Publications

entomologic and demographic correlates of anti-tick saliva antibody in a prospective study of tick bite subjects in westchester county, new york.	we measured anti-tick saliva antibody (atsa) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using whole sonicated ixodes dammini salivary glands as antigen in subjects with 1) a recent and confirmed i. dammini (n = 100) or dermacentor variabilis bite (n = 3), 2) erythema migrans (n = 15), 3) late-stage lyme disease (n = 4), and 4) normal controls without a history of tick bites (n = 5). tick bite subjects had three atsa determinations over approximately six weeks. on the first atsa measurement at a mean + ...	1993	8427388
comparative analysis of genetic variability among borrelia burgdorferi isolates from europe and the united states by restriction enzyme analysis, gene restriction fragment length polymorphism, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.	the genomes of 62 north american and european borrelia burgdorferi isolates were examined by restriction endonuclease analysis (rea), gene probe restriction fragment length polymorphism, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (pfge). hybridization of restriction fragments with the immunologically relevant 83-kda antigen gene revealed polymorphisms and divided the isolates into three major groups. group i included all but two of the american isolates and some of the european isolates. one of two ca ...	1993	7905881
relative importance of bird species as hosts for immature ixodes dammini (acari: ixodidae) in a suburban residential landscape of southern new york state.	abundance of birds and their tick parasites were estimated in a residential community located in westchester county, ny, where lyme disease is endemic. in total, 36 bird species (416 captures) were collected, of which 25 species (69%) were parasitized by ticks. ixodes dammini spielman, clifford, piesman & corwin composed 96.4% of the 1,067 ticks found on birds. the bird species most heavily parasitized was house wren, troglodytes aedon vieillot (11.1 ixodes dammini per bird). relative density es ...	1993	8360897
canine exposure to borrelia burgdorferi and prevalence of ixodes dammini (acari: ixodidae) on deer as a measure of lyme disease risk in the northeastern united states.	surveillance programs that identify areas where both the vector (ixodes dammini) and etiologic agent (borrelia burgdorferi) are present may identify the risk of lyme disease and its spread earlier and more accurately than do programs relying on any single method, particularly human case reports. hunter-killed deer (n = 1,204) from 22 counties in maryland, massachusetts, new hampshire, new york, and pennsylvania were examined in fall 1989 and all ectoparasites were identified. the following sprin ...	1993	8433324
occurrence and distribution in rhode island of hunterellus hookeri (hymenoptera: encyrtidae), a wasp parasitoid of ixodes dammini.	the wasp hunterellus hookeri howard parasitizes several species of ixodid ticks including ixodes dammini spielman, clifford, piesman & corwin, the vector of lyme disease spirochetes, borrelia burgdorferi, in the northeastern united states. we detected the occurrence and evaluated the distribution of this wasp parasitoid in populations of i. dammini in rhode island. there has been no intentional introduction of a tick parasitoid recorded anywhere in rhode island; yet, we found this wasp at one of ...	1993	8433338
reduced abundance of ixodes scapularis (acari: ixodidae) and lyme disease risk by deer exclusion.	the effect of deer exclosures upon the numbers of immature ixodes scapularis say, the vector of lyme disease in the eastern united states, was examined at five sites in westchester county, ny. study areas ranged in size from 6 to 101 ha where deer had been excluded for a period of 25 yr by > 2.4-m-high fencing that surrounded each site. a total area of 40,506 m2 was drag-sampled during the study to measure tick abundance. nymphal densities (ticks per 1,000 m2) averaged 4.6 (range, 1.3-9.6) insid ...	1993	8271246
a comparison of methods for sampling the deer tick, ixodes dammini, in a lyme disease endemic area.	the purpose of this study was to compare the trapping and examining of mice, drag sampling, and co2-baited traps for their ability to detect the presence and abundance of immature deer ticks, ixodes dammini, in a lyme disease endemic area in southern new york state. eight study sites were sampled 14 times between 28 may and 31 august by setting 49 live-traps, four co2-baited traps, and drag sampling 500 m2. a total of 1540 nymphs and 3079 larvae was collected during the study. drag sampling coll ...	1992	1638929
babesiosis: an underdiagnosed disease of children.	babesiosis is a malaria-like illness caused by the intraerythrocytic parasite babesia microti and is transmitted by the same tick that transmits borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of lyme disease. babesiosis is well recognized in adult residents of southern new england and new york but has been described in only five children. to determine whether children are infected with b microti less often than are adults, a prospective serosurvey was carried out on block island, ri, where babesiosis ...	1992	1594345
incidence and prevalence of lyme disease in a suburban westchester county community.	this study was designed to determine the incidence and prevalence of lyme disease in a section of chappaqua, ny, a residential community in which lyme disease is epidemic, and to identify risk factors for this disease. on the basis of clinical history and baseline serologic testing, the overall prevalence of lyme disease for 114 persons entering the study was 8.8%. the incidence during the 5-month study period of may through september 1989 was 2.6%; all three incident cases had erythema migrans ...	1992	1574232
deer, ticks, and lyme disease.		1992	1574226
dna analysis of borrelia burgdorferi nch-1, the first northcentral u.s. human lyme disease isolate.	the dna of the first northcentral united states human lyme disease isolate, borrellia burgdorferi nch-1, was characterized and compared with the dnas of nine other b. burgdorferi isolates. strain nch-1 was isolated in august 1989 from a human skin biopsy specimen. dna was analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and restriction endonuclease analysis. contour-clamped homogeneous electric field pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of in situ-lysed cells was performed to compare the plasmid profile ...	1992	1551988
human babesiosis in new york state: an epidemiological description of 136 cases.	epidemiological data on 136 cases of human babesiosis reported from laboratories and clinicians in the state of new york from 1982 to 1991 were reviewed. all but two patients, who had traveled to nantucket island in massachusetts, acquired disease in suffolk county, long island. the highest average age-group-specific annual incidence rates occurred among men > or = 80 years of age (7.72 per 100,000) and among women 70-79 years of age (3.61 per 100,000). seven patients (5%) had previously undergo ...	1992	1457632
vesicular erythema migrans.	lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the united states. the characteristic rash, erythema migrans, is an early sign of the disease. clinical criteria remain the "gold standard" for diagnosis at this stage of illness.	1992	1444504
landscape ecology of lyme disease in a residential area of westchester county, new york.	the landscape ecology of lyme disease was studied in 1989 on 67 residences in an endemic area of armonk, westchester county, a northern suburb of new york city. four main habitat types were defined, and each property was surveyed for immature and adult lxodes dammini ticks; 98.6% of 1,790 ticks collected were i. dammini. overall, 67.3% were collected from woods, 21.6% from ecotone (unmaintained edge), 9.1% from ornamental vegetation, and 2% from lawns. larval ticks were concentrated in woods, bu ...	1991	2035514
evaluation of host-targeted acaricide for reducing risk of lyme disease in southern new york state.	a 2-yr evaluation of a commercial product designed to reduce the risk of lyme disease by delivering permethrin-treated cotton to white-footed mice (peromyscus leucopus) was conducted at three sites in westchester county, n.y., an area where lyme disease is endemic. we examined the numbers of host-seeking nymphal ixodes dammini spielman, clifford, piesman & corwin, the numbers of larval i. dammini infesting mice, and the proportion of nymphs infected with borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent ...	1991	1941916
the geographic spread and temporal increase of the lyme disease epidemic.	to describe the temporal and geographic progression of the lyme disease epidemic in new york state from 1977 through 1989.	1991	1870248
perspective on the development of vaccines against lyme disease.	lyme disease, the multisystem illness caused by the tick-borne spirochaete, borrelia burgdorferi, has emerged as a threat to public health worldwide. it is a particularly vexing problem in the united states where it is growing in range and intensity. in fact, in some hyperendemic regions of new york and new england, lyme disease is now such a threat that it interferes with all sorts of outdoor activities, and has even led to depreciation of real estate values. family dogs in these areas seem to ...	1991	1771965
lyme disease and infected ticks are spreading throughout new york state.		1991	1798631
serologic survey for borrelia burgdorferi antibody in horses referred to a mid-atlantic veterinary teaching hospital.	blood samples obtained from 13 of 100 (13%) and 6 of 91 (7%) horses at the george d. widener hospital for large animals in the months of june and october, respectively, had antibody to borrelia burgdorferi as determined by elisa. horses from the states of new york, maryland, delaware, new jersey, and pennsylvania were seropositive for b burgdorferi. the frequency of antibody response in horses from new jersey was greater (p less than 0.05) than the frequency of antibody response in horses from p ...	1990	2332371
persistence of antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi in dogs of new york and connecticut.	multiple blood samples were obtained from privately owned dogs living in tick-infested areas of new york (westchester county) and connecticut, where lyme disease in human beings has been reported. of the 175 dogs examined, 127 (72.6%) had limb/joint disorder, whereas the remaining 48 dogs were considered healthy. results of analysis of 419 serum samples revealed igm antibody to borrelia burgdorferi in healthy and lame dogs during all seasons. prevalence of seropositivity was significantly (p les ...	1990	2329074
lyme disease in childhood: clinical and epidemiologic features of ninety cases.	in 1982 and 1983 practicing pediatricians in a lyme disease-endemic county, reported 90 cases of lyme disease among children 19 years of age and younger (median age, 9 years). three-fourths of the children had initial symptom onset in the summer months, with peak incidence in july. infection occurred twice as often in boys than in girls, and tick bites were recalled by less than half (49%) of the children or parents. erythema chronicum migrans was present in two-thirds (67%) of the cases with me ...	1990	2300409
interlaboratory and intralaboratory comparisons of indirect immunofluorescence assays for serodiagnosis of lyme disease.	a conventional indirect immunofluorescence assay (ifa) and an anticomplement indirect immunofluorescence assay (acif) for detecting serum antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi in humans were evaluated during a prevalence survey in northern california. sera obtained from 119 current or former residents of an area in which lyme disease is endemic were split and tested by the ifa in two laboratories and the acif in a third. the seropositivity rate ranged from 15 to 20% with 88 to 93% agreement among l ...	1990	2203813
the role of medium-sized mammals as reservoirs of borrelia burgdorferi in southern new york.	the ability of raccoons (procyon lotor), striped skunks (mephitis mephitis) and opossums (didelphis virginiana) to serve as reservoirs of borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochetal agent of lyme disease, was compared with that of white-footed mice (peromyscus leucopus). twenty-eight (28) medium-sized mammals and 34 white-footed mice were captured in westchester county, new york (usa) in summer 1986. animals were caged over pans of water for 1 to 2 days to recover engorged tick larvae (ixodes dammini) ...	1990	2388356
detection of borrelia burgdorferi dna in museum specimens of ixodes dammini ticks.	in order to investigate the potential for borrelia burgdorferi infection before the recognition of lyme disease as a clinical entity, the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) was used to examine museum specimens of ixodes dammini (deer ticks) for the presence of spirochete-specific dna sequences. one hundred and thirty-six archival tick specimens were obtained representing various continental u.s. locations; dna sequences characteristic of modern day isolates of b. burgdorferi were detected in 13 194 ...	1990	2402635
antigenically variable borrelia burgdorferi isolated from cottontail rabbits and ixodes dentatus in rural and urban areas.	spirochetes were isolated from 71 subadult ixodes dentatus removed from cottontail rabbits captured in millbrook, n.y., and in new york, n.y. spirochetes were also cultured from kidney tissues of six rabbits. while all isolates reacted with monoclonal antibody h9724, which identifies the spirochetes as borreliae, more than half did not bind with antibody h5332 and even fewer reacted with h3ts, both of which were produced to outer surface protein a of borrelia burgdorferi. sodium dodecyl sulfate- ...	1989	2913024
potential for exposure to tick bites in recreational parks in a lyme disease endemic area.	eight recreational parks located in a lyme disease endemic area of southern new york state were surveyed for the presence of ticks during the summer of 1985 by drag sampling. ixodes dammini, the primary vector of lyme disease in the northeast, was found in all but one park and accounted for 580 (91.8 per cent) of the 632 ticks collected. of these, 18 per cent were larvae, 80 per cent were nymphs, and 2 per cent were adults. an i. dammini encounter distance, defined as the mean number of meters t ...	1989	2909174
habitat distribution of ixodes dammini (acari: ixodidae) an lyme disease spirochetes on fire island, new york.	the distributions of ixodes dammini spielman, clifford, piesman, and corwin and lyme disease spirochetes were studied on fire island, n.y. adult ticks were more common in high-shrub habitats (shrubby vegetation greater than or equal to 1 m high) than in grassy and lowshrub habitats (vegetation less than 1 m) in spring and fall. in the fall, adults were also common in the woods. adults were more abundant on narrow trails than in nearby vegetation. during the summer, questing nymphs and larvae wer ...	1989	2724316
host associations of ticks (acari: ixodidae) parasitizing medium-sized mammals in a lyme disease endemic area of southern new york.	ticks of eight medium-sized mammal species were studied in an area of endemic lyme disease in westchester county, n.y., from 1 april 1984 to 31 march 1985. most (81%) of the 266 total mammal captures were raccoon, procyon lotor (l.) (47%), opossum, didelphis virginiana (kerr) (19%), and striped skunk, mephitis mephitis schreber (15%); these host species accounted for 91% of the 1,519 ticks collected. although the total number of ticks was rather evenly distributed among these mammals, species co ...	1989	2724317
lyme disease surveillance in new york state.		1989	2594266
national surveillance of lyme disease, 1987-1988.	in 1987 and 1988, 6876 lyme disease cases from 43 states were reported to the centers for disease control. the 4507 cases reported in 1988 was nearly double the case number reported in 1987, and ninefold the number reported in 1982, when a systematic system of national surveillance was established. the average annual incidence of reported lyme disease in the united states in 1987-1988 was 1.4/100,000. new york led the nation in reported cases in 1988 with 57% of the cases reported nationally. ei ...	1989	2758820
ticks parasitizing humans in a lyme disease endemic area of southern new york state.	a total of 126 tick specimens were submitted by tick bite victims to the westchester county department of health, white plains, new york, and to the new york medical college, medical entomology laboratory, armonk, new york, during 1985. these included 96 (76.2%) ixodes dammini, 26 (20.6%) dermacentor variabilis, and two (1.6%) amblyomma americanum. i. dammini parasitism was reported during all months of the year except december and february and involved all life stages. only d. variabilis adults ...	1988	3189288
prevalence of ixodes dammini near the homes of lyme disease patients in westchester county, new york.	cases of lyme disease that occurred in westchester county, an affluent suburb north of new york city, in 1983 were investigated in 1983 and 1984 to determine the presence of ixodes dammini (acari: ixodidae) in the vicinity of the patients' homes. small mammal trapping, drag cloth, and carbon dioxide-baited tick traps were used to sample ticks. in all but one of 11 cases investigated, i. dammini was found on or near well-maintained lawns in the immediate vicinity of the residences. a mark-release ...	1988	3354547
borreliosis in equids in northeastern united states.	during 1982 and 1985, blood samples from 705 equids were examined for antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi. by indirect immunofluorescence staining, igm and total immunoglobulin (igm and igg) antibodies were detected in 37 (5.3%) and 90 (12.8%) serum specimens, respectively. the geometric mean titer for igm antibody (140.4) was highest during july, whereas total immunoglobulin ranged from 94.1 in october to 338 in may. eighty-six equids with total immunoglobulin to b burgdorferi lived in areas of ...	1988	3282461
occupational risk of lyme disease in endemic areas of new york state.	although lyme disease (ld) is the most common tick-borne disease in the united states, little is known about the frequency of and risk factors for infection with borrelia burgdorferi in occupational groups. in 1986, we recruited primarily outdoor workers from six employee groups in southeastern new york where ld is endemic. of 414 participants who completed questionnaires and had blood samples tested for antibodies against b. burgdorferi by elisa and western immunoblot, 27 (6.5%) were seropositi ...	1988	3190100
the geographic distribution of lyme disease in the united states.	in 1982, national surveillance for lyme disease was established by the centers for disease control to monitor trends and determine endemic geographic areas. initially, the endemic areas corresponded to the known distribution of ixodes dammini, a five-state area of the northeastern seaboard (new york, new jersey, connecticut, rhode island, and massachusetts) and wisconsin and minnesota. increasing numbers of cases have been reported outside these areas, however, 86% of the provisional 5731 cases ...	1988	3190099
new borrelia burgdorferi antigenic variant isolated from ixodes dammini from upstate new york.	a previously undescribed borrelia burgdorferi antigenic variant was isolated from each of four ixodes dammini larvae removed from white-footed mice, peromyscus leucopus, captured in millbrook, n.y. this site is in the northern range of the known distribution of the tick in the northeastern united states. the molecular weights of approximately 32,500 and 35,500 for outer surface a and outer surface b proteins, respectively, were distinctly higher than those for previously characterized isolates f ...	1988	3183008
serologic analyses of peromyscus leucopus, a rodent reservoir for borrelia burgdorferi, in northeastern united states.	an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) and indirect fluorescent-antibody test were used to detect antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of lyme disease, in peromyscus leucopus (white-footed mouse). of the 661 mice captured in connecticut, rhode island, and new york during 1980 and 1983 to 1987, 166 (25.1%) had antibodies to b. burgdorferi by elisa. comparative analyses of 210 serum specimens, collected in areas where lyme disease is endemic, revealed a threefold differenc ...	1988	3384925
ixodes dammini and borrelia burgdorferi in northern new england and upstate new york.		1987	3585637
clinical and serologic studies of canine borreliosis.	during 1984 and 1985, blood samples were obtained from 271 dogs that were suspected of having borreliosis. the dogs lived in areas known to be infested with ticks and had been examined because of limb/joint disorders or for unknown illnesses marked by fever, anorexia, or fatigue. lameness had been the most frequently reported clinical manifestation. analyses of serum specimens, by an indirect fluorescent antibody (ifa) method or by an elisa, detected antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi, the etiol ...	1987	3319989
clinical and geographic characteristics of lyme disease in new york.	the clinical and geographic characteristics of 679 patients who met the clinical definition of lyme disease and who had antibody titers of greater than or equal to 1: 128 to borrelia burgdorferi for a two year period, 1983-1984, are described. males outnumbered females 60% to 40% for the two year period and nearly half of all cases were children and young adults nineteen years old or younger. forty percent of the patients reported single or multiple tick bites prior to the onset of illness and t ...	1987	3591104
choroid plexitis in white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) in southern new york state.	brains, spinal cords, nerve roots, nerves and muscle tissues were removed from deer in southern new york state and examined for histologic evidence of infection by the causative agent of lyme disease, borrelia burgdorferi. there was no histologic evidence of this infection and only four of 26 deer had serologic evidence of past infection despite the fact that all were parasitized by the tick vector, ixodes dammini. of these ticks, 21% were carrying b. burgdorferi. in contrast, most of the deer h ...	1987	3603961
spirochetes in ticks and antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi in white-tailed deer from connecticut, new york state, and north carolina.	ticks were screened for spirochetes and serum samples from white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) were assayed for antibodies to borrelia burgdorferi during 1983-1984. using fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled rabbit antibodies produced to b. burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of lyme disease, spirochetes were detected in ixodes dammini (10.5% of 1,193) and dermacentor albipictus (0.6% of 157) adults from connecticut, i. dammini nymphs (49.1% of 108) and adults (64.7% of 99) from armonk, new yo ...	1986	3520030
comparison of rates of infection by the lyme disease spirochete in selected populations of ixodes dammini and amblyomma americanum (acari: ixodidae).	at a major endemic focus in new jersey, 50% of 290 adult ixodes dammini collected in the fall of 1984 were infected with the lyme disease spirochete (borrelia burgdorferi), which was statistically higher than the rate found in the 202 adult ticks (39.6%) examined during the spring. neither sex nor site of collection within the focus significantly affected the infection rate. the observed infection rates were similar to those reported in endemic areas of new york and connecticut. borrelia burgdor ...	1986	3577494
the prevalence and significance of borrelia burgdorferi in the urine of feral reservoir hosts.	live borrelia burgdorferi were isolated from the blood and/or urine of white-footed mice (peromyscus leucopus) collected on shelter island, new york, in 1984 and 1985. prevalence of spirochetes in urine was consistently higher than in blood or both fluids simultaneously. spirochetes remained viable for 18-24 hours in urine and were maintained in culture for one week. mice removed from the field were spirocheturic for at least 13 months. one spirocheturic mouse developed spirochetemia one month a ...	1986	3577491
lyme disease: epidemiologic characteristics of an outbreak in westchester county, ny.	epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 210 cases of lyme disease in westchester county, new york, reported during 1982 and 1983 are described. most cases occurred during summer months in individuals under age 40 (male: female ratio 1:2 to 1). symptoms included skin rash (75 per cent), joint pain or swelling (50 per cent), bell's palsy (11 per cent), and aseptic meningitis (3 per cent). with greater public and medical awareness of this tick-borne disease, lyme disease is being recognized ...	1986	3940454
incidence and cumulative frequency of endemic lyme disease in a community.	we conducted an epidemiological study of the cumulative frequency and incidence of lyme disease in a summer community on fire island, new york, an area endemic for the disease. fifteen (7.5%) of 200 persons studied in the community in 1982 reported a history of lyme disease. an indirect immunofluorescent antibody assay showed that seventeen (9.7%) of 176 persons had serological evidence of exposure to the lyme spirochete, including six of the 15 persons with a history of lyme disease. seven (0.7 ...	1984	6386994
prevalence of the lyme disease spirochete in populations of white-tailed deer and white-footed mice.	the prevalence of the ixodes dammini spirochete (ids) in white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) and white-footed mice (peromyscus leucopus) was studied on the eastern end of long island, new york. both species commonly occur in a variety of habitats, are preferred hosts of ixodes dammini, and can harbor the spirochetes in the blood. each animal was examined for spirochetemia, tick infestation, and ids infection rates in the ticks that were removed from it. the results obtained suggest that i ...	1984	6516461
spirochete-associated arthritis (lyme disease) in a dog.		1984	6746395
spirochetes isolated from the blood of two patients with lyme disease.	we isolated spirochetes from the blood of 2 of 36 patients in long island and westchester county, new york, who had signs and symptoms suggestive of lyme disease. the spirochetes were morphologically similar and serologically identical to organisms recently found to infect lxodes dammini ticks, which are endemic to the area and have been epidemiologically implicated as vectors of lyme disease. in both patients, there was a rise in specific antispirochetal antibodies in paired specimens of serum. ...	1983	6828119