Publications

ectoparasites collected from bobwhite quail in the southeastern united states.	twenty-one species of ectoparasites representing 19 genera were collected from 481 bobwhite quail (colinus virginianus) from nine areas in four southeastern states. sixteen species, amblyomma americanum, haemaphysalis chordeilis, haemaphysalis leporispalustris, eutrombicula alfreddugesi alfreddugesi, neoschoengastia americana, boydaia colini, pterolichus sp., colinophilus wilsoni, megninia sp., apionacarus wilsoni, colinoptes cubanensis, menacanthus pricei, colinicola numidiana, gonoides ortygis ...	1980	7463603
isolation and transmission of the lyme disease spirochete from the southeastern united states.	the isolation of the lyme disease spirochete (borrelia burgdorferi) from the southeastern united states is reported. three isolates, two from cotton mice (peromyscus gossypinus) and one from the black-legged tick (ixodes scapularis), were recovered from sapelo island, georgia, in july and september 1991. the spirochetes were characterized by indirect fluorescent antibody assay using a battery of five monoclonal antibodies, by sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (sds/page) o ...	1993	8346258
influence of annual and biennial prescribed burning during march on the abundance of amblyomma americanum (acari: ixodidae) in central georgia.	a 5-yr study to evaluate the influence of annual and biennial prescribed burning in march on the abundance of amblyomma americanum (l.) was conducted on oconee wildlife management area in the piedmont physiographic region of georgia. tick abundance on plots embedded in larger burned and unburned areas were monitored with cloth drags and co2-baited cloth panels monthly during march through september from 1987 through 1991. annual and biennial prescribed burning from 1988 to 1991 significantly red ...	1994	8158633
seasonal and annual abundance of amblyomma americanum (acari: ixodidae) in central georgia.	seasonal and annual changes in the abundance of amblyomma americanum (l.) larvae, nymphs, and adults were monitored over a 5-yr period in the piedmont physiographic region of georgia. tick abundance was monitored with cloth drags (all life stages) and co2-baited cloth panels (nymphs and adults) monthly during march through september from 1987 through 1991. larvae appeared in substantial numbers in july and were most numerous in august and september. small numbers of unfed larvae apparently overw ...	1994	8158632
ectoparasites of opossums and raccoons in southeastern georgia.	twelve species of ectoparasites (four fleas, three ticks, three chiggers, one macronyssid mite, and one atopomelid mite) were recovered from 42 opossums, didelphis virginiana kerr, live-trapped from september 1992 through april 1994 in southeastern georgia. the fleas, ctenocephalides felis (bouché) (prevalence = 19%) and polygenis gwyni (c. fox) (36%); the ticks, dermacentor variabilis (say) (40%) and ixodes scapularis say (19%); and the macronyssid mite, ornithonyssus wernecki (fonseca) (21%), ...	1994	7815408
evaluation of ixodes scapularis, amblyomma americanum, and dermacentor variabilis (acari: ixodidae) from georgia as vectors of a florida strain of the lyme disease spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi.	the ability of three common tick species from georgia to maintain and transmit the causative agent of lyme disease, borrelia burgdorferi, was compared under laboratory conditions. a b. burgdorferi cotton rat isolate (mi-6) from florida was selected as a strain from the south, and the sh2-82 isolate from new york was used as a positive control. amblyomma americanum (l.) and dermacentor variabilis (say) did not transmit the mi-6 isolate from inoculated hamsters to naive laboratory mice, and nympha ...	1995	7650697
ticks parasitizing humans in georgia and south carolina.	from 1990 through 1995, 913 ticks removed from 460 human patients in georgia or south carolina were identified and recorded. the majority of these specimens (758, 83.0%) were lone star ticks, amblyomma americanum. one hundred and four (11.4%) american dog ticks dermacentor variabilis, 36 (3.9%) blacklegged ticks ixodes scapularis, 9 (1.0%) gulf coast ticks amblyomma maculatum, and 6 (0.7%) brown dog ticks rhipicephalus sanguineus were also recovered. all active stages (larvae, nymphs, and adults ...	1996	8636862
ability of the lyme disease spirochete borrelia burgdorferi to infect rodents and three species of human-biting ticks (blacklegged tick, american dog tick, lone star tick) (acari:ixodidae).	the infectivity of a diverse collection of borrelia burgdorferi strains from north america for mice was determined as a prelude to vector competence experiments with the 3 primary human-biting tick species in the eastern united states (ixodes scapularis say, dermacentor variabilis (say), amblyomma americanum (l.)]. of the 34 b. burgdorferi strains inoculated into mice, 29 were infectious; the exceptions were 5 isolates from texas. vector competence experiments were conducted with 2 strains from ...	1997	9220680
natural history of ehrlichia chaffeensis (rickettsiales: ehrlichieae) in the piedmont physiographic province of georgia.	the roles of wild mammals and ticks in the epidemiology of ehrlichia chaffeensis at a suspected endemic site were investigated using serologic testing, culture, and polymerase chain reaction (pcr) supported by restriction endonuclease analysis and dna sequencing. antibodies reactive to e. chaffeensis (> or = 1:64) were detected in 92% of white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus), 21% of raccoons (procyon lotor), and 8% of opossums (didelphis virginianus), but not in 8 other species of mammals. ...	1997	9379294
attachment sites of four tick species (acari: ixodidae) parasitizing humans in georgia and south carolina.	from june 1995 through january 1998, 677 tick specimens were submitted by 521 humans from 14 states. analysis was limited to specimens originating in georgia and south carolina, representing 87.3% of total submissions. attachment sites were specified in 367 specimens (62.3%). the american dog tick, dermacentor variabilis (say), a vector of the agent of rocky mountain spotted fever, favored the head and neck in 59% of attached specimens. the lone star tick, amblyomma americanum (l.), a strongly i ...	1999	10337108
prevalence of ehrlichia chaffeensis (rickettsiales: rickettsiaceae) in amblyomma americanum (acari: ixodidae) from the georgia coast and barrier islands.	human monocytic ehrlichiosis is an emerging zoonosis caused by infection with ehrlichia chaffeensis anderson, dawson, jones & wilson, which is transmitted to mammals by ixodid ticks. prevalence of infected ticks and distribution of infection foci indicate relative risk of human exposure to ehrlichiosis and may be influenced by factors such as geographic isolation, human disturbance, and the availability of suitable mammalian reservoir hosts. to test, this, individual and pooled lone star ticks, ...	2000	10730500
tick infestations of birds in coastal georgia and alabama.	mist-netted birds were examined for ticks on jekyll island, glynn co., georgia (32 bird species) in 1996-1998, and at fort morgan, baldwin co., alabama (36 species) in 1998 during fall migration. sixty-two (14.7%) of 423 birds from jekyll island and 22 (13.3%) of 165 birds from fort morgan were infested with ticks. the mean number of ticks per infested bird was 2.0 on jekyll island and 6.3 at fort morgan. ten species of birds were infested with ticks on jekyl1 island where 87% of all ticks were ...	2000	10780541
ticks (acari: ixodidae) and spirochetes (spirochaetaceae: spirochaetales) recovered from birds on a georgia barrier island.	from september 1997 through july 1999, 300 individuals and 46 species of birds were mist-netted and screened for ticks and spirochetes on st. catherine's island, liberty county, ga. seventy-six (25%) of the birds were parasitized by a meal intensity of 4.6 ticks. seasonally, more birds were infested with ticks during the summer (50% in 1998, 34% in 1999) than in spring (15% in 1998, 11% in 1999) or fall (21% in 1997, 20% in 1998), mainly because of severe infestations on some birds by immature s ...	2001	11296828
ehrlichia ewingii infection in white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus).	two closely related zoonotic ehrlichiae, ehrlichia chaffeensis and e. ewingii, are transmitted by amblyomma americanum, the lone star tick. because white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) are critical hosts for all mobile stages of a. americanum and are important vertebrate reservoirs of e. chaffeensis, we investigated whether deer may be infected with e. ewingii, a cause of granulocytotropic ehrlichiosis in humans and dogs. to test for e. ewingii infection, we used polymerase chain reaction ...	2002	12095432
ticks parasitizing dogs in northwestern georgia.	from january 1998 through september 1999, 324 dogs in three northwestern georgia counties were examined for ticks. six species of ticks were recovered. the three most commonly collected ticks were the american dog tick, dermacentor variabilis (say) (310 male male, 352 female female; prevalence, 97%; mean intensity 2.1); the brown dog tick, rhipicephalus sanguineus (latreille) (118 male male, 119 female female, 38 nymphs; prevalence, 22%; mean intensity, 3.8); and the lone star tick, amblyomma am ...	2002	11931241
disease agents in amblyomma americanum from northeastern georgia.	amblyomma americanum (lone star tick) is known or suspected to vector several organisms that are implicated as human pathogens, including ehrlichia chaffeensis, e. ewingii, and borrelia lonestari. these three agents have also been detected in white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus). because northeastern georgia has a high abundance of both lone star ticks and white-tailed deer, and one of these organisms, e. chaffeensis, is already known to be endemic in the area, we assayed individual adult ...	2004	15311471
ectoparasites of gray squirrels in two different habitats and screening of selected ectoparasites for bartonellae.	gray squirrels, sciurus carolinensis, were livetrapped in 2 different habitat types, woodland (67 squirrels) and parkland (53 squirrels), in southeastern georgia. ectoparasites were recovered from anesthetized squirrels and compared between hosts from the 2 habitats. because of the absence of low vegetation in parkland habitats, it was hypothesized that the ectoparasite fauna, especially ticks and chiggers, would be more diverse on woodland squirrels. the results were generally in agreement with ...	2004	15270090
detection of ehrlichia spp. in raccoons (procyon lotor) from georgia.	raccoons (procyonis lotor) and opossums (didelphis virginianus) acquired from six contiguous counties in the piedmont physiographic region of georgia were investigated for their potential role in the epidemiology of ehrlichial and anaplasmal species. serum was tested by indirect fluorescent antibody (ifa) assay for the presence of antibodies reactive to ehrlichia chaffeensis, e. canis, and anaplasma phagocytophilum (hga agent). nested polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assay was used to test whole ...	2005	16011433
inferring the population structure and demographic history of the tick, amblyomma americanum linnaeus.	a hierarchial population genetic study was conducted on 703 individual amblyomma americanum from nine populations in georgia, u.s.a. populations were sampled from the coastal plain, midland piedmont region, and the upper piedmont region. twenty-nine distinct haplotypes were found. a minimum spanning tree was constructed that indicated these haplotypes comprised two lineages, the root of which was distinctly star-like. the majority of the variation found was among ticks within each population, in ...	2006	16859107
infection of a goat with a tick-transmitted ehrlichia from georgia, u.s.a., that is closely related to ehrlichia ruminantium.	we detected a novel tick-transmitted ehrlichia in a goat following exposure to lone star ticks (amblyomma americanum) from a park in the metropolitan area of atlanta, ga, u.s.a. nineteen days after infestation with field-collected adult ticks, the goat developed a fever of two days duration, which coincided with mild clinical pathologic changes and the presence of dna from a novel ehrlichia in peripheral blood. the goat transmitted ehrlichiae to uninfected nymphal a. americanum that fed upon the ...	2006	17249337
transmission of bacterial agents from lone star ticks to white-tailed deer.	amblyomma americanum (l.), the lone star tick, is an aggressive ixodid tick that has been implicated as a vector for several bacteria. among these bacteria are the disease agents ehrlichia chaffeensis and ehrlichia ewingii, and the putative disease agent "borrelia lonestari." the hypothesis in this study was that wild lone star ticks from northeastern georgia are capable of transmitting all three agents to white-tailed deer, odocoileus virginianus, a known reservoir host for e. chaffeensis. in t ...	2007	17547234
natural and experimental infection of white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) from the united states with an ehrlichia sp. closely related to ehrlichia ruminantium.	an ehrlichia sp. (panola mountain [pm] ehrlichia sp.) closely related to ehrlichia ruminantium was recently detected in a domestic goat experimentally infested with lone star ticks (lsts, amblyomma americanum) collected from georgia, usa. the infected goat exhibited pyrexia and mild clinical pathologic abnormalities consistent with ehrlichiosis. at least two other ehrlichia species (ehrlichia chaffeensis and ehrlichia ewingii) are maintained in nature by a cycle involving lsts as the primary vec ...	2008	18436670
geographic distribution and genetic diversity of the ehrlichia sp. from panola mountain in amblyomma americanum.	a novel ehrlichia, closely related to ehrlichia ruminantium, was recently discovered from panola mountain state park, ga, usa. we conducted a study to determine if this agent was recently introduced into the united states.	2008	18433500
experimental and field studies on the suitability of raccoons (procyon lotor) as hosts for tick-borne pathogens.	we investigated the experimental susceptibility and natural exposure of raccoons (procyon lotor) to five tick-borne pathogens of human and veterinary importance, ehrlichia canis, e. chaffeensis, e. ewingii, anaplasma phagocytophilum (apvariant 1 and ap-ha hge-1 strains), and borrelia lonestari. infections were assessed by polymerase chain reaction (pcr), indirect fluorescent antibody (ifa) testing, and/or culture isolation methods for at least 30 days postinoculation (dpi). two e. chaffeensis-in ...	2008	18429696
rickettsia parkeri in amblyomma americanum ticks, tennessee and georgia, usa.	to determine the geographic distribution of the newly recognized human pathogen rickettsia parkeri, we looked for this organism in ticks from tennessee and georgia, usa. using pcr and sequence analysis, we identified r. parkeri in 2 amblyomma americanum ticks. this rickettsiosis may be underdiagnosed in the eastern united states.	2009	19788817
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
distribution and prevalence of cytauxzoon felis in bobcats (lynx rufus), the natural reservoir, and other wild felids in thirteen states.	cytauxzoon felis, a protozoan parasite of wild and domestic felids, is the causative agent of cytauxzoonosis in domestic and some exotic felids in the united states. the bobcat (lynx rufus) is the natural reservoir for this parasite, but other felids such as florida panthers (puma concolor coryii) and domestic cats may maintain long-term parasitemias and serve as reservoirs. experimentally, two tick species, dermacentor variabilis and amblyomma americanum, have demonstrated the ability to transm ...	2010	21071149