Publications

epizootic of anthrax in falls county, texas.	an epizootic of anthrax in eastern falls county, texas, killed at least 238 animals during a 6-week period ending july 31, 1974. infection appeared to be caused by the ingestion of contaminated soil and grass in the drought-stricken central texas area. the participation of the texas department of agriculture, the texas national guard, and other state agencies was of great assistance to the texas animal health commission in handling the epizootic and panic stricken public. use of the unencapsulat ...	1975	1184447
an epizootiologic study of anthrax in falls county, texas.	in june and july, 1974, an anthrax epizootic in falls county, texas, resulted in the death of 236 animals (228 cattle, 5 horses, 2 mules, and 1 pig) on 48 premises. death rates were highest for horses (18.2%) and bulls (16.8%). the epizootic was apparently precipitated by drought, and infection appeared to be the result of ingesting intrinsically contaminated soil and grass. human illness was not associated with the epizootic.	1977	401803
an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting anthrax antibody in white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus): evaluation of anthrax vaccination and sera from free-ranging deer.	an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for anthrax antibody in white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) was developed and used to evaluate a vaccination study and compare sera from hunter-killed deer in anthrax endemic and non-endemic areas. deer subcutaneously vaccinated with anthrax avirulent spore vaccine developed specific antibody to protective antigen (pa) which was significantly higher than the non-vaccinated controls at 30, 60, 90, and 240 days post-vaccination. there was no difference b ...	1993	8445773
indigenous human cutaneous anthrax in texas.	in december 1988 an indigenous case of cutaneous anthrax was identified in texas. the patient, a 63-year-old male hispanic from southwest texas, was a sheep shearer and had a recent history of dissecting sheep that had died suddenly. he experienced an illness characterized by left arm pain and edema. a necrotic lesion developed on his left forearm, with cellulitis and lymphadenopathy. after treatment with oral and intravenous penicillins, the patient fully recovered. western blot testing reveale ...	1993	8420007
from the centers for disease control and prevention. suspected cutaneous anthrax in a laboratory worker--texas, 2002.		2002	12001943
patient safety alert. anthrax outbreak forces closer focus on patient safety.		2002	11873646
bioterrorism fears.		2002	12271909
from the centers for disease control and prevention. public health dispatch: update: cutaneous anthrax in a laboratory worker-texas, 2002.		2002	12141318
update: cutaneous anthrax in a laboratory worker--texas, 2002.	on april 5, 2002, cdc reported a case of suspected cutaneous anthrax in a worker at laboratory a who had been processing environmental samples for bacillus anthracis in support of cdc investigations of the 2001 bioterrorist attacks in the united states. since the initial report, the worker had serial serology performed at the cdc laboratory. a greater than fourfold rise from baseline in the concentration of immunoglobulin g to protective antigen was demonstrated. the peak antibody level was obse ...	2002	12064454
calls about anthrax to the texas poison center network in relation to the anthrax bioterrorism attack in 2001.	between october 4, 2001 and november 20, 2001, 22 cases of anthrax were identified in a bioterrorism attack on the us. this study examined the patterns of anthrax calls before and after the bioterrorist attack based on calls received by poison centers in texas, a state that reported no anthrax cases as a result of the attack. during 1998-2002, 553 calls about anthrax were received. the majority of the anthrax calls occurred in 2001 (n = 489, 88.4%) and 2002 (n = 52, 9.4%). the number of calls in ...	2003	14513892
houston biosecurity: building a national model.	on september 11, 2001, al qaeda terrorists committed an atrocity when they used domestic jetliners to crash into buildings in new york city and washington, dc, killing thousands of people. in october 2001, another act of savagery occurred, this time using anthrax, not airplanes, to take innocent lives. each incident demonstrates the vulnerability of an open society, and americans are left to wonder how such acts can be prevented. two years later, al qaeda operatives are reportedly regrouping, re ...	2004	17060983
characterization of bacillus cereus isolates associated with fatal pneumonias: strains are closely related to bacillus anthracis and harbor b. anthracis virulence genes.	bacillus cereus is ubiquitous in nature, and while most isolates appear to be harmless, some are associated with food-borne illnesses, periodontal diseases, and other more serious infections. in one such infection, b. cereus g9241 was identified as the causative agent of a severe pneumonia in a louisiana welder in 1994. this isolate was found to harbor most of the b. anthracis virulence plasmid pxo1 (13). here we report the characterization of two clinical and one environmental b. cereus isolate ...	2006	16954272
modeling the geographic distribution of bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax disease, for the contiguous united states using predictive ecological [corrected] niche modeling.	the ecology and distribution of bacillus anthracis is poorly understood despite continued anthrax outbreaks in wildlife and livestock throughout the united states. little work is available to define the potential environments that may lead to prolonged spore survival and subsequent outbreaks. this study used the genetic algorithm for rule-set prediction modeling system to model the ecological niche for b. anthracis in the contiguous united states using wildlife and livestock outbreaks and severa ...	2007	18165531
texas isolates closely related to bacillus anthracis ames.		2008	18760033
assessing bioterrorism preparedness and response of rural veterinarians: experiences and training needs.	veterinarians play a unique role in emergency preparedness and response, and federal agencies and academic institutions therefore allocate considerable resources to provide training to enhance their readiness. however, the level of preparedness of veterinarians in many rural regions is yet to be improved. this article reports an assessment of the bioterrorism preparedness, specifically the experience and training needs, of rural veterinarians in north texas. the study employed a cross-sectional ...	2008	18723813
evaluation of a plasmid dna-based anthrax vaccine in rabbits, nonhuman primates and healthy adults.	vcl-ab01, a cationic lipid-formulated plasmid dna (pdna)-based vaccine that contains genes encoding genetically detoxified bacillus anthracis protective antigen (pa) and lethal factor (lf), was assessed in a phase 1, dose-escalating clinical trial in healthy adults for safety and immunogenicity, and in nonhuman primates for immunogenicity and efficacy against challenge with a lethal dose of b. anthracis spores. healthy 18-45 year old subjects were randomly assigned to receive either the investig ...	2009	19458488
confirmation of bacillus anthracis from flesh-eating flies collected during a west texas anthrax season.	this case study confirms the interaction between necrophilic flies and white-tailed deer, odocoileus virginianus, during an anthrax outbreak in west texas (summer 2005). bacillus anthracis was identified by culture and pcr from one of eight pooled fly collections from deer carcasses on a deer ranch with a well-documented history of anthrax. these results provide the first known isolation of b. anthracis from flesh-eating flies associated with a wildlife anthrax outbreak in north america and are ...	2010	20688697
differentiation of springtime vegetation indices associated with summer anthrax epizootics in west texas, usa, deer.	anthrax outbreaks in white-tailed deer, odocoileus virginianus, are frequent in west texas, usa, particularly across the edwards plateau. however, the outbreak severity varies among years. we summarize the outbreak history in white-tailed deer at a ranch north of del rio, texas, from 2001 to 2010 and compare mortality rates to remotely sensed vegetation indices derived from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer satellite data. it has long been posited that the occurrence of mid- to high- ...	2013	23778625
the necrophagous fly anthrax transmission pathway: empirical and genetic evidence from wildlife epizootics.	early studies confirmed bacillus anthracis in emesis and feces of flies under laboratory conditions, but there is little empirical field evidence supporting the roles of flies in anthrax transmission. we collected samples during outbreaks of anthrax affecting livestock and native and exotic wildlife on two ranches in west texas (2009-2010). sampling included animal carcasses, maggots, adult flies feeding on or within several meters of carcasses, and leaves from surrounding vegetation. microbiolo ...	2014	25072988
spatio-temporal patterns of an anthrax outbreak in white-tailed deer, odocoileus virginanus, and associated genetic diversity of bacillus anthracis.	anthrax, a soil-borne zoonosis caused by the bacterium bacillus anthracis, is enzootic in areas of north america with frequent outbreaks in west texas. despite a long history of study, pathogen transmission during natural outbreaks remains poorly understood. here we combined case-level spatio-temporal analysis and high resolution genotyping to investigate anthrax transmission dynamics. carcass locations from a single white-tailed deer, odocoileus virginanus, outbreak were analyzed for spatial cl ...	2015	26669305