Publications

a spatially-explicit model of acarological risk of exposure to borrelia burgdorferi-infected ixodes pacificus nymphs in northwestern california based on woodland type, temperature, and water vapor.	in the far-western united states, the nymphal stage of the western black-legged tick, ixodes pacificus, has been implicated as the primary vector to humans of borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (hereinafter referred to as b. burgdorferi), the causative agent of lyme borreliosis in north america. in the present study, we sought to determine if infection prevalence with b. burgdorferi in i. pacificus nymphs and the density of infected nymphs differ between dense-woodland types within mendocino cou ...	2010	20532183
effects of an invasive forest pathogen on abundance of ticks and their vertebrate hosts in a california lyme disease focus.	invasive species, including pathogens, can have important effects on local ecosystems, including indirect consequences on native species. this study focuses on the effects of an invasive plant pathogen on a vertebrate community and ixodes pacificus, the vector of the lyme disease pathogen (borrelia burgdorferi) in california. phytophthora ramorum, the causative agent of sudden oak death, is a non-native pathogen killing trees in california and oregon. we conducted a multi-year study using a grad ...	2010	20941513
impact of the experimental removal of lizards on lyme disease risk.	the distribution of vector meals in the host community is an important element of understanding and predicting vector-borne disease risk. lizards (such as the western fence lizard; sceloporus occidentalis) play a unique role in lyme disease ecology in the far-western united states. lizards rather than mammals serve as the blood meal hosts for a large fraction of larval and nymphal western black-legged ticks (ixodes pacificus-the vector for lyme disease in that region) but are not competent reser ...	2011	21325326
influence of abiotic and environmental factors on the density and infection prevalence of ixodes pacificus (acari:ixodidae) with borrelia burgdorferi.	the abiotic and biotic factors that govern the spatial distribution of lyme disease vectors are poorly understood. this study addressed the influence of abiotic and biotic environmental variables on ixodes pacificus cooley & kohls (acari:ixodidae) nymphs, because it is the primary vector of borrelia burgdorferi johnson, schmidt, hyde, steigerwaldt & brenner in the far-western united states. three metrics of lyme disease risk were evaluated: the density of nymphs, the density of infected nymphs, ...	2011	21337944