Biology Commons^™

Suppression Of F1 Male-Specific Lethality In Caenorhabditis Hybrids By Cbr-Him-8, Vaishnavi Ragavapuram, Emily Elaine King, Scott Everet Baird

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Haldane's Rule and Darwin's Corollary to Haldane's Rule are the observations that heterogametic F1 hybrids frequently are less fit than their homogametic siblings and that asymmetric results often are obtained from reciprocal hybrid crosses. In Caenorhabditis, Haldane's Rule and Darwin's Corollary have been observed in several hybrid crosses, including crosses of Caenorhabditis briggsae and Caenorhabditis nigoni. Fertile F1 females are obtained from reciprocal crosses. However, F1 males obtained from C. nigoni mothers are sterile and F1 males obtained from C. briggsae die during embryogenesis. We have identified cbr-him-8 as a recessive maternal-effect suppressor of F1 hybrid male-specific lethality …

Sidestream Smoke Exposure Increases The Susceptibility Of Airway Epithelia To Adenoviral Infection, Priyanka Sharma, Abimbola O. Kolawole, Susan B. Core, Adriana E. Kajon, Katherine J.D.A. Excoffon

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Although significant epidemiological evidence indicates that cigarette smoke exposure increases the incidence and severity of viral infection, the molecular mechanisms behind the increased susceptibility of the respiratory tract to viral pathogens are unclear. Adenoviruses are non-enveloped DNA viruses and important causative agents of acute respiratory disease. The Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) is the primary receptor for many adenoviruses. We hypothesized that cigarette smoke exposure increases epithelial susceptibility to adenovirus infection by increasing the abundance of apical CAR. Methodology and Findings: Cultured human airway epithelial cells (CaLu-3) were used as a model to investigate the effect of sidestream cigarette …

The Potential For A Blood Test For Scabies, Larry G. Arlian, Hermann Feldmeier, Majorie S. Morgan

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Scabies, caused by the mite S. scabiei that burrows in the skin of humans, is a contagious skin disease that affects millions of people worldwide. It is a significant public health burden in economically disadvantaged populations, and outbreaks are common in nursing homes, daycare facilities, schools and workplaces in developed countries. It causes significant morbidity, and in chronic cases, associated bacterial infections can lead to renal and cardiac diseases. Scabies is very difficult to diagnose by the usual skin scrape test, and a presumptive diagnosis is often made based on clinical signs such as rash and itch that can …

Catalytic Mechanism Of Mammalian Adenylyl Cyclase: A Computational Investigation, David K. Hahn, Jose R. Tusell, Stephen R. Sprang, Xi Chu

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Adenylyl cyclase (AC) catalyzes the synthesis of cyclic AMP, an important intracellular regulatory molecule, from ATP. We propose a catalytic mechanism for class III mammalian AC based on density functional theory calculations. We employ a model of the AC active site derived from a crystal structure of mammalian AC activated by Gα·GTP and forskolin at separate allosteric sites. We compared the calculated activation free energies for 13 possible reaction sequences involving proton transfer, nucleophilic attack, and elimination of pyrophosphate. The proposed most probable mechanism is initiated by deprotonation of 3'OH and water-mediated transfer of the 3'H to the γ-phosphate. Proton …

Colonization Of Lutzomyia Verrucarum And Lutzomyia Longipalpis Sand Flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) By Bartonella Bacilliformis, The Etiologic Agent Of Carrion's Disease, James M. Battisti, Phillip G. Lawyer, Michael F. Minnick

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Bartonella bacilliformis is a pathogenic bacterium transmitted to humans presumably by bites of phlebotomine sand flies, infection with which results in a bi-phasic syndrome termed Carrion's disease. After constructing a low-passage GFP-labeled strain of B. bacilliformis, we artificially infected Lutzomyia verrucarum and L. longipalpis populations, and subsequently monitored colonization of sand flies by fluorescence microscopy. Initially, colonization of the two fly species was indistinguishable, with bacteria exhibiting a high degree of motility, yet still confined to the abdominal midgut. After 48h, B. bacilliformis transitioned from bacillus-shape to a non-motile, small coccoid form and appeared to be digested along with …

Temporal Variability And Cooperative Breeding: Testing The Bet-Hedging Hypothesis In The Acorn Woodpecker, Walter D. Koenig, Eric L. Walters

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Cooperative breeding is generally considered an adaptation to ecological constraints on dispersal and independent breeding, usually due to limited breeding opportunities. Although benefits of cooperative breeding are typically thought of in terms of increased mean reproductive success, it has recently been proposed that this phenomenonmay be a bet-hedging strategy that reduces variance in reproductive success (fecundity variance) inpopulations living inhighly variable environments. We tested this hypothesis using long-term data on the polygynandrous acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus). In general, fecundity variance decreased with increasing sociality, at least when controlling for annual variation in ecological conditions. Nonetheless, decreased fecundity variance …

Toward A More Ecologically Informed View Of Severe Forest Fires, Richard L. Hutto, Robert E. Keane, Rosemary L. Sherriff, Christopher T. Rota, Lisa A. Eby, Victoria A. Saab

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

We use the historical presence of high-severity fire patches in mixed-conifer forests of the western United States to make several points that we hope will encourage development of a more ecologically informed view of severe wildland fire effects. First, many plant and animal species use, and have sometimes evolved to depend on, severely burned forest conditions for their persistence. Second, evidence from fire history studies also suggests that a complex mosaic of severely burned conifer patches was common historically in the West. Third, to maintain ecological integrity in forests born of mixed-severity fire, land managers will have to accept some …

Linkage Mapping Reveals Strong Chiasma Interference In Sockeye Salmon: Implications For Interpreting Genomic Data, Morten T. Limborg, Ryan T. Waples, Fred W. Allendorf, James E. Seeb

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Meiotic recombination is fundamental for generating new genetic variation and for securing proper disjunction. Further, recombination plays an essential role during the rediploidization process of polyploid-origin genomes because crossovers between pairs of homeologous chromosomes retain duplicated regions. A better understanding of how recombination affects genome evolution is crucial for interpreting genomic data; unfortunately, current knowledge mainly originates from a few model species. Salmonid fishes provide a valuable system for studying the effects of recombination in nonmodel species. Salmonid females generally produce thousands of embryos, providing large families for conducting inheritance studies. Further, salmonid genomes are currently rediploidizing after a whole …

Gene Diversification Of An Emerging Pathogen: A Decade Of Mutation In A Novel Fish Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (Vhs) Substrain Since Its First Appearance In The Laurentian Great Lakes, Carol A. Stepien, Lindsey R. Pierce, Douglas W. Leaman, Megan D. Niner, Brian S. Shepherd

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia virus (VHSv) is an RNA rhabdovirus, which causes one of the world's most serious fish diseases, infecting >80 freshwater and marine species across the Northern Hemisphere. A new, novel, and especially virulent substrain—VHSv-IVb—first appeared in the Laurentian Great Lakes about a decade ago, resulting in massive fish kills. It rapidly spread and has genetically diversified. This study analyzes temporal and spatial mutational patterns of VHSv-IVb across the Great Lakes for the novel non-virion (Nv) gene that is unique to this group of novirhabdoviruses, in relation to its glycoprotein (G), phosphoprotein (P), …

Macroecology Of North American Suckers (Catostomidae): Tests Of Bergmann's And Rapoport's Rules, Stephen J. Jacquemin, Jason C. Doll

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Discerning spatial macroecological patterns in freshwater fishes has broad implications for community assembly, ecosystem dynamics, management, and conservation. This study explores the potential interspecific covariation of geographic range (Rapoport's rule) and body size (Bergmann's rule) with latitude in North American sucker fishes (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae). While numerous tests of Rapoport's and Bergmann's rules are documented in the literature, comparatively few of these studies have specifically tested for these patterns, and none have incorporated information reflecting shared ancestry into analyses of North American freshwater fish through a hierarchical model. This study utilized a hierarchical modeling approach with Bayesian inference to evaluate the …

Proteins Of Bartonella Bacilliformis:Candidates For Vaccine Development, Cesar Henriquez-Camocho, Palmira Ventosilla, Michael F. Minnick, Joaquim Ruiz, Ciro Maguina

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Bartonella bacilliformis is the etiologic agent of Carrion's disease suggest complex adaptations by the bacterium to the human host, with the overall objectives of persistence, maintenance of a reservoir state for vectorial transmission, and immune evasion. These events include a multitude of biochemical and genetic mechanisms involving both bacterial and host proteins. This review focuses on proteins involved in interactions between B. bacilliformis and human host. Some of them (e.g., flagellin, Brps, IalB, FtsZ, Hbp/Pap31, and other outer membrane proteins) are potential protein antigen candidates for a synthetic vaccine.

Estimating Bighorn Sheep (Ovis Canadensis) Abundance Using Noninvasive Sampling At A Mineral Lick Within A National Park Wilderness Area, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Mary Kay Watry, Laura E. Ellison, Michael K. Schwartz, Gordon Luikart

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Conservation of species requires accurate population estimates. We used genetic markers from feces to determine bighorn sheep abundance for a herd that was hypothesized to be declining and in need of population status monitoring. We sampled from a small but accessible portion of the population's range where animals natural congregate at a natural mineral lick to test whether we could accurately estimate population size by sampling from an area where animals concentrate. We used mark-recapture analysis to derive population estimates, and compared estimates from this smaller spatial sampling to estimates from sampling of the entire bighorn sheep range. We found …

Century-Long Warming Trends In The Upper Water Column Of Lake Tanganyika, Benjamin Kraemer, Simon Hook, Timo Huttula, Pekka Kotilainen, Catherine M. O'Reilly, Anu Peltonen, Pierre-Denis Plisnier, Jouko Sarvala, Rashid Tamatamah, Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, Bernhard Wehrli, Peter B. Mcintyre

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Lake Tanganyika, the deepest and most voluminous lake in Africa, has warmed over the last century in response to climate change. Separate analyses of surface warming rates estimated from in situ instruments, satellites, and a paleolimnological temperature proxy (TEX86) disagree, leaving uncertainty about the thermal sensitivity of Lake Tanganyika to climate change. Here, we use a comprehensive database of in situ temperature data from the top 100 meters of the water column that span the lake’s seasonal range and lateral extent to demonstrate that long-term temperature trends in Lake Tanganyika depend strongly on depth, season, and latitude. The observed spatiotemporal …

Morphometry And Average Temperature Affect Lake Stratification Responses To Climate Change, Benjamin Kraemer, Orlane Anneville, Sudeep Chandra, Margaret Dix, Esko Kuusisto, David M. Livingstone, Alon Rimmer, S. Geoffrey Schladow, Eugene Silow, Lewis M. Sitoki, Rashid Tamatamah, Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, Peter B. Mcintyre

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate change is affecting lake stratification with consequences for water quality and the benefits that lakes provide to society. Here we use long-term temperature data (1970–2010) from 26 lakes around the world to show that climate change has altered lake stratification globally and that the magnitudes of lake stratification changes are primarily controlled by lake morphometry (mean depth, surface area, and volume) and mean lake temperature. Deep lakes and lakes with high average temperatures have experienced the largest changes in lake stratification even though their surface temperatures tend to be warming more slowly. These results confirm that the nonlinear relationship …

Behavioral Immunity Suppresses An Epizootic In Caribbean Spiny Lobsters, Mark J. Butler Iv, Donald C. Behringer Jr., Thomas W. Dolan Iii, Jessica Moss, Jeffrey D. Shields

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Sociality has evolved in a wide range of animal taxa but infectious diseases spread rapidly in populations of aggregated individuals, potentially negating the advantages of their social interactions. To disengage from the coevolutionary struggle with pathogens, some hosts have evolved various forms of "behavioral immunity"; yet, the effectiveness of such behaviors in controlling epizootics in the wild is untested. Here we show how one form of behavioral immunity (i.e., the aversion of diseased conspecifics) practiced by Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) when subject to the socially transmitted PaV1 virus, appears to have prevented an epizootic over a large seascape. We …

The Heritability Of Shell Morphometrics In The Freshwater Pulmonate Gastropod Physa, Robert T. Dillon Jr., Stephen J. Jacquemin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The cosmopolitan freshwater pulmonate snail Physa acuta hybridizes readily with Physa carolinae in the laboratory, although their F1 progeny are sterile. The two species differ qualitatively in shell shape, the former bearing a more globose shell and the latter more fusiform. We performed a hybridization experiment, measuring a set of 14 traditional (linear) and landmark-based shell morphological variables on even-aged parents and their offspring from both hybrids and purebred control lines. Parent-offspring regression yielded a strikingly high heritability estimate for score on the first relative warp axis, h² = 0.819 ± 0.073, a result that would seem to confirm …

Spatial, Temporal, And Density-Dependent Components Of Habitat Quality For A Desert Owl, Aaron D. Flesch, Richard L. Hutto, Willem J. D. Leeuwen, Kyle Hartfield, Sky Jacobs

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Spatial variation in resources is a fundamental driver of habitat quality but the realized value of resources at any point in space may depend on the effects of conspecifics and stochastic factors, such as weather, which vary through time. We evaluated the relative and combined effects of habitat resources, weather, and conspecifics on habitat quality for ferruginous pygmy-owls (Glaucidium brasilianum) in the Sonoran Desert of northwest Mexico by monitoring reproductive output and conspecific abundance over 10 years in and around 107 territory patches. Variation in reproductive output was much greater across space than time, and although habitat resources …

Adenovirus Entry From The Apical Surface Of Polarized Epithelia Is Facilitated By The Host Innate Immune Response, Poornima L.N. Kotha, Priyanka Sharma, Abimbola O. Kolawole, Ran Yan, Mahmoud Alghamri, Trisha L. Brockman, Julian Gomez-Cambronero, Julian Cambronero

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Prevention of viral-induced respiratory disease begins with an understanding of the factors that increase or decrease susceptibility to viral infection. The primary receptor for most adenoviruses is the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR), a cell-cell adhesion protein normally localized at the basolateral surface of polarized epithelia and involved in neutrophil transepithelial migration. Recently, an alternate isoform of CAR, CAREx8, has been identified at the apical surface of polarized airway epithelia and is implicated in viral infection from the apical surface. We hypothesized that the endogenous role of CAR^Ex8 may be to facilitate host innate immunity. We show that IL-8, …

The Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor Ric-8a Induces Domain Separation And Ras Domain Plasticity In Gαi1, Ned Van Eps, Celestine J. Thomas, Wayne L. Hubbell, Stephen R. Sprang

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Heterotrimeric G proteins are activated by exchange of GDP for GTP at the G protein alpha subunit (Gα), most notably by G protein-coupled transmembrane receptors. Ric-8A is a soluble cytoplasmic protein essential for embryonic development that acts as both a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) and a chaperone for Gα subunits of the i, q, and 12/13 classes. Previous studies demonstrated that Ric-8A stabilizes a dynamically disordered state of nucleotide-free Gα as the catalytic intermediate for nucleotide exchange, but no information was obtained on the structures involved or the magnitude of the structural fluctuations. In the present study, site-directed spin …

Low-Severity Fire Increases Tree Defense Against Bark Beetle Attacks, Sharon Metzger Hood, Anna Sala, Emily K. Heyerdahl, Marion Boutin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Induced defense is a common plant strategy in response to herbivory. Although abiotic damage, such as physical wounding, pruning, and heating, can induce plant defense, the effect of such damage by large-scale abiotic disturbances on induced defenses has not been explored and could have important consequences for plant survival facing future biotic disturbances. Historically, low-severity wildfire was a widespread, frequent abiotic disturbance in many temperate coniferous forests. Native Dendroctonus and Ips bark beetles are also a common biotic disturbance agent in these forest types and can influence tree mortality patterns after wildfire. Therefore, species living in these disturbance-prone environments with …

The Quest For Ash Resistance To Eab: Towards A Mechanistic Understanding, Daniel A. Herms, Don Cipollini, K. S. Knight, J. L. Koch, T. M. Poland, Chad Michael Rigsby, Justin G.A. Whitehill, Pierluigi Bonello

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Since emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, was discovered in North America in 2002, it has killed many millions of ash trees in North America, and ash mortality now exceeds 99% near the epicenter of the invasion in southeast Michigan (Klooster et al. 2014). The development of EAB-resistant ash trees will be critical for restoration of ash in natural and urban forests. Goals of our collaboration are to identify, breed and screen ash germplasm for EAB resistance and silvicultural traits; and identify mechanisms of EAB resistance to facilitate breeding and screening.

The Implications Of Hiv Treatment On The Hiv-Malaria Coinfection Dynamics: A Modeling Perspective, F. Nyabadza, B. T. Bekele, Megan A. Rúa, D. M. Malonza, N. Chiduku, M. Kgosimore

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Most hosts harbor multiple pathogens at the same time in disease epidemiology. Multiple pathogens have the potential for interaction resulting in negative impacts on host fitness or alterations in pathogen transmission dynamics. In this paper we develop a mathematical model describing the dynamics of HIV-malaria coinfection. Additionally, we extended our model to examine the role treatment (of malaria and HIV) plays in altering populations’ dynamics. Our model consists of 13 interlinked equations which allow us to explore multiple aspects of HIV-malaria transmission and treatment. We perform qualitative analysis of the model that includes positivity and boundedness of solutions. Furthermore, we …

Development Of Circadian Oscillators In Neurosphere Cultures During Adult Neurogenesis, Astha Malik, Roudabeh J. Jamasbi, Roman V. Kondratov, Michael Eric Geusz

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Circadian rhythms are common in many cell types but are reported to be lacking in embryonic stem cells. Recent studies have described possible interactions between the molecular mechanism of circadian clocks and the signaling pathways that regulate stem cell differentiation. Circadian rhythms have not been examined well in neural stem cells and progenitor cells that produce new neurons and glial cells during adult neurogenesis. To evaluate circadian timing abilities of cells undergoing neural differentiation, neurospheres were prepared from the mouse subventricular zone (SVZ), a rich source of adult neural stem cells. Circadian rhythms in mPer1 gene expression were recorded in …

Polychlorinated Biphenyl Exposure Alters Oxytocin Receptor Gene Expression And Maternal Behavior In Rat Model, E Nicole Dover, David E. Mankin, Howard C. Cromwell, Lee Meserve

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) is a persistent organic pollutant known to induce diverse molecular and behavioral alterations. Effects of PCB exposure could be transmitted to future generations via changes in behavior and gene expression. Previous work has shown that PCB-exposure can alter social behavior. The present study extends this work by examining a possible molecular mechanism for these changes. Pregnant rats (Sprague-Dawley) were exposed through diet to a combination of non-coplanar (PCB 47 - 2,20,4,40-tetrachlorobiphenyl) and coplanar (PCB 77 - 3,30,4,40- tetrachlorobiphenyl) congeners. Maternal care behaviors were examined by evaluating the rate and quality of nest building on the last 4 …

Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Communities And Enzymatic Activities Vary Across An Ecotone Between A Forest And Field, Megan A. Rúa, Becky Moore, Nicole Hergott, Lily Van, Colin R. Jackson, Jason D. Hoeksema

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Extracellular enzymes degrade macromolecules into soluble substrates and are important for nutrient cycling in soils, where microorganisms, such as ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi, produce these enzymes to obtain nutrients. Ecotones between forests and fields represent intriguing arenas for examining the effect of the environment on ECM community structure and enzyme activity because tree maturity, ECM composition, and environmental variables may all be changing simultaneously. We studied the composition and enzymatic activity of ECM associated with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) across an ecotone between a forest where P. taeda is established and an old field where P. taeda saplings had been growing …

Habitat Eradication And Cropland Intensification May Reduce Parasitoid Diversity And Natural Pest Control Services In Annual Crop Fields, D. K. Letourneau, Sara G. Bothwell Allen, Robert R. Kula, Michael J. Sharkey, John O. Stireman Iii

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

California’s central coast differs from many agricultural areas in the U.S., which feature large tracts of monoculture production fields and relatively simple landscapes. Known as the nation’s salad bowl, and producing up to 90% of U.S. production of lettuces, broccoli and Brussels sprouts, this region is a mosaic of fresh vegetable fields, coastal meadow, chaparral shrubs, riparian and woodland habitat. We tested for relationships between the percent cover of crops, riparian and other natural landscape vegetation and the species richness of parasitic wasps and flies foraging in crops, such as broccoli, kale and cauliflower, and interpreted our results with respect …

Continuing Progress Towards A Phylogeny Of Tachinidae, John O. Stireman Iii, James E. O'Hara, John K. Moulton, Pierfilippo Cerretti, Isaac S. Winkler, Jeremy D. Blaschke, Z. L. Burington

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Readers of this newsletter are likely familiar with our ongoing project to establish a framework phylogeny of world Tachinidae (see articles in The Tachinid Times 26 and 27). This collaborative project, involving myself, Jim O’Hara, Kevin Moulton, Pierfilippo Cerretti, Isaac Winkler and a long list of collaborating tachinidophiles was initiated in 2012 with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation. Our goal is to produce a robust phylogenetic framework of Tachinidae that can be used to inform tachinid taxonomy, systematics research, and the patterns of tachinid evolution. In previous issues of The Tachinid Times we summarized our progress to date …

Identification And Comparative Analysis Of Subolesin/Akirin Ortholog From Ornithodoros Turicata Ticks, Hameeda Sultana, Unnati Patel, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Girish Neelakanta

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Subolesin is an evolutionary conserved molecule in diverse arthropod species that play an important role in the regulation of genes involved in immune responses, blood digestion, reproduction and development. In this study, we have identified a subolesin ortholog from soft ticks Ornithodoros turicata, the vector of the relapsing fever spirochete in the United States.

Methods: Uninfected fed or unfed O. turicata ticks were used throughout this study. The subolesin mRNA was amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and sequenced. Quantitative-real time PCR (QRT-PCR) was performed to evaluate subolesin mRNA levels at different O. turicata developmental stages …

Mutations In The Plasmodium Falciparum Chloroquine Resistance Transporter, Pfcrt, Enlarge The Parasite's Food Vacuole And Alter Drug Sensitivities, Serena Pulcini, Henry M. Staines, Andrew H. Lee, Sarah H. Shafik, Guillaume Bouyer, Catherine M. Moore, Daniel A. Daley, Matthew J. Hoke, Lindsey M. Altenhofen, Heather J. Painter, Jainbing Mu, David J.P. Ferguson, Manuel Llinás, Rowena E. Martin, David A. Fidock, Roland A. Cooper, Sanjeev Krishna

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mutations in the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter, PfCRT, are the major determinant of chloroquine resistance in this lethal human malaria parasite. Here, we describe P. falciparum lines subjected to selection by amantadine or blasticidin that carry PfCRT mutations (C101F or L272F), causing the development of enlarged food vacuoles. These parasites also have increased sensitivity to chloroquine and some other quinoline antimalarials, but exhibit no or minimal change in sensitivity to artemisinins, when compared with parental strains. A transgenic parasite line expressing the L272F variant of PfCRT confirmed this increased chloroquine sensitivity and enlarged food vacuole phenotype. Furthermore, the introduction …

Transmission-Blocking Vaccines: Focus On Anti-Vector Vaccines Against Tick-Borne Diseases, Girish Neelakanta, Hameeda Sultana

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tick-borne diseases are a potential threat that account for significant morbidity and mortality in human population worldwide. Vaccines are not available to treat several of the tick-borne diseases. With the emergence and resurgence of several tick-borne diseases, emphasis on the development of transmission-blocking vaccines remains increasing. In this review, we provide a snap shot on some of the potential candidates for the development of anti-vector vaccines (a form of transmission-blocking vaccines) against wide range of hard and soft ticks that include Ixodes, Haemaphysalis, Dermacentor, Amblyomma, Rhipicephalus and Ornithodoros species.