Parasitology Commons^™

Recent Advances In Understanding Tick And Rickettsiae Interactions, Shahid Karim, Deepak Kumar, Khemraj Budachetri

Faculty Publications

Ticks are haematophagous arthropods with unique molecular mechanisms for digesting host blood meal while acting as vectors for various pathogens of public health significance. The tick's pharmacologically active saliva plays a fundamental role in modulating the host's immune system for several days to weeks, depending on the tick species. The vector tick has also developed sophisticated molecular mechanisms to serve as a competent vector for pathogens, including the spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae. Evidence is still inadequate concerning tick–rickettsiae–host interactions and saliva-assisted transmission of the pathogen to the mammalian host. Rickettsia parkeri, of the SFG rickettsia, can cause a …

215— Schistosomiasis Infections In School Aged Children In Ghana, Katerina Pisciotta, Maia Mazzaferro

GREAT Day Posters

Schistosomiasis is a Neglected Tropical Disease caused by a parasitic blood fluke. There are currently over 240 million people affected globally. Humans become infected after coming into contact with water containing the infectious stage of the parasite. Our data consists of egg counts for Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni collected from school-aged children in Tomefa, Ghana, a marginalized informal community, between 2014 and 2019. Our research explores whether or not reinfections and continuous infections were occurring over the six-year period. Although the government conducts periodic mass drug administration, reinfections are likely given the social and environmental conditions in the community. …

A Guide To Helminth Parasites Reported From Shorebirds (Charadriidae) From The Americas, Albert G. Canaris, Sofia Capasso, Gay J. Canaris

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

The shorebird family Charadriidae in the Americas consists of 21 native and 7 vagrant species. Members of the family occupy a diversity of open habitats, ranging from Arctic tundra during nesting, coastal sands, and mudflats to inland prairies, savannas, and wetlands. Some native plovers migrate from nesting grounds in North America to wintering grounds in South America (Hayman et al., 1986; Paulson, 2005; Winkler et al., 2020). Our search of the literature revealed the following: 17 of 28 host species infected with helminth parasites, 153 helminth species, and 199 infections involving 13 geographic areas. The purpose of this guide is …

Identification Of Parasites From Wisconsin And Minnesota Diving Ducks In The Winona Area, Morgan Condon, Kimberly Bates

Ramaley Celebration

Many different diving ducks in the Midwest are hosts to parasites like cestodes, trematodes, and nematodes. These parasites often live in the ducks gastrointestinal tract and use the ducks chyme and intestinal tissues to thrive. For this research, local hunters volunteered to donate diving duck carcasses they harvested. Ducks donated were cut open on the ventral side from esophagus to cloaca. Major organs were separated into bottles containing 0.85% saline, shaken, settled, and then the supernatant removed multiple times to isolate any parasites residing within the duck’s organs and tissues. Any parasites found in dissected diving ducks organ wash were …

Effectiveness Of Pathogen-Specific Passive Antibodies To Mitigate Infectious Diseases In Apis Mellifera, Tanner Nordseth

Honors Thesis

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are widely recognized as a vital part of the global ecosystem and the world's food supply due to their pivotal role in the pollination of both natural and agricultural flora. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is an emerging phenomenon characterized by a colony's worker bees deserting the hive and leaving the queen behind. This usually results in colony failure. CCD is a multifactorial issue, with many environmental stressors and pathogens playing a role. Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) has been identified as a leading cause in this phenomenon. Paenibacillus larvae (P. larvae) is another lethal pathogen that is …

Exploring Anti-Schistosoma Analog Sa01, Sarah Alsuleiman

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Schistosomiasis is a waterborne parasitic worm infection able to infect in the larval stage through direct skin penetration. This disease affects approximately 270 million people worldwide and is widespread in tropical as well as subtropical regions with higher distribution in areas lacking sufficient sanitation and safe drinking water. Although some possible alternatives are emerging, currently, the most effective drug treatment is praziquantel (PZQ). However, PZQ is only effective against the adult stage of the worm, allowing juvenile worms to progress in the infection. Furthermore, Schistosoma is developing resistance to this drug as reduced efficacy has been noted. As a result, …

Insights Into Leptopilina Spp. Immune-Suppressive Strategies Using Mixed-Omics And Molecular Approaches, Brian Wey

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Host-parasite interactions influence the biology of each over the course of evolution. Parasite success allows for the passage of potent virulence strategies from generation to generation. Host success passes stronger immunity and resistance strategies to the following generations as well. Only by studying both partners within their natural contexts can we begin to understand the relationship between the two and how immune mechanisms and virulence strategies interact as a molecular arms race.

In this work, we focus on a natural host-parasite pair, the Drosophila-Leptopilina model. Leptopilina species are parasites of several fruit fly species, including Drosophila melanogaster. This model …

Protein Synthesis Adaptation To The Au-Rich Transcriptome Of Plasmodium Falciparum, Jessey Lee Erath

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The process of protein synthesis whereby a messenger RNA is decoded into an amino acid chainis conserved among the domains. Fastidious protein synthesis is necessary for organism survival. However, exceptions negatively affecting the mRNA translation cycle – inadvertently or by design – may occur. Polyadenosine tracts are one such motif causing ribosomal stalling and frameshifting in almost all organisms tested thus far; save Plasmodium spp. Thus, with ~60% of their protein-coding genome harboring polyadenosine tracts, the elucidation of such paradigm-breaking adaptations enabling Plasmodium spp. to translate this typically problematic motif without issue is salient from both basic science and clinical …

The Roles Of Plasmepsins Ix And X In Malaria Parasite Biology, Armiyaw Sebastian Nasamu

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Proteases of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum have been targeted for drug discovery for decades. The P. falciparum genome encodes ten aspartic proteases called plasmepsins, which are involved in diverse cellular processes. In this work we address the roles of two of these plasmepsins, plasmepsins IX and X (PM IX and X), the two least studied aspartic proteases in blood stage malaria parasites till date. We explore the essentiality of these proteases in parasite development, attempt to identify their substrates and the ability to drug them. We show that PM IX is essential for erythrocyte invasion, acting on rhoptry secretory …

Plasmodium Tlap-2 Is A Microtubule-Associated Protein With Microtubule Stabilization Properties, Grifin Berge

Master's Theses

Microtubules facilitate major cellular and morphological changes in eukaryotic cells, including the protozoan parasite Plasmodium. Microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs), only very few of which have been characterized in the malaria parasite, regulate the highly dynamic microtubules. Thioredoxin-like associated protein 2 (TLAP2) is a MAP unique to the phylum apicomplexa, which in addition to Plasmodium includes the important human pathogen Toxoplasma. Here we report on the cloning and microtubule-binding activity of TLAP2 of the rodent malaria parasite Plasmodium berghei (PbTLAP2). PbTLAP2 is coded by a single exon gene and consists of 598 amino acids. The protein contains a putative C-terminal microtubule-binding domain. …

Occurrence Of Pulmonary Arteritis With Lungworm Infections In Gray Seals From New England, 2013-2020, Jillian R. Broadhurst, Inga Sidor Dvm, Ms, Dacvp

Honors Theses and Capstones

Gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) are a common pinniped species in New England coastal waters. Parasitic infection is an important cause of mortality for this species, and lungworm species are frequently implicated in cases of respiratory infection, especially in pups and weanling seals. The most common of these is Otostrongylus circumlitus, a large nematode found in the bronchi and bronchioles of affected seals. The full life cycle is unknown but its presence in lungs and sometimes pulmonary arteries suggests that migration via arterial circulation occurs. Signs and microscopic findings are widely variable; our cases included dyspnea, bloody mucoid …

Metarhizium Anisopliae, Metarhizium Brunneum And Beauveria Bassiana Formulations For Biological Control Of Larval Winter Ticks, Dermacentor Albipictus, Cheryl Sullivan

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

There is a critical need to develop effective, high-quality, fungal-based biopesticides for use against ticks. Dermacentor albipictus Petch (Acari: Ixodidae), the winter tick, is a one-host tick. They commonly infest large ungulates, particularly moose, Alces alces L. (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) on which they cause significant physiological and metabolic stress on densely parasitized individuals. Heavily infested calves can be killed. Entomopathogenic fungi in the genera Metarhizium (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) and Beauveria (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) are promising tick biological control agents. The larval stage of D. albipictus aggregates on the ground in a prolonged, quiescent state during the summer and then quests for hosts in …

Antibodies Against Egf-Like Domains In Ixodes Scapularis Bm86 Orthologs Impact Tick Feeding And Survival Of Borrelia Burgdorferi, Juraj Koči, Sandhya Bista, Payal Chirania, Xiuli Yang, Chrysoula Kitsou, Vipin Singh Rana, Ozlem Buyuktanir Yas, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Utpal Pal

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ixodes scapularis ticks transmit multiple pathogens, including Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, and encode many proteins harboring epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domains. We show that I. scapularis produces multiple orthologs for Bm86, a widely studied tick gut protein considered as a target of an anti-tick vaccine, herein termed as Is86. We show that Is86 antigens feature at least three identifiable regions harboring EGF-like domains (termed as EGF-1, EGF-2, and EGF-3) and are differentially upregulated during B. burgdorferi infection. Although the RNA interference-mediated knockdown of Is86 genes did not show any influences on tick engorgement or B. burgdorferi sensu stricto persistence, the …

Spatio-Temporal Modelling Of Tick Life-Stage Count Data With Spatially Varying Coefficients, Thabo Lephoto, Henry Mwambi, Oliver Bodhlyera, Holly Gaff

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

There is a vast amount of geo-referenced data in many fields of study including ecological studies. Geo-referencing is usually by point referencing; that is, latitudes and longitudes or by areal referencing, which includes districts, counties, states, provinces and other administrative units. The availability of large geo-referenced datasets for modelling has necessitated the development and application of spatial statistical methods. However, spatial varying coefficients models exploring the abundance of tick counts remain limited. In this study we used data that was collected and prepared by researchers in the Department of Biological Sciences from the Old Dominion University, Virginia, USA. We modelled …

Focus Stacking Images Of Morphological Character States For Differentiating The Adults Of Ixodes Affinis And Ixodes Scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) In Areas Of Sympatry, Robyn M. Nadolny, Marcée Toliver, Holly D. Gaff, John G. Snodgrass, Richard G. Robbins

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Adult females and males of Ixodes affinis and Ixodes scapularis are illustrated by focus stacking image photography, and morphological character states are described that reliably differentiate the two species. In conjunction with other environmental cues, such as the questing phenology of adults, these characteristics will enable the rapid identification of adults of either sex along the southern Coastal Plain of the United States, where these species are sympatric.

Trends And Opportunities In Tick-Borne Disease Geography, Catherine A. Lippi, Sadie J. Ryan, Alexis L. White, Holly D. Gaff, Colin J. Carlson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tick-borne diseases are a growing problem in many parts of the world, and their surveillance and control touch on challenging issues in medical entomology, agricultural health, veterinary medicine, and biosecurity. Spatial approaches can be used to synthesize the data generated by integrative One Health surveillance systems, and help stakeholders, managers, and medical geographers understand the current and future distribution of risk. Here, we performed a systematic review of over 8,000 studies and identified a total of 303 scientific publications that map tick-borne diseases using data on vectors, pathogens, and hosts (including wildlife, livestock, and human cases). We find that the …

Tick Ecdysteroid Hormone, Global Microbiota/Rickettsia Signaling In The Ovary Versus Carcass During Vitellogenesis In Part-Fed (Virgin) American Dog Ticks, Dermacentor Variabilis, Loganathan Ponnusamy, Haley Sutton, Robert D. Mitchell Iii, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Charles S. Apperson, Richard Michael Roe

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The transovarial transmission of tick-borne bacterial pathogens is an important mechanism for their maintenance in natural populations and transmission, causing disease in humans and animals. The mechanism for this transmission and the possible role of tick hormones facilitating this process have never been studied. Injections of physiological levels of the tick hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), into part-fed (virgin) adult females of the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, attached to the host caused a reduction in density of Rickettsia montanensis in the carcass and an increase in the ovaries compared to buffer-injected controls. This injection initiates yolk protein synthesis and uptake …

Complete Genome Sequence Of Rickettsia Parkeri Strain Black Gap, Sandor E. Karpathy, Christopher D. Paddock, Stephanie L. Grizzard, Dhwani Batra, Lori A. Rowe, David T. Gauthier

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A unique genotype of Rickettsia parkeri, designated R. parkeri strain Black Gap, has thus far been associated exclusively with the North American tick, Dermacentor parumapertus. The compete genome consists of a single circular chromosome with 1,329,522 bp and a G+C content of 32.5%.

Dirofilaria Immitis Prevalence In Canis Latrans In Kentucky, Melanie Ann Brandon

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Dirofilaria immitis (canine heartworm) was found in forty-two (42) of the two hundred seventy-five (275) Canis latrans (coyote) necropsied in the state of Kentucky from November 27, 2019 through March 3, 2021. Thirty-five (35) of the positive cases were from western Kentucky region with the other seven spread across the state. With this group of coyotes, one hundred fifty-eight (158) were male and the other one hundred six-teen (116) were female. The estimated age ranged from a pup to senior dogs. A little over forty percent of the dogs were obtained through coyote/predator tournaments; the remaining were acquired from pest …

Development Of Environmental Metabarcoding Analysis For Use In Ecological Studies Of Aquatic Fungal And Oomycete Communities Using Nanopore Sequencing, Douglas Bennett

All Master's Theses

One of several factors contributing to amphibian decline are organisms called water molds (oomycetes), which parasitize and kill amphibian and fish eggs, larvae, and occasionally adults. Amphibian decline is one of the most difficult issues facing ecologists and conservationists to date; half of amphibian species are in severe decline and one third of amphibian species are facing extinction, threatening the stability of ecosystems globally. Multiple oomycete species are known to cause the disease saprolegniasis and contribute to amphibian decline; however, the full range of species involved is not presently known. This study evaluated the Oxford Nanopore minION DNA sequencer (R9.2 …