Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| tularemia in a park, philadelphia, pennsylvania. | 2008 | 18760026 | |
| subversion of complement by hematophagous parasites. | the complement system is a crucial part of innate and adaptive immunity which exerts a significant evolutionary pressure on pathogens. it has selected for those pathogens, mainly microorganisms but also parasites, that have evolved countermeasures. the characterization of how pathogens evade complement attack is a rapidly developing field of current research. in recent years, multiple complement evasion strategies have been characterized. in this review, we focus on complement escape mechanisms ... | 2009 | 18762211 |
| big data: the future of biocuration. | 0 | 18769432 | |
| laboratory maintenance of ehrlichia chaffeensis and ehrlichia canis and recovery of organisms for molecular biology and proteomics studies. | tick-borne illnesses are emerging as a major concern for human health in recent years. these include the human monocytic ehrlichiosis caused by the amblyomma americanum tick-transmitted bacterium, ehrlichia chaffeensis; human ewingii ehrlichiosis caused by ehrlichia ewingii (also transmitted by a. americanum ticks); and human granulocytic anaplasmosis caused by the ixodes scapularis tick-transmitted pathogen, anaplasma phagocytophilum. likewise, tick-borne rickettsial pathogens are also a major ... | 2008 | 18770537 |
| functional characterization and novel rickettsiostatic effects of a kunitz-type serine protease inhibitor from the tick dermacentor variabilis. | here we report the novel bacteriostatic function of a five-domain kunitz-type serine protease inhibitor (kpi) from the tick dermacentor variabilis. as ticks feed, they release anticoagulants, anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive molecules that mediate the formation of the feeding lesion on the mammalian host. a number of kpis have been isolated and characterized from tick salivary gland extracts. interestingly, we observe little d. variabilis kpi gene expression in the salivary gland and abun ... | 2008 | 18779339 |
| outer surface protein a protects lyme disease spirochetes from acquired host immunity in the tick vector. | the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi alters the expression of outer surface protein (osp) genes as the bacterium cycles between ticks and mammals. ospa is produced as borreliae enter the tick vector and remains a major surface antigen during midgut colonization. to elucidate the role of ospa in the vector, we created an insertional deletion of ospa in strain b31-a3. the ospa mutant infects mice when it is injected intradermally and is acquired by larval ticks fed on these mice, where ... | 2008 | 18779341 |
| borrelia burgdorferi genotype predicts the capacity for hematogenous dissemination during early lyme disease. | lyme disease, the most common tickborne disease in the united states, is caused exclusively by borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto in north america. the present study evaluated the genotypes of >400 clinical isolates of b. burgdorferi recovered from patients from suburban new york city with early lyme disease associated with erythema migrans; it is the largest number of borrelial strains from north america ever to be investigated. | 2008 | 18781866 |
| spatial dynamics of lyme disease: a review. | lyme disease (ld), the most frequently reported vector-borne disease in the united states, requires that humans, infected vector ticks, and infected hosts all occur in close spatial proximity. understanding the spatial dynamics of ld requires an understanding of the spatial determinants of each of these organisms. we review the literature on spatial patterns and environmental correlates of human cases of ld and the vector ticks, ixodes scapularis in the northeastern and midwestern united states ... | 2008 | 18787920 |
| in vitro isolation of ehrlichia ruminantium from ovine blood into ixodes scapularis (ide8) cell cultures. | four stocks of ehrlichia ruminantium (welgevonden, ball3, nonile and blaauwkrans), the causative agent of heartwater in domestic ruminants, were isolated into ixodes scapularis (ide8) tick cells using the leukocyte fraction of the blood of infected sheep. organisms of two of the e. ruminantium stocks (welgevonden and blaauwkrans) propagated in ide8 cells were also successfully used to infect bovine endothelial cells. all stocks were successfully propagated in ide8 cells using dulbecco's modified ... | 2008 | 18788205 |
| production of outer surface protein a by borrelia burgdorferi during transmission from infected mammals to feeding ticks is insufficient to trigger ospa seroconversion. | the lyme disease spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi, produces two outer surface lipoproteins, ospa and ospb, that are essential for colonization of tick vectors. both proteins are highly expressed during transmission from infected mammals to feeding ticks and during colonization of tick midguts, but are repressed when bacteria are transmitted from ticks to mammals. humans and other infected mammals generally do not produce antibodies against either protein, although some lyme disease patients do s ... | 2008 | 18793197 |
| rhipicephalus appendiculatus: characterization of a testis-associated protein. | a novel gene coding for rhipicephalus appendiculatus male-specific protein (ramp) was identified in a cdna library constructed from the testis/vas deferens of r. appendiculatus ticks. this gene encodes a secreted protein exclusively expressed in the testis/vas deferens. the putative ramp amino acid sequence contains a signal peptide and has 29% amino acid identity with male-specific is5 gene of ixodes scapularis. gene expression studies revealed that ramp mrna was up-regulated in male ticks duri ... | 2008 | 18796305 |
| detection of tick-borne pathogens by masstag polymerase chain reaction. | masstag polymerase chain reaction (pcr) is a platform that enables microbe detection using primers labeled through a photocleavable link with tags that vary in molecular weight. after multiplex pcr, tags are released by ultraviolet irradiation and analyzed by mass spectroscopy. the identification of a microbe in a sample is determined by its cognate tags. here we describe establishment and implementation of a masstag pcr panel for surveillance of microbes implicated in tick-vectored infectious d ... | 2009 | 18800864 |
| rapid identification of known and new rna viruses from animal tissues. | viral surveillance programs or diagnostic labs occasionally obtain infectious samples that fail to be typed by available cell culture, serological, or nucleic acid tests. five such samples, originating from insect pools, skunk brain, human feces and sewer effluent, collected between 1955 and 1980, resulted in pathology when inoculated into suckling mice. in this study, sequence-independent amplification of partially purified viral nucleic acids and small scale shotgun sequencing was used on mous ... | 2008 | 18818738 |
| relative importance of ixodes ricinus and ixodes trianguliceps as vectors for anaplasma phagocytophilum and babesia microti in field vole (microtus agrestis) populations. | the importance of ixodes ricinus in the transmission of tick-borne pathogens is well recognized in the united kingdom and across europe. however, the role of coexisting ixodes species, such as the widely distributed species ixodes trianguliceps, as alternative vectors for these pathogens has received little attention. this study aimed to assess the relative importance of i. ricinus and i. trianguliceps in the transmission of anaplasma phagocytophilum and babesia microti among united kingdom fiel ... | 2008 | 18820068 |
| identification of genetic determinants of a tick-borne flavivirus associated with host-specific adaptation and pathogenicity. | tick-borne flaviviruses are maintained in nature in an enzootic cycle involving a tick vector and a vertebrate host. thus, the virus replicates in two disparate hosts, each providing selective pressures that can influence virus replication and pathogenicity. to identify viral determinants associated with replication in the individual hosts, plaque purified langat virus (tp21pp) was adapted to growth in mouse or tick cell lines to generate two virus variants, mnbp20 and isep20, respectively. viru ... | 2008 | 18823640 |
| ability of 4-poster passive topical treatment devices for deer to sustain low population levels of ixodes scapularis (acari: ixodidae) after integrated tick management in a residential landscape. | in a recent study, the combined use of 4-posters and maxforce tms bait boxes along with a barrier application of deltamethrin resulted in accelerated control of ixodes scapularis say by sequentially attacking each postembryonic life stage. we report the results of a follow-up study to test the ability of 4-posters used alone to sustain the high levels of control achieved through the integrated tick management (itm) approach after withdrawal of the bait boxes. in the first year after withdrawal, ... | 2008 | 18826033 |
| surveillance for lyme disease--united states, 1992-2006. | lyme disease is a multisystem disease that occurs in north america, europe, and asia. in the united states, the etiologic agent is borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, a spirochete transmitted to humans by infected ixodes scapularis and i. pacificus ticks. the majority of patients with lyme disease develop a characteristic rash, erythema migrans (em), accompanied by symptoms of fever, malaise, fatigue, headache, myalgia, or arthralgia. other manifestations of infection can include arthritis, card ... | 2008 | 18830214 |
| interaction of the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi with brain parenchyma elicits inflammatory mediators from glial cells as well as glial and neuronal apoptosis. | lyme neuroborreliosis, caused by the spirochete borrelia burgdorferi, often manifests by causing neurocognitive deficits. as a possible mechanism for lyme neuroborreliosis, we hypothesized that b. burgdorferi induces the production of inflammatory mediators in the central nervous system with concomitant neuronal and/or glial apoptosis. to test our hypothesis, we constructed an ex vivo model that consisted of freshly collected slices from brain cortex of a rhesus macaque and allowed live b. burgd ... | 2008 | 18832582 |
| cutting edge: immunity against a "silent" salivary antigen of the lyme vector ixodes scapularis impairs its ability to feed. | ixodes scapularis ticks transmit the lyme disease agent in the united states. although strong antitick immunity mediates tick rejection by certain vertebrates, only a few ags have been molecularly characterized. we show that guinea pig vaccination against a secreted tick salivary immunomodulator, sialostatin l2, can lead to decreased feeding ability of i. scapularis nymphs. increased rejection rate, prolonged feeding time, and apparent signs of inflammation were observed for nymphs attached to v ... | 2008 | 18832673 |
| identifying the reservoir hosts of the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi in california: the role of the western gray squirrel (sciurus griseus). | we investigated the role of the western gray squirrel (sciurus griseus) as a reservoir host of the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi. a survey of 222 western gray squirrels in california showed an overall prevalence of b. burgdorferi infection of 30%, although at a county level, prevalence of infection ranged from 0% to 50% by polymerase chain reaction. laboratory trials with wild-caught western gray squirrels indicated that squirrels were competent reservoir hosts of the lyme disease ... | 2008 | 18840740 |
| tick-borne flaviviruses: dissecting host immune responses and virus countermeasures. | the tick-borne encephalitis (tbe) serocomplex of viruses, genus flavivirus, includes a number of important human pathogens that cause serious neurological illnesses and hemorrhagic fevers. these viruses pose a significant public health problem due to high rates of morbidity and mortality, their emergence to new geographic areas, and the recent rise in the incidence of human infections. the most notable member of the tbe serocomplex is tick-borne encephalitis virus (tbev), a neurotropic flaviviru ... | 2009 | 18841330 |
| the laboratory diagnosis of lyme borreliosis: guidelines from the canadian public health laboratory network. | lyme borreliosis is uncommonly seen in canada. most cases have occurred in close proximity to small geographical areas where infected ticks have become established. although few cases are seen, thousands of patients are tested yearly. unless patients are carefully selected and an appropriately sensitive and specific testing algorithm is applied, large numbers of patients without lyme borreliosis will be incorrectly diagnosed. the canadian public health laboratory network has developed the presen ... | 2007 | 18923770 |
| evaluation of the recombinant vlse-based liaison chemiluminescence immunoassay for detection of borrelia burgdorferi and diagnosis of lyme disease. | recent efforts to improve the serologic diagnosis of lyme disease have included the use of a synthetic peptide (c6) that reproduces the sequence of invariable region 6 of vlse, the variable surface antigen of borrelia burgdorferi. in the present study, the diagnostic performance of diasorin's recombinant vlse-based chemiluminescence immunoassay in 1,947 human serum samples was evaluated. sensitivity was determined using two serum panels from the cdc. for panel i, we observed sensitivities of 68. ... | 2008 | 18945880 |
| four virb6 paralogs and virb9 are expressed and interact in ehrlichia chaffeensis-containing vacuoles. | the type iv secretion system is an important virulence factor in several host cell-associated pathogens, as it delivers various bacterial macromolecules to target eukaryotic cells. genes homologous to several virb genes and vird4 of agrobacterium tumefaciens are found in an intravacuolar pathogen ehrlichia chaffeensis, the tick-borne causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis. in particular, despite its small genome size, e. chaffeensis has four tandem virb6 paralogs (virb6-1, -2, -3, and - ... | 2009 | 18952796 |
| host surveys, ixodid tick biology and transmission scenarios as related to the tick-borne pathogen, ehrlichia canis. | the ehrlichioses have been subject to increasing interest from veterinary and public health perspectives, but experimental studies of these diseases and their etiologic agents can be challenging. ehrlichia canis, the primary etiologic agent of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis, is relatively well characterized and offers unique advantages and opportunities to study interactions between a monocytotropic pathogen and both its vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. historically, advances in tick-borne dise ... | 2008 | 18963493 |
| inoculation of white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) with ap-v1 or ny-18 strains of anaplasma phagocytophilum and microscopic demonstration of ap-v1 in ixodes scapularis adults that acquired infection from deer as nymphs. | four white-tailed deer were inoculated with either the ap-v1 or ny-18 strain of anaplasma phagocytophilum. ixodes scapularis nymphs were then allowed to acquistion feed on the inoculated deer and molt to adults. only an ap-v1 infected deer was infected persistently and able to infect nymphal ixodes scapularis. molted adult ticks maintained ap-v1 infection as demonstrated by pcr and microscopy. we report, for the first time, a morphologic description of a. phagocytophilum in i. scapularis. | 2009 | 18973438 |
| fever of unknown origin (fuo) due to babesiosis in a immunocompetent host. | fevers of unknown origin (fuos) are defined as prolonged fevers of 101 degrees f or greater lasting 3 or more weeks that remain undiagnosed after comprehensive inpatient/outpatient laboratory testing. tick-borne infections are uncommon causes of fuos. any infectious disease accompanied by prolonged fevers can present as an fuo if the diagnosis is not suspected or if specific laboratory testing is not done to confirm the diagnosis. babesiosis is transmitted by the ixodes scapularis ticks endemic ... | 2008 | 18992633 |
| innate signaling by the c-type lectin dc-sign dictates immune responses. | effective immune responses depend on the recognition of pathogens by dendritic cells (dcs) through pattern recognition receptors (prrs). these receptors induce specific signaling pathways that lead to the induction of immune responses against the pathogens. it is becoming evident that c-type lectins are also important prrs. in particular, the c-type lectin dc-sign has emerged as a key player in the induction of immune responses against numerous pathogens by modulating tlr-induced activation. rec ... | 2009 | 18998127 |
| effect of climate change on lyme disease risk in north america. | an understanding of the influence of climate change on ixodes scapularis, the main vector of lyme disease in north america, is a fundamental component in assessing changes in the spatial distribution of human risk for the disease. we used a climate suitability model of i. scapularis to examine the potential effects of global climate change on future lyme disease risk in north america. a climate-based logistic model was first used to explain the current distribution of i. scapularis in north amer ... | 2005 | 19008966 |
| abrogation of ospab constitutively activates the rrp2-rpon-rpos pathway (sigman-sigmas cascade) in borrelia burgdorferi. | molecular mechanisms underlying the reciprocal regulation of the two major surface lipoproteins and virulence factors of borrelia burgdorferi, ospa and ospc, are not fully understood. herein, we report that inactivation of the ospab operon resulted in overproduction of ospc and many other lipoproteins via the constitutive activation of the rrp2-rpon-rpos pathway. complementing the ospab mutant with a wild-type copy of ospa, but not an ospa variant that lacks the lipoprotein signal sequence, rest ... | 2008 | 19019147 |
| borrelia carolinensis sp. nov., a new (14th) member of the borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex from the southeastern region of the united states. | approximately 118 borrelia isolates were cultured from a variety of rodents, birds, and ticks collected in the southern united states. in addition to a highly diverse group of borrelia bissettii strains and a homogenous group of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto strains, a group of 16 isolates with unusual characteristics was found. the isolates were cultured from ear biopsy samples of the rodents peromyscus gossypinus and neotoma floridana trapped at five localities in south carolina. a multil ... | 2009 | 19020062 |
| exploring the mialome of ticks: an annotated catalogue of midgut transcripts from the hard tick, dermacentor variabilis (acari: ixodidae). | ticks are obligate blood feeders. the midgut is the first major region of the body where blood and microbes ingested with the blood meal come in contact with the tick's internal tissues. little is known about protein expression in the digestive tract of ticks. in this study, for analysis of global gene expression during tick attachment and feeding, we generated and sequenced 1,679 random transcripts (ests) from cdna libraries from the midguts of female ticks at varying stages of feeding. | 2008 | 19021911 |
| vectorbase: a data resource for invertebrate vector genomics. | vectorbase (http://www.vectorbase.org) is an niaid-funded bioinformatic resource center focused on invertebrate vectors of human pathogens. vectorbase annotates and curates vector genomes providing a web accessible integrated resource for the research community. currently, vectorbase contains genome information for three mosquito species: aedes aegypti, anopheles gambiae and culex quinquefasciatus, a body louse pediculus humanus and a tick species ixodes scapularis. since our last report vectorb ... | 2009 | 19028744 |
| evolutionary origin and genomic organisation of runt-domain containing genes in arthropods. | gene clusters, such as the hox gene cluster, are known to have critical roles in development. in eukaryotes gene clusters arise primarily by tandem gene duplication and divergence. genes within a cluster are often co-regulated, providing selective pressure to maintain the genome organisation, and this co-regulation can result in temporal or spatial co-linearity of gene expression. it has been previously noted that in drosophila melanogaster, three of the four runt-domain (rd) containing genes ar ... | 2008 | 19032778 |
| development of an immunoglobulin m capture-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for diagnosis of acute infections with bartonella henselae. | we describe the development of an immunoglobulin m-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of an early antibody response to bartonella henselae, the causative agent of cat scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, and endocarditis. this assay discriminates between b. henselae-positive and -negative patient samples with sensitivity and specificity values of 100% and 97.1%, respectively. | 2009 | 19052161 |
| bacterin that induces anti-ospa and anti-ospc borreliacidal antibodies provides a high level of protection against canine lyme disease. | groups of 15 laboratory-bred beagles were vaccinated and boosted with either a placebo or adjuvanted bivalent bacterin comprised of a traditional borrelia burgdorferi strain and a unique ospa- and ospb-negative b. burgdorferi strain that expressed high levels of ospc and then challenged with b. burgdorferi-infected ixodes scapularis ticks. the vaccinated dogs produced high titers of anti-ospa and anti-ospc borreliacidal antibodies, including borreliacidal antibodies specific for an epitope withi ... | 2009 | 19052162 |
| stable prevalence of powassan virus in ixodes scapularis in a northern wisconsin focus. | deer tick virus (dtv), a variant of powassan virus (powv), appears to be maintained in nature in an enzootic cycle between ixodes scapularis ticks and small mammals. although powv infection of human beings is rare, a recent report suggests increasing incidence and the possibility that powv may be an emerging tick-borne zoonosis. therefore, we assessed the long-term stability of the powv transmission cycle in northwestern wisconsin. adult i. scapularis and dermacentor variabilis were collected fr ... | 2008 | 19052313 |
| nkt cells prevent chronic joint inflammation after infection with borrelia burgdorferi. | borrelia burgdorferi is the etiologic agent of lyme disease, a multisystem inflammatory disorder that principally targets the skin, joints, heart, and nervous system. the role of t lymphocytes in the development of chronic inflammation resulting from b. burgdorferi infection has been controversial. we previously showed that natural killer t (nkt) cells with an invariant (i) tcr alpha chain (inkt cells) recognize glycolipids from b. burgdorferi, but did not establish an in vivo role for inkt cell ... | 2008 | 19060201 |
| superoxide dismutase from the eukaryotic thermophile alvinella pompejana: structures, stability, mechanism, and insights into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. | prokaryotic thermophiles supply stable human protein homologs for structural biology; yet, eukaryotic thermophiles would provide more similar macromolecules plus those missing in microbes. alvinella pompejana is a deep-sea hydrothermal-vent worm that has been found in temperatures averaging as high as 68 degrees c, with spikes up to 84 degrees c. here, we used cu,zn superoxide dismutase (sod) to test if this eukaryotic thermophile can provide insights into macromolecular mechanisms and stability ... | 2009 | 19063897 |
| allatostatin c and its paralog allatostatin double c: the arthropod somatostatins. | arthropods do not have one, but two genes encoding an allatostatin c-like peptide. the newly discovered paralog gene was called ast-cc, and the peptide which it is predicted to make was called allatostatin double c (astcc). genes for both allatostatin c (astc) and its paralog were found in the tick ixodes scapularis as well as dipteran, lepidopteran, coleopteran, aphidoidean and phthirapteran insect species. in addition partial or complete cdnas derived from ast-ccs were found in a number of spe ... | 2009 | 19063967 |
| acinetobacter baumannii invades epithelial cells and outer membrane protein a mediates interactions with epithelial cells. | acinetobacter baumannii is a nosocomial pathogen of increasing importance, but the pathogenic mechanism of this microorganism has not been fully explored. this study investigated the potential of a. baumannii to invade epithelial cells and determined the role of a. baumannii outer membrane protein a (abompa) in interactions with epithelial cells. | 2008 | 19068136 |
| identification of a complex peptidergic neuroendocrine network in the hard tick, rhipicephalus appendiculatus. | neuropeptides are crucial regulators of development and various physiological functions but little is known about their identity, expression and function in vectors of pathogens causing serious diseases, such as ticks. therefore, we have used antibodies against multiple insect and crustacean neuropeptides to reveal the presence of these bioactive molecules in peptidergic neurons and cells of the ixodid tick rhipicephalus appendiculatus. these antibodies have detected 15 different immunoreactive ... | 2009 | 19082627 |
| ir-lbp, an ixodes ricinus tick salivary ltb4-binding lipocalin, interferes with host neutrophil function. | during their blood meal, ticks secrete a wide variety of proteins that can interfere with their host's defense mechanisms. among these proteins, lipocalins play a major role in the modulation of the inflammatory response. | 2008 | 19096526 |
| ixodes ricinus tick lipocalins: identification, cloning, phylogenetic analysis and biochemical characterization. | during their blood meal, ticks secrete a wide variety of proteins that interfere with their host's defense mechanisms. among these proteins, lipocalins play a major role in the modulation of the inflammatory response. | 2008 | 19096708 |
| fine-scale phylogeographic structure of borrelia lusitaniae revealed by multilocus sequence typing. | borrelia lusitaniae is an old world species of the lyme borreliosis (lb) group of tick-borne spirochetes and prevails mainly in countries around the mediterranean basin. lizards of the family lacertidae have been identified as reservoir hosts of b. lusitaniae. these reptiles are highly structured geographically, indicating limited migration. in order to examine whether host geographic structure shapes the evolution and epidemiology of b. lusitaniae, we analyzed the phylogeographic population str ... | 2008 | 19104655 |
| use of tick surveys and serosurveys to evaluate pet dogs as a sentinel species for emerging lyme disease. | to evaluate dogs as a sentinel species for emergence of lyme disease in a region undergoing invasion by ixodes scapularis. | 2009 | 19119948 |
| differential expression of the tick protective antigen subolesin in anaplasma marginale- and a. phagocytophilum-infected host cells. | subolesin was recently shown in vaccine and rna interference (rnai) studies to protect against tick infestations and to affect tick feeding, reproduction, and development as well as infection of host cells by anaplasma marginale and a. phagocytophilum. recent experiments provided evidence that infection of both tick and vertebrate host cells with these two pathogens modified gene expression. we therefore hypothesized that infection of host cells with a. marginale and a. phagocytophilum affects e ... | 2008 | 19120168 |
| defining the role of subolesin in tick cell culture by use of rna interference. | development of tick vaccines provides new opportunities for control of tick infestations and tick-borne diseases. recently, the tick-protective protein, subolesin, was identified in a cell line derived from ixodes scapularis by expression library immunization and a mouse model of tick infestations. while subolesin was conserved among ixodid tick species, the biological function of this gene is unknown. subolesin expression in ticks was silenced by rna interference (rnai) to provide information o ... | 2008 | 19120170 |
| efficacy of the new repellent bioud against three species of ixodid ticks. | bioud with the active ingredient 2-undecanone originally derived from wild tomato plants is a new repellent recently registered by the us epa. repellent efficacy of bioud (7.75% 2-undecanone) and deet (98.11%) was examined in the laboratory using a choice test between repellent-treated and control filter paper surfaces for amblyomma americanum, dermacentor variabilis, and ixodes scapularis. bioud provided greater repellency against a. americanum and i. scapularis than deet. no difference was fou ... | 2009 | 19140016 |
| positive selection in tick saliva proteins of the salp15 family. | when taking their blood meal on the mammalian host, ticks transfer a multitude of different proteins from their saliva into the host. some of these proteins are hijacked by pathogens for their own purposes. borrelia burgdorferi, the lyme disease agent, is critically dependent on the presence of the tick protein salp15 when infecting the host. similarly, anaplasma phagocytophilum, which causes anaplasmosis, needs salp16, a homologue of salp15, to get transferred from the host into the tick. here ... | 2009 | 19159966 |
| insight into the sialome of the black fly, simulium vittatum. | adaptation to vertebrate blood feeding includes development of a salivary "magic potion" that can disarm host hemostasis and inflammatory reactions. within the lower diptera, a vertebrate blood-sucking mode evolved in the psychodidae (sand flies), culicidae (mosquitoes), ceratopogonidae (biting midges), simuliidae (black flies), and the frog-feeding corethrellidae. sialotranscriptome analyses from several species of mosquitoes and sand flies and from one biting midge indicate divergence in the e ... | 2009 | 19166301 |
| transmission of cytauxzoon felis to a domestic cat by amblyomma americanum. | cytauxzoon felis was transmitted to a domestic cat by amblyomma americanum. the infection was produced by the bite of a. americanum adults that were acquisition fed as nymphs on a domestic cat that naturally survived infection of c. felis. fever, inappetence, depression, and lethargy were first noted 11 days post-infestation (dpi). pale mucus membranes, splenomegaly, icterus, and dyspnea were also observed during the course of the disease. the body temperature of the experimentally infected c. f ... | 2009 | 19168288 |
| new superfamilies of eukaryotic dna transposons and their internal divisions. | despite their enormous diversity and abundance, all currently known eukaryotic dna transposons belong to only 15 superfamilies. here, we report two new superfamilies of dna transposons, named sola and zator. sola transposons encode ddd-transposases (transposase, tpase) and are flanked by 4-bp target site duplications (tsd). elements from the sola superfamily are distributed in a variety of species including bacteria, protists, plants, and metazoans. they can be divided into three distinct groups ... | 2009 | 19174482 |
| suppression of ixodes scapularis (acari: ixodidae) following annual habitat-targeted acaricide applications against fall populations of adults. | spring acaricide applications directed against nymphal ixodes scapularis have been shown to be effective, but are perceived by the public as having significant adverse environmental impacts, particularly against nontarget organisms. targeting the adult stage of i. scapularis in the fall would hypothetically result in indirect control of subsequent subadult stages while avoiding other arthropods that are typically inactive during this period. we demonstrate that single fall applications of deltam ... | 2008 | 19181066 |
| molecular characterization, expression and localization of a peroxiredoxin from the sheep scab mite, psoroptes ovis. | the sheep scab mite, psoroptes ovis, induces an intensely pruritic exudative dermatitis which is responsible for restlessness, loss of appetite and weight loss. within the first 24 h of infection, there is a rapid inflammatory influx of eosinophils and apoptosis of the keratinocytes at the site of infection. the former cell type is capable of a sustained respiratory burst, toxic products of which may directly damage the mite and also contribute to lesion formation. analysis of a p. ovis expresse ... | 2009 | 19195412 |
| dermatologic changes induced by repeated ixodes scapularis bites and implications for prevention of tick-borne infection. | previous studies in rodents and people have demonstrated that repeated tick exposure is associated with reduced borrelia burgdorferi transmission but the mechanism of prevention remains unclear. we examined the acute histopathologic reactions to initial and repeated ixodes scapularis bites in balb/c mice and in people. skin biopsies of balb/c mice infested for the first time by i. scapularis nymphs revealed vascular dilatation and an accumulation of inflammatory cells adjacent to the bite site b ... | 2009 | 19196014 |
| isolongifolenone: a novel sesquiterpene repellent of ticks and mosquitoes. | a naturally occurring sesquiterpene, isolongifolenone, derivatives of which have been used extensively as ingredients in the cosmetics industry, was discovered to effectively repel blood-feeding arthropods that are important disease vectors. we show that (-)-isolongifolenone deters the biting of the mosquitoes, aedes aegypti (l.) and anopheles stephensi liston, more effectively than the widely used synthetic chemical repellent, n,n-diethyl-3-methyl benzamide (deet), in laboratory bioassays. the ... | 2009 | 19198523 |
| detection of borrelia burgdorferi and borrelia lonestari in birds in tennessee. | lyme disease in the united states is caused by the bacterial spirochete borrelia burgdorferi s.s. (johnson, schmid, hyde, steigerwalt, and brenner), which is transmitted by tick vectors ixodes scapularis (say) and i. pacificus (cooley and kohls). borrelia lonestari, transmitted by the tick amblyomma americanum l., may be associated with a related syndrome, southern tick-associated rash illness (stari). borrelia lonestari sequences, reported primarily in the southeastern states, have also been de ... | 2009 | 19198527 |
| evolution of the multifaceted eukaryotic akirin gene family. | akirins are nuclear proteins that form part of an innate immune response pathway conserved in drosophila and mice. this studies aim was to characterise the evolution of akirin gene structure and protein function in the eukaryotes. | 2009 | 19200367 |
| rrp1, a cyclic-di-gmp-producing response regulator, is an important regulator of borrelia burgdorferi core cellular functions. | two-component systems (tcs) are universal among bacteria and play critical roles in gene regulation. our understanding of the contributions of tcs in the biology of the borrelia is just now beginning to develop. borrelia burgdorferi, a causative agent of lyme disease, harbours a tcs comprised of open reading frames (orfs) bb0419 and bb0420. bb0419 encodes a response regulator designated rrp1, and bb0420 encodes a hybrid histidine kinase-response regulator designated hpk1. rrp1, which contains a ... | 2009 | 19210621 |
| experimental in vitro transmission of babesia sp. (eu1) by ixodes ricinus. | babesia sp. (eu1), first characterized in 2003, has been implicated in human cases of babesiosis in italy, austria and germany. it has been identified in roe deer and in its suspected tick vector, ixodes ricinus, in several european countries. the aim of the present study was to validate the competence of i. ricinus as a vector of babesia sp. (eu1) via experimental infections. for this purpose, a parasite strain isolated from roe deer was cloned in sheep erythrocytes. after experimental infectio ... | 2009 | 19210953 |
| borrelia burgdorferi bba74 is expressed exclusively during tick feeding and is regulated by both arthropod- and mammalian host-specific signals. | although bba74 initially was described as a 28-kda virulence-associated outer-membrane-spanning protein with porin-like function, subsequent studies revealed that it is periplasmic and downregulated in mammalian host-adapted spirochetes. to further elucidate the role of this protein in the borrelia burgdorferi tick-mammal cycle, we conducted a thorough examination of its expression profile in comparison with the profiles of three well-characterized, differentially expressed borrelial genes (ospa ... | 2009 | 19218390 |
| a manganese transporter, bb0219 (bmta), is required for virulence by the lyme disease spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi. | borrelia burgdorferi (bb), the causative agent of lyme disease, is transmitted to mammalian hosts through an arthropod (tick) vector. to establish infection, bb must acquire essential nutrients, including transition metals, from its mammalian and tick hosts. thus far, no metal transporter has been identified in bb. here, we report the identification of the first metal transporter, bmta (bb0219), in bb. bmta-deficient mutants of virulent bb were readily generated, and the mutants grew slightly sl ... | 2009 | 19218460 |
| conservation and immunogenicity of the mosquito ortholog of the tick-protective antigen, subolesin. | the control of arthropod vectors of pathogens that affect human and animal health is important for the eradication of vector-borne diseases. the ortholog of the tick-protective antigen, subolesin, was identified in aedes albopictus and found to have conserved epitopes in ticks and mosquitoes. rna interference with the tick and mosquito double-stranded rna in three tick species resulted in significant gene knockdown and decreased tick weight and/or survival. feeding anopheles atroparvus, aedes ca ... | 2009 | 19229557 |
| infection and replication of bartonella species within a tick cell line. | bartonella species are fastidious, gram negative bacteria, some of which are transmitted by arthropod vectors, including fleas, sandflies, and lice. there is very little information regarding the interaction and/or transmission capabilities of bartonella species by ticks. in the present study, we demonstrate successful infection of the amblyomma americanum cell line, aae12, by seven bartonella isolates and three candidatus bartonella species by electron or light microscopy. with the exception of ... | 2009 | 19242658 |
| nonrandom distribution of vector ticks (dermacentor variabilis) infected by francisella tularensis. | the island of martha's vineyard, massachusetts, is the site of a sustained outbreak of tularemia due to francisella tularensis tularensis. dog ticks, dermacentor variabilis, appear to be critical in the perpetuation of the agent there. tularemia has long been characterized as an agent of natural focality, stably persisting in characteristic sites of transmission, but this suggestion has never been rigorously tested. accordingly, we sought to identify a natural focus of transmission of the agent ... | 2009 | 19247435 |
| antibody responses of domestic animals to salivary antigens of triatomainfestans as biomarkers for low-level infestation of triatomines. | hematophagous arthropods such as triatoma infestans, the vector of trypanosoma cruzi, elicit host-immune responses during feeding. characterization of antibody responses to salivary antigens offers the potential to develop immunologically based monitoring techniques for exposure to re-emergent triatomine bug populations in peridomestic animals. igg-antibody responses to the salivary antigens of t.infestans have been detected in chickens as soon as 2 days after the first exposure to five adult bu ... | 2009 | 19248784 |
| climate and tick seasonality are predictors of borrelia burgdorferi genotype distribution. | the blacklegged tick, ixodes scapularis, is of significant public health importance as a vector of borrelia burgdorferi, the agent of lyme borreliosis. the timing of seasonal activity of each immature i. scapularis life stage relative to the next is critical for the maintenance of b. burgdorferi because larvae must feed after an infected nymph to efficiently acquire the infection from reservoir hosts. recent studies have shown that some strains of b. burgdorferi do not persist in the primary res ... | 2009 | 19251900 |
| 79-year-old man with fever, malaise, and jaundice. | 2009 | 19252117 | |
| a chromosomally encoded virulence factor protects the lyme disease pathogen against host-adaptive immunity. | borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterial pathogen of lyme borreliosis, differentially expresses select genes in vivo, likely contributing to microbial persistence and disease. expression analysis of spirochete genes encoding potential membrane proteins showed that surface-located membrane protein 1 (lmp1) transcripts were expressed at high levels in the infected murine heart, especially during early stages of infection. mice and humans with diagnosed lyme borreliosis also developed antibodies against ... | 2009 | 19266024 |
| a borreliacidal factor in amblyomma americanum saliva is associated with phospholipase a2 activity. | previous work in our laboratory described the in vitro killing of borrelia burgdorferi when co-cultured with saliva from adult amblyomma americanum. borreliacidal activity was not evident using ixodes scapularis saliva. mixing trypsin with saliva eliminated the borreliacidal activity of a. americanum saliva, while incorporating a trypsin inhibitor restored all borreliacidal activity, indicating this factor was of protein or peptide origin. one-dimensional page indicated at least 7 major protein ... | 2009 | 19271281 |
| the use of harvested white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) and geographic information system (gis) methods to characterize distribution and locate spatial clusters of borrelia burgdorferi and its vector ixodes scapularis in indiana. | ixodes scapularis (say) is the vector for borrelia burgdorferi (bb) the causative agent of lyme disease (ld). the increased number and presence of ticks in the environment pose a significant health risk to people and many domestic animals including dogs, cats, and horses. this study characterized the distribution and expansion of i. scapularis and bb and identified areas of increased risk of ld transmission in indiana using geographical information systems (gis) and spatial analysis. a cross-sec ... | 2009 | 19272000 |
| the role of saliva in tick feeding. | when attempting to feed on their hosts, ticks face the problem of host hemostasis (the vertebrate mechanisms that prevent blood loss), inflammation (that can produce itching or pain and thus initiate defensive behavior on their hosts) and adaptive immunity (by way of both cellular and humoral responses). against these barriers, ticks evolved a complex and sophisticated pharmacological armamentarium, consisting of bioactive lipids and proteins, to assist blood feeding. recent progress in transcri ... | 2009 | 19273185 |
| tick genomics--coming of age. | many challenges face tick genomics. ticks have large genomes and their estimated sizes vary from 1.04~7.1 x10(9) bp, about one third to over two times the size of the human genome. karyotype studies have revealed a range in chromosome number and the sex determining system seems to be primarily driven by a xy or a xo format. re-association hybridization kinetics indicates that the bulk of the tick genome consists of repetitive sequences and only 30~35% of the genome consists of low copy number se ... | 2009 | 19273226 |
| molecular characterization of ehrlichia interactions with tick cells and macrophages. | several tick-transmitted anaplasmataceae family rickettsiales of the genera ehrlichia and anaplasma have been discovered in recent years. some species are classified as pathogens causing emerging diseases with growing health concern for people. they include human monocytic ehrlichiosis, human granulocytic ewingii ehrlichiosis and human granulocytic anaplasmosis which are caused by ehrlichia chaffeensis, e. ewingii and anaplasma phagocytophilum, respectively. despite the complex cellular environm ... | 2009 | 19273271 |
| langerhans cell deficiency impairs ixodes scapularis suppression of th1 responses in mice. | ixodes scapularis ticks transmit a number of human pathogens, including the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi. i. scapularis suppresses host immunity in the skin to promote feeding and systemically skew t-helper (th)-cell differentiation toward th2 cells in secondary lymphoid organs. although components of tick saliva are known to influence th-cell polarization, the mechanism whereby tick feeding in the skin modulates regional and systemic th-cell responses is unknown. in this study, ... | 2009 | 19273564 |
| effects of climate change on ticks and tick-borne diseases in europe. | zoonotic tick-borne diseases are an increasing health burden in europe and there is speculation that this is partly due to climate change affecting vector biology and disease transmission. data on the vector tick ixodes ricinus suggest that an extension of its northern and altitude range has been accompanied by an increased prevalence of tick-borne encephalitis. climate change may also be partly responsible for the change in distribution of dermacentor reticulatus. increased winter activity of i ... | 2009 | 19277106 |
| climate change and malaria in canada: a systems approach. | this article examines the potential for changes in imported and autochthonous malaria incidence in canada as a consequence of climate change. drawing on a systems framework, we qualitatively characterize and assess the potential direct and indirect impact of climate change on malaria in canada within the context of other concurrent ecological and social trends. competent malaria vectors currently exist in southern canada, including within this range several major urban centres, and conditions he ... | 2009 | 19277107 |
| characterization of a novel relapsing fever spirochete in the midgut, coxal fluid, and salivary glands of the bat tick carios kelleyi. | bat ticks, carios kelleyi, from iowa were examined for the presence of relapsing fever group borreliae. a novel spirochete was characterized by dna sequence analysis of polymerase chain reaction amplicons for the 16s rrna, flab, and glpq genes in either triturated tick pools or single ticks. all loci and the concatenated dna sequence of 3,289 bases identified the carios bacterium as a relapsing fever spirochete most closely related to, but distinct from, borrelia turicatae. spirochetes reactive ... | 2009 | 19281412 |
| a novel sphingomyelinase-like enzyme in ixodes scapularis tick saliva drives host cd4 t cells to express il-4. | tick feeding modulates host immune responses. tick-induced skewing of host cd4(+) t cells towards a th2 cytokine profile facilitates transmission of tick-borne pathogens that would otherwise be neutralized by th1 cytokines. tick-derived factors that drive this th2 response have not previously been characterized. in the current study, we examined an i. scapularis cdna library prepared at 18-24 h of feeding and identified and expressed a tick gene with homology to loxosceles spider venom proteins ... | 2009 | 19292772 |
| evidence of a tick rnai pathway by comparative genomics and reverse genetics screen of targets with known loss-of-function phenotypes in drosophila. | the arthropods are a diverse group of organisms including chelicerata (ticks, mites, spiders), crustacea (crabs, shrimps), and insecta (flies, mosquitoes, beetles, silkworm). the cattle tick, rhipicephalus (boophilus) microplus, is an economically significant ectoparasite of cattle affecting cattle industries world wide. with the availability of sequence reads from the first chelicerate genome project (the ixodes scapularis tick) and extensive r. microplus ests, we investigated evidence for puta ... | 2009 | 19323841 |
| babesia bigemina: in vitro multiplication of sporokinetes in ixodes scapularis (ide8) cells. | this paper describes the in vitro multiplication process of babesia bigemina sporokinetes in a cell line (ide8) from ixodes scapularis ticks. the inoculum was obtained from hemolymph of engorged females of rhipicephalus (boophilus) microplus ticks naturally infected with b. bigemina. these ticks had been fed on calves living in a tick endemic farm in brazil. microscopic morphological details are shown to describe the development of the parasite in the tick cells; the identity of the parasite was ... | 2009 | 19324040 |
| correlation between tick density and pathogen endemicity, new hampshire. | to assess the endemicity of tick-borne pathogens in new hampshire, we surveyed adult tick vectors. pathogens were more prevalent in areas of high tick density, suggesting a correlation between tick establishment and pathogen endemicity. infection rates in ticks correlated with disease frequency in humans. | 2009 | 19331738 |
| inhibition of neutrophil function by two tick salivary proteins. | the saliva of hematophagous arthropods contains potent anti-inflammatory and antihemostatic activities that promote acquisition of the blood meal and enhance infection with pathogens. we have shown that polymorphonuclear leukocytes (pmn) treated with the saliva of the tick ixodes scapularis have reduced expression of beta(2) integrins, impaired pmn adherence, and reduced killing of borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of lyme disease. here we describe two ixodes proteins that are induced up ... | 2009 | 19332533 |
| structure-activity relationship studies on the mosquito toxicity and biting deterrency of callicarpenal derivatives. | callicarpenal (=13,14,15,16-tetranorclerod-3-en-12-al=[(1s,2r,4ar,8ar)-1,2,3,4,4a,7,8,8a-octahydro-1,2,4a,5-tetramethylnaphthalen-1-yl]acetaldehyde; 1) has previously demonstrated significant mosquito bite-deterring activity against aedes aegypti and anopheles stephensi in addition to repellent activity against host-seeking nymphs of the blacklegged tick, ixodes scapularis. in the present study, structural modifications were performed on callicarpenal (1) in an effort to understand the functiona ... | 2009 | 19353538 |
| the relationship between spotted fever group rickettsiae and ixodid ticks. | spotted fever group rickettsiae are predominantly transmitted by ticks. rickettsiae have developed many strategies to adapt to different environmental conditions, including those within their arthropod vectors and vertebrate hosts. the tick-rickettsiae relationship has been a point of interest for many researchers, with most studies concentrating on the role of ticks as vectors. unfortunately, less attention has been directed towards the relationship of rickettsiae with tick cells, tissues, and ... | 2009 | 19358804 |
| composition of bacterial communities associated with natural and laboratory populations of asobara tabida infected with wolbachia. | asobara tabida wasps are fly endoparasitoids that naturally harbor three wolbachia strains, which induce cytoplasmic incompatibility and control oogenesis. to investigate whether other bacteria play a role in wasp biology, we surveyed the bacterial communities of wild a. tabida populations originating from different regions of france and of laboratory colonies using pcr-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and culture methods. proteobacteria and firmicutes were found to be the main phyla repr ... | 2009 | 19376923 |
| babesia and its hosts: adaptation to long-lasting interactions as a way to achieve efficient transmission. | babesia, the causal agent of babesiosis, are tick-borne apicomplexan protozoa. true babesiae (babesia genus sensu stricto) are biologically characterized by direct development in erythrocytes and by transovarial transmission in the tick. a large number of true babesia species have been described in various vertebrate and tick hosts. this review presents the genus then discusses specific adaptations of babesia spp. to their hosts to achieve efficient transmission. the main adaptations lead to lon ... | 2009 | 19379662 |
| immunomodulatory parasites and toll-like receptor-mediated tumour necrosis factor alpha responsiveness in wild mammals. | immunological analyses of wild populations can increase our understanding of how vertebrate immune systems respond to 'natural' levels of exposure to diverse infections. a major recent advance in immunology has been the recognition of the central role of phylogenetically conserved toll-like receptors in triggering innate immunity and the subsequent recruitment of adaptive response programmes. we studied the cross-sectional associations between individual levels of systemic toll-like receptor-med ... | 2009 | 19386086 |
| extensive genomic diversity of closely related wolbachia strains. | using microarray-based comparative genome hybridization (mcgh), the genomic content of wolbachia pipientis wmel from drosophila melanogaster was compared to the closely related wolbachia from d. innubila (winn), d. santomea (wsan), and three strains from d. simulans (wau, wri, wsim). a large number of auxiliary genes are identified in these five strains, with most absent/divergent genes being unique to a given strain. each strain caused an average of approximately 60 genes to be removed from the ... | 2009 | 19389774 |
| ornithodoros savignyi: soft tick apyrase belongs to the 5'-nucleotidase family. | salivary apyrases are nucleotide-metabolising enzymes that blood-feeding parasites utilise for modulation of extracellular nucleotides to prevent platelet activation and aggregation. in this study a 5'-nucleotidase specific degenerate primer was used to identify homologous transcripts from ornithodoros savignyi salivary gland cdna. two 5'-nucleotidase isoforms that share significant sequence identity to putative apyrases from rhipicephalus appendiculatus and ixodes scapularis were identified. st ... | 2009 | 19393241 |
| borrelia burgdorferi reva antigen binds host fibronectin. | borrelia burgdorferi, the lyme disease-causing spirochete, can persistently infect its vertebrate hosts for years. b. burgdorferi is often found associated with host connective tissue, where it interacts with components of the extracellular matrix, including fibronectin. some years ago, a borrelial surface protein, named bbk32, was identified as a fibronectin-binding protein. however, b. burgdorferi bbk32 mutants are still able to bind fibronectin, indicating that the spirochete possesses additi ... | 2009 | 19398540 |
| 22-year-old woman with fever and jaundice after travel to ghana. | 0 | 19411443 | |
| ticks and tick-borne pathogens and putative symbionts of black bears (ursus americanus floridanus) from georgia and florida. | ticks were collected from 38 black bears (ursus americanus floridanus) from northwestern florida (n = 18) from 2003 to 2005 and southern georgia (n = 20) in 2006. five species (amblyomma americanum, a. maculatum, dermacentor variabilis, ixodes scapularis, and i. affinis) were collected from florida bears, and 4 species (a. americanum, a. maculatum, d. variabilis, i. scapularis) were collected from bears in georgia. ixodes scapularis was the most frequently collected tick, followed by d. variabil ... | 2009 | 19413369 |
| an ancient immunity gene duplication in daphnia magna: rna expression and sequence analysis of two nitric oxide synthase genes. | no (nitric oxide) is a highly reactive free radical gas thought to play a major role in the invertebrate immune response by harming pathogens and limiting their growth. here we report on studies of nitric oxide synthase (nos) genes in the crustacean daphnia, one of the few non-insect arthropod models used to study host-pathogen interactions. while the nos gene is found as a single copy in other invertebrates, we found two copies (nos1 and nos2), which a phylogenetic reconstruction showed to be t ... | 2009 | 19416737 |
| in the lymelight: law and clinical practice guidelines. | almost from the beginning, the ixodes scapularis and i pacificus, adult deer ticks, have been a breeding ground not only for lyme disease, but also for political dissent. most recently, the battleground moved into the arena of clinical practice guidelines. both camps in the "lyme wars"-the infectious diseases society of america (idsa) and the international lyme and associated diseases society (ilads)-have published lyme disease practice guidelines. the guidelines conflict regarding diagnosis and ... | 2009 | 19434013 |
| ixodes scapularis tick serine proteinase inhibitor (serpin) gene family; annotation and transcriptional analysis. | serine proteinase inhibitors (serpins) are a large superfamily of structurally related, but functionally diverse proteins that control essential proteolytic pathways in most branches of life. given their importance in the biology of many organisms, the concept that ticks might utilize serpins to evade host defenses and immunizing against or disrupting their functions as targets for tick control is an appealing option. | 2009 | 19435496 |
| lyme disease in canada: q & a for paediatricians. | 2009 | 19436561 | |
| fatal case of deer tick virus encephalitis. | deer tick virus is related to powassan virus, a tickborne encephalitis virus. a 62-year-old man presented with a meningoencephalitis syndrome and eventually died. analyses of tissue samples obtained during surgery and at autopsy revealed a widespread necrotizing meningoencephalitis. nucleic acid was extracted from formalin-fixed tissue, and the presence of deer tick virus was verified on a flavivirus-specific polymerase-chain-reaction (pcr) assay, followed by sequence confirmation. immunohistoch ... | 2009 | 19439744 |
| diluting the dilution effect: a spatial lyme model provides evidence for the importance of habitat fragmentation with regard to the risk of infection. | this paper aims to construct a spatially-explicit model of ixodes scapularis infection in the state of new york, usa, based on climate traits, high-resolution landscape features and patch-connectivity according to graph theory. the degree of risk for infection is calculated based on empirical data of host abundance, previous studies on host infectivity rates and tick preferences towards a given host. the outcome signifies what is called the "recruitment of infection", i.e. an index representing ... | 2009 | 19440959 |