maintained relation habitat type, better understand factors leading risk exposure. From 2018 2021, questing Ixodes scapularis ticks were collected from five habitats at the Wells National...