A5012611538- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Bee Products Chemical Analysis
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Bird parasitology and diseases
- Reproductive tract infections research
- Climate Change and Health Impacts
- Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Rabies epidemiology and control
- Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Plant and Fungal Interactions Research
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
Colorado State University
2015-2024
Colorado School of Public Health
2019
California Department of Public Health
2008-2018
Northern Arizona University
2018
United States Department of Agriculture
2018
Stanford University
2009-2016
Carroll College
2016
Palo Alto Institute
2009-2015
Northern Virginia Community College
2015
Smithsonian Institution
2015
Changes in the type and prevalence of human diseases have occurred during shifts social organization, for example, from hunting gathering to agriculture with urbanization Industrial Revolution. The recent emergence reemergence infectious appears be driven by globalization ecological disruption. We propose that habitat destruction biodiversity loss associated biotic homogenization can increase incidence distribution affecting humans. clearest connection between disease is spread nonindigenous...
Significance Understanding the effects of biodiversity loss on zoonotic disease is pressing importance to both conservation science and public health. This paper provides experimental evidence increased landscape-level risk following declines in large wildlife, using case study rodent-borne zoonosis, bartonellosis, East Africa. pattern driven not by changes community composition or diversity hosts, as frequently proposed other systems, but increases abundance susceptible hosts mammal...
Tick-borne pathogens are increasing their range and incidence in North America as a consequence of numerous factors including improvements diagnostics diagnosis, expansion primary vectors, changes human behavior, an understanding the diversity species that cause disease. Public health agencies have access to data on notifiable diseases e.g., Borrelia burgdorferi, causative agent Lyme disease, often local pathogen prevalence vector populations. However, exposure vectors can be difficult...
Highly lethal pathogens (e.g., hantaviruses, hendra virus, anthrax, or plague) pose unique public-health problems, because they seem to periodically flare into outbreaks before disappearing long quiescent phases. A key element their possible control and eradication is being able understand where persist in the latent phase how identify conditions that result sporadic epidemics epizootics. In American grasslands, plague, caused by Yersinia pestis , exemplifies this quiescent–outbreak pattern,...
Abstract Background Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis , is a public and wildlife health concern in California western United States. This study explores spatial characteristics of positive plague samples tests Maxent, machine-learning method that can be used to develop niche-based models from presence-only data, for mapping potential distribution foci. Maxent were constructed using geocoded seroprevalence data surveillance ground squirrels ( Spermophilus beecheyi ) as case...
Vector‐borne zoonotic diseases are often maintained in complex transmission cycles involving multiple vertebrate hosts and their arthropod vectors. In the state of California, USA, spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi , which causes Lyme disease, is transmitted between by western black‐legged tick, Ixodes pacificus. Several mammalian species serve as reservoir spirochete, but levels tick infestation, competence, Borrelia‐ infection prevalence vary widely among such hosts. Here, we model host...
Understanding the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on zoonotic disease risk is both a critical conservation objective and public health priority. Here, we evaluate multiple forms across precipitation gradient abundance pathogen-infected small mammal hosts in multi-host, multi-pathogen system central Kenya. Our results suggest that conversion to cropland wildlife loss alone drive systematic increases rodent-borne pathogen prevalence, but pastoral has no such effects. The are most likely...
We investigated the role of western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) as a reservoir host Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. A survey 222 squirrels in California showed an overall prevalence B. burgdorferi infection 30%, although at county level, ranged from 0% to 50% by polymerase chain reaction. Laboratory trials with wild-caught indicated that were competent hosts bacterium and infected up 86% feeding Ixodes pacificus larvae. Infections long-lasting (up 14 months), which...
Understanding the effects of land-use change on zoonotic disease risk is a pressing global health concern. Here, we compare prevalence Yersinia pestis, etiologic agent plague, in rodents across two types-agricultural and conserved-in northern Tanzania. Estimated abundance seropositive nearly doubled agricultural sites compared with conserved sites. This relationship between type likely mediated by changes rodent flea community composition, particularly via an increase commensal species,...
In the twenty-first century, ticks and tick-borne diseases have expanded their ranges impact across US. With this spread, it has become vital to monitor vector disease distributions, as these shifts public health implications. Typically, surveillance (e.g., Lyme disease) is passive relies on case reports, while risk calculated using active surveillance, where researchers collect from environment. Case reports provide basis for estimating number of cases; however, they minimal information...
Habitat heterogeneity influences pathogen ecology by affecting vector abundance and the reservoir host communities. We investigated spatial patterns of disease risk for two human pathogens in Borrelia genus-B. burgdorferi B. miyamotoi-that are transmitted western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus. collected ticks (349 nymphs, 273 adults) at 20 sites San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA. Tick abundance, prevalence density infected nymphs varied widely across habitat type, though nymphal...
Infectious diseases that are transmitted from wildlife hosts to humans, such as the Ebola virus and MERS virus, can be difficult understand because pathogens emerge complex multifaceted ecological interactions. We use a wildlife–pathogen system—prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) plague bacterium (Yersinia pestis)—to describe aspects of disease ecology apply many cases emerging infectious disease. show monitoring surveillance vectors during buildup outbreaks crucial for understanding...
This study was undertaken to determine which rodent species serve as primary reservoirs for the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi in commonly occurring woodland types inland areas of northwestern California, and examine whether chaparral or grassland source habitats dispersal B. burgdorferi- bissettii-infected rodents into adjacent woodlands. The western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) infected with oak woodlands, whereas examination 30 dusky-footed woodrats (Neotoma fuscipes) 280...
This study was undertaken to determine which rodent species serve as primary reservoirs for the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi in commonly occurring woodland types inland areas of northwestern California, and examine whether chaparral or grassland source habitats dispersal B. burgdorferi- bissettii-infected rodents into adjacent woodlands. The western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) infected with oak woodlands, whereas examination 30 dusky-footed woodrats (Neotoma fuscipes) 280...
In the 21st century, zoonotic pathogens continue to emerge, while previously discovered have changes within their distribution and prevalence. Monitoring these is resource intensive, requiring both field laboratory support; thus, data sets are often limited spatial temporal extents.
ABSTRACT Ticks are increasingly important vectors of human and agricultural diseases. While many studies have focused on tick-borne bacteria, far less is known about tick-associated viruses their roles in public health or tick physiology. To address this, we investigated patterns bacterial viral communities across two field populations western black-legged ticks ( Ixodes pacificus ). Through metatranscriptomic analysis 100 individual ticks, quantified taxon prevalence, abundance,...