Publications

babesia microti, human babesiosis, and borrelia burgdorferi in connecticut.	babesia microti was isolated from a white-footed mouse (peromyscus leucopus) that was captured in southeastern connecticut in 1988, when the first human case of babesiosis acquired in connecticut was recognized. to date, 13 cases of babesiosis have been reported in connecticut, the largest number of human cases reported on the mainland united states. two of nine patients quiried remembered a prior tick bite. since babesia parasites are known to be vectored only by ticks, we surmise that 12 of th ...	1991	1757548
ticks (acari: ixodidae) infesting wild birds (aves) and white-footed mice in lyme, ct.	birds were captured and recaptured (20.8% of 5,297) with japanese mist nets, and white-footed mice, peromyscus leucopus (rafinesque), were caught and recaught (69.1% of 355) with sherman box traps during the late spring, summer, and early fall from july 1989 through october 1991 to study tick-host relationships in lyme, ct. ixodes scapularis say, a vector of lyme disease spirochetes, borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto johnson, schmid, hye, steigerwalt & brenner, infested 803 birds (15.2%) in 36 ...	1995	7650706
borrelia burgdorferi in an urban environment: white-tailed deer with infected ticks and antibodies.	ticks and blood samples were collected from white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) in forests located in an insular, urban area of bridgeport, conn., and in rural south central connecticut during 1992 and 1993. immature and adult ixodes scapularis ticks were tested for borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of lyme borreliosis, by indirect fluorescent-antibody staining methods. deer sera were analyzed for antibodies to this bacterium by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. infected ticks ...	1995	7751354
geographic distribution of white-tailed deer with ticks and antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi in connecticut.	ticks and blood specimens were collected from white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) in connecticut and analyzed to identify foci for lyme borreliosis. males and females of ixodes scapularis, the chief vector of borrelia burgdorferi, were collected from deer in five of eight counties during 1989-1991. analysis by indirect fluorescent antibody (ifa) staining of midgut tissues showed that prevalence of infection was highest (9.5% of 367 ticks) in south central and southeastern connecticut. inf ...	1993	8256460
reduced abundance of ixodes scapularis (acari: ixodidae) with exclusion of deer by electric fencing.	to assess the effect of deer exclusion on populations of ixodes scapularis say (formerly i. dammini spielman, clifford, piesman & corwin) in the northeastern united states, host-seeking ticks and ticks on white-footed mice, peromyscus leucopus (rafinesque), were monitored inside and outside a wooded, residential deer exclosure (approximately 3.5 ha) in lyme, ct, in 1991 and 1992. another deer exclosure was added in lyme (approximately 7.4 ha) during 1992. additional sample sites at other residen ...	1993	8271257
spatial and temporal patterns of ixodes scapularis (acari: ixodidae) in southeastern connecticut.	the spatial distribution and abundance of host-seeking ixodes scapularis say (formerly i. dammini) were studied in 10 residential sites in woodlands during 1989-1991. in total, 7,385 larval, 2,202 nymphal, 164 female, and 248 male i. scapularis were collected in old lyme, lyme, east haddam, and chester, ct. the majority of host-seeking i. scapularis larvae (84.2%) and nymphs (73.5%) were collected within the woodland plots, whereas a large proportion of the adults were recovered from lawn (36.4% ...	1993	8360900
presence of ixodiphagus hookeri (hymenoptera: encyrtidae) in two connecticut populations of ixodes scapularis (acari: ixodidae).	two connecticut populations of the black-legged tick, ixodes scapularis (say), the vector of lyme disease spirochetes, borrelia bugrdorferi sensu stricto johnson, schmid, hyde, steigerwalt & brenner, in the northeastern united states, are parasitized by the encyrtid wasp ixodiphagus hookeri (howard), formerly hunterellus hookeri. the wasp was first detected in ticks from a forested site in bridgeport in 1992. i. hookeri was reared from 18.6% of 148 host-seeking i. scapularis nymphs. in 1993 and ...	1996	8906928
antibodies to ehrlichia equi in dogs from the northeastern united states.	to determine whether dogs living in tickinfested areas of the northeastern united states had been exposed to ehrlichia equi, an etiologic agent of granulocytic ehrlichiosis.	1997	9364226
temporal correlations between tick abundance and prevalence of ticks infected with borrelia burgdorferi and increasing incidence of lyme disease.	the abundance of host-seeking ixodes scapularis nymphs, the principal vector for the lyme disease agent, borrelia burgdorferi, in old lyme, lyme, and east haddam, connecticut, was compared with the incidence of reported human lyme disease in the 12-town area around the connecticut river and the state of connecticut for the period 1989 to 1996. ticks were sampled from lawns and woodlands by dragging flannel over the vegetation and examined for the presence of b. burgdorferi by indirect fluorescen ...	1998	9574684
infections of granulocytic ehrlichiae and borrelia burgdorferi in white-tailed deer in connecticut.	serum or whole blood samples, obtained from 141 white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) in connecticut (usa) during 1980, 1991, and 1996, were analyzed to detect past or current infections of ehrlichia phagocytophila genogroup organisms and borrelia burgdorferi. when the bds or nch-1 strains of granulocytic ehrlichiae were used separately in indirect fluorescent antibody (ifa) staining methods, antibody positivity rates varied from 25 to 64% in 1991 and 1996, respectively. all 50 sera tested ...	1999	10231753
borrelia burgdorferi infection in a natural population of peromyscus leucopus mice: a longitudinal study in an area where lyme borreliosis is highly endemic.	blood samples from peromyscus leucopus mice captured at an enzootic site in connecticut were examined for antibodies to and dna of borrelia burgdorferi, to characterize the dynamics of infection in this reservoir population. from trappings conducted over the course of 2 transmission seasons, 598 (75%) of 801 serum samples from 514 mice were found to be positive by enzyme immunoassay. seropositivity correlated with date of capture and mouse age, was similar among locations within the site, increa ...	2004	15073690
control of immature ixodes scapularis (acari: ixodidae) on rodent reservoirs of borrelia burgdorferi in a residential community of southeastern connecticut.	a 3-yr community-based study was conducted on residential properties on mason's island, mystic, ct, to determine the efficacy of a rodent-targeted acaricide (fipronil) to control immature ixodes scapularis (say) on peromyscus leucopus. results indicated that modified commercial bait boxes were effective as an acaricide delivery method for reducing nymphal and larval tick infestations on white-footed mice by 68 and 84%, respectively. passive application of fipronil significantly reduced the infec ...	2004	15605643
forest fragmentation predicts local scale heterogeneity of lyme disease risk.	fragmentation of the landscape has been proposed to play an important role in defining local scale heterogeneity in lyme disease risk through influence on mammalian host density and species composition. we tested this observed relationship in a suburban region around lyme, connecticut, where we collected data on the density of the tick vector, ixodes scapularis and prevalence of the lyme bacterium, borrelia burgdorferi at 30 sites. analysis of the landscape pattern of forest patches was performe ...	2005	16187106
strategies for reducing the risk of lyme borreliosis in north america.	the incidence of lyme borreliosis continues to increase in the united states. in 1991, when lyme borreliosis first became a nationally reportable disease to the centers for disease control and prevention (cdc), a total of 9470 cases were reported; in contrast, by 2002 a total of 23,763 cases were reported, >2.5x the total in 1991. area-wide acaricides can be highly effective in killing nymphal ixodes scapularis, with >95% of nymphs killed in studies using cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, or carbaryl. t ...	2006	16524769
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
topical treatment of white-tailed deer with an acaricide for the control of ixodes scapularis (acari: ixodidae) in a connecticut lyme borreliosis hyperendemic community.	the 4-poster device for the topical treatment of white-tailed deer, odocoileus virginianus (zimmermann), against ticks using the acaricide amitraz, was evaluated in a lyme borreliosis endemic community in connecticut. as part of a 5-year project from 1997 to 2002, 21-24 of the 4-posters were distributed at residential sites in old lyme, ct, in a core treatment area of approximately 5.2 km(2) in fall 1997. the 4-posters were active october to mid-december and march into may, corresponding to the ...	2009	19650731
phylogeography of borrelia burgdorferi in the eastern united states reflects multiple independent lyme disease emergence events.	since its first description in coastal connecticut in 1976, both the incidence of lyme disease and the geographic extent of endemic areas in the us have increased dramatically. the rapid expansion of lyme disease into its current distribution in the eastern half of the us has been due to the range expansion of the tick vector, ixodes scapularis, upon which the causative agent, borrelia burgdorferi is dependent for transmission to humans. in this study, we examined the phylogeographic population ...	2009	19706476
seasonal prevalence of serum antibodies to whole cell and recombinant antigens of borrelia burgdorferi and anaplasma phagocytophilum in white-tailed deer in connecticut.	whole-blood samples were obtained from 214 white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) representing 44 sites in connecticut (usa) during 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999, and 2000 through 2006. sera were analyzed for total antibodies to whole-cell or recombinant antigens of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and anaplasma phagocytophilum, the respective causative agents of lyme borreliosis and human granulocytic anaplasmosis. deer sera contained antibodies to both bacteria during different seasons and thro ...	2010	20688684