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An Overview Of Systematics And Evolution Of Ticks, Santiago Nava, Alberto A. Guglielmone, Atilio J. Mangold

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

All species of ticks (Acari: Ixodida) are grouped into three families: Argasidae (186 species), Ixodidae (692 species), and Nuttalliellidae (monotypic). Molecular markers have been developed and applied for tick studies along with conventional techniques. The origin of ticks is during the pre-mid Cretaceous period (with both the Argasidae and Ixodidae being established in the middle Cretaceous). Primeval hosts were probably reptiles or amphibians. The Argasidae contains two to five subfamilies according to authors but relationships among its members are far from resolved. The Ixodidae were formed by the basal Prostriata group (genus Ixodes, subfamily Ixodinae) and the Metastriata group …

Book Review: The Mermaid’S Tale: Four Billion Years Of Cooperation In The Making Of Living Things By Kenneth M. Weiss And Anne V. Buchanan, Harvard University Press, 2009, Daniel R. Brooks

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Book review of The Mermaid’s Tale: Four Billion Years of Cooperation in the Making of Living Things by Kenneth M. Weiss and Anne V. Buchanan. Harvard University Press, 2009, ISBN: 9780674031937.

Evaluation Of Some Vulval Appendages In Nematode Taxonomy, Lynn K. Carta, Zafar A. Handoo, Eric P. Hoberg, Eric F. Erbe, William P. Wergin

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

A survey of the nature and phylogenetic distribution of nematode vulval appendages revealed 3 major classes based on composition, position, and orientation that included membranes, flaps, and epiptygmata. Minor classes included cuticular inflations, protruding vulvar appendages of extruded gonadal tissues, vulval ridges, and peri-vulval pits. Vulval membranes were found in Mermithida, Triplonchida, Chromadorida, Rhabditidae, Panagrolaimidae, Tylenchida, and Trichostrongylidae. Vulval flaps were found in Desmodoroidea, Mermithida, Oxyuroidea, Tylenchida, Rhabditida, and Trichostrongyloidea. Epiptygmata were present within Aphelenchida, Tylenchida, Rhabditida, including the diverged Steinernematidae, and Enoplida. Within the Rhabditida, vulval ridges occurred in Cervidellus, peri-vulval pits in Strongyloides, cuticular inflations in …

Spatial Analysis Of Pallid Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus Albus Distribution In The Missouri River, South Dakota, B. D. Spindler, S. R. Chipps, R. A. Klumb, Michael C. Wimberly

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Movement and distribution of the endangered pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus has generally been documented using radio telemetry. However, because of the time and cost involved in tracking individual fish (i.e. small sample size), it is often difficult to evaluate spatial distribution of groups of fish over long time periods (> 3 years). Standardized sampling for pallid sturgeon, which relies on a variety of gear types, has been conducted on the Missouri River downstream of Fort Randall Dam annually since 2003. Using catch data from 2003 to 2006, the spatial distribution of juvenile pallid sturgeon was evaluated using spatial scan statistics. …

Acanthocephala From Amphibians In China With The Description Of A New Species Of Pseudoacanthocephalus (Echinorhynchida), Sarah E. Bush, Donald W. Duszynski, Brent B. Nickol

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Amphibians of 24 species were surveyed for acanthocephalans in four nature reserves in two Chinese provinces during 2004-2006. Pseudoacanthocephalus bufonis (Echinorhynchida) occurred in both nature reserves in Guangxi Province. In the Jing Xi County Provincial Nature Reserve, P. bufonis infected 36 of 62 amphibians at a mean intensity of 9.9. Less than 250 km away, at Shiwandashan National Nature Reserve, 5 of 20 amphibians were infected at a mean intensity of 6.2. Pseudoacanthocephalus bufonis was not found in either of the reserves in Guizhou Province. In the Kuan Kuoshui Nature Reserve, 9 of 28 amphibians were parasitized at a mean …

Bats Of Montserrat: Population Fluctuation And Response To Hurricanes And Volcanoes, 1978-2005, Scott C. Pedersen, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Peter A. Larsen, Matthew N. Morton, Rick A. Adams, Hugh H. Genoways, Vicki J. Swier

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

None of the species of bats occurring in the northern Lesser Antilles is endemic to that region, suggesting considerable dispersal among islands. However, movement patterns of bats in the Lesser Antilles are poorly known and thought to be limited because interisland distances present barriers to dispersal for most species. Genetic data imply restricted dispersal among the islands for the cave-roosting Brachyphylla caoernarum, whereas Artibeus jamaicensis apparently moves among the islands more freely (Carstens et al. 2004). Nevertheless, we do not believe that Antillean bats strike out on their own on a regular basis to move over water from one …

Nagmia Rodmani N. Sp., Nagmia Cisloi N. Sp. And Probolitrema Richiardii (López, 1888) (Gorgoderidae: Anaporrhutinae) From Elasmobranchs In The Gulf Of California, Mexico, Stephen S. Curran, Charles K. Blend, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The generic diagnosis of Nagmia Nagaty, 1930, is emended to include species having some vitelline follicles extending into the extracecal space. Two new species belonging in the genus are described from the Gulf of California: Nagmia rodmani n. sp. from the body cavity of the giant electric ray, Narcine entemedor Jordan and Starks, 1895, and Nagmia cisloi n. sp. from the body cavity of the smoothtail mobula, Mobula thurstoni (Lloyd, 1908). Both species are distinguished from each other and the 13 other known congeners by the number of testicular follicles, ratio of widths of oral sucker to ventral sucker, and …

Regional Differences In Florida Red Snapper Reproduction, Nancy J. Brown-Peterson, Karen M. Burns, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is a valuable commercial and recreational species throughout the southeastern United States and Caribbean. Recent reports of reduction in red snapper stock sizes throughout this range highlight the necessity for a better understanding of the biology of the species. Except for Florida panhandle red snapper, little is known of the reproduction of red snapper off Florida. We collected red snapper from recreational-for-hire boats in two distinct areas of Florida to examine potential regional differences in their reproductive biology. Samples were obtained from the Florida East Coast (EC—St. Augustine to Melbourne, N = 66) from …

A Molecular View Of The Superfamily Dioctophymatoidea (Nematoda), Anson V.A. Koehler, Eric P. Hoberg, Fernando Torres-Pérez, Joseph A. Cook

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Monophyly of the superfamily Dioctophymatoidea was assessed based on analyses of DNA sequence variation among 3 of 4 constituent genera (5 species). Represented is the first molecular phylogenetic evaluation of the Dioctophymatoidea using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference of 18S nuclear DNA (786 base-pair [bp] segment) and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 (293 bp) genes. Dioctophymatoidea is monophyletic and includes a clade with Dioctophyme renale and Eustrongylides ignotus (Dioctophymatidae) as the sister of Soboliphyme baturini, Soboliphyme jamesoni, and Soboliphyme abei (Soboliphymatidae). Within Soboliphymatidae, S. baturini is the sister of S. jamesoni and S. abei.

Isolation Of Mycobacterium Avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis Reactive Cd4 T Cells From Intestinal Biopsies Of Crohn’S Disease Patients, Ingrid Olsen, Stig Tollefsen, Claus Aagaard, Liv J. Reitan, J. P. Bannantine, Peter Andersen, Ludvig M. Sollid, Knut E.A. Lundin

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Background: Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic granulomatous inflammation of the intestine. The etiology is unknown, but an excessive immune response to bacteria in genetically susceptible individuals is probably involved. The response is characterized by a strong Th1/Th17 response, but the relative importance of the various bacteria is not known.

Methodology/Principal Findings: In an attempt to address this issue, we made T-cell lines from intestinal biopsies of patients with CD (n = 11), ulcerative colitis (UC) (n = 13) and controls (n = 10). The T-cell lines were tested for responses to various bacteria. A majority of the CD patients …

Impact Of Empire Expansion On Household Diet: The Inka In Northern Chile’S Atacama Desert, Sheila D. Vinton, Linda Perry, Karl J. Reinhard, Calogero M. Santoro, Isabel Teixeira-Santos

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The impact of expanding civilization on the health of American indigenous societies has long been studied. Most studies have focused on infections and malnutrition that occurred when less complex societies were incorporated into more complex civilizations. The details of dietary change, however, have rarely been explored. Using the analysis of starch residues recovered from coprolites, here we evaluate the dietary adaptations of indigenous farmers in northern Chile’s Atacama Desert during the time that the Inka Empire incorporated these communities into their economic system. This system has been described as ‘‘complementarity’’ because it involves interaction and trade in goods produced at …

Structural And Functional Similarity Between The Bacterial Type Iii Secretion System Needle Protein Prgi And The Eukaryotic Apoptosis Bcl-2 Proteins, Matthew D. Shortridge, Robert Powers

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Background: Functional similarity is challenging to identify when global sequence and structure similarity is low. Activesites or functionally relevant regions are evolutionarily more stable relative to the remainder of a protein structure and provide an alternative means to identify potential functional similarity between proteins. We recently developed the FASTNMR methodology to discover biochemical functions or functional hypotheses of proteins of unknown function by experimentally identifying ligand binding sites. FAST-NMR utilizes our CPASS software and database to assign a function based on a similarity in the structure and sequence of ligand binding sites between proteins of known and unknown function.

Methodology/Principal …

Unique Opportunities For Nmr Methods In Structural Genomics, Gaetano T. Montelione, Cheryl Arrowsmith, Mark E. Girvin, Michael A. Kennedy, John L. Markley, Robert Powers, James H. Prestegard, Thomas Szyperski

Robert Powers Publications

This Perspective, arising from a workshop held in July 2008 in Buffalo NY, provides an overview of the role NMR has played in the United States Protein Structure Initiative (PSI), and a vision of how NMR will contribute to the forthcoming PSI-Biology program. NMR has contributed in key ways to structure production by the PSI, and new methods have been developed which are impacting the broader protein NMR community.

Expression Of Hpv16 E5 Produces Enlarged Nuclei And Polyploidy Through Endoreplication, Lulin Hu, Tamara A. Potapova, Shibo Li, Susannah Rankin, Gary J. Gorbsky, Peter C. Angeletti, Brian P. Ceresa

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Anogenital cancers and head and neck cancers are causally-associated with infection by high-risk

human papillomavirus (HPV). The mechanism by which high-risk HPVs contribute to

oncogenesis is poorly understood. HPV16 encodes three genes (HPV16 E5, E6, and E7) that can

transform cells when expressed independently. HPV16 E6 and E7 have well-described roles

causing genomic instability and unregulated cell cycle progression. The role of HPV16 E5 in cell

transformation remains to be elucidated. Expression of HPV16 E5 results in enlarged, polyploid

nuclei that are dependent on the level and duration of HPV16 E5 expression. Live-cell imaging

data indicate these changes do not …

Human Papillomavirus 16 E5 Induces Bi-Nucleated Cell Formation By Cell-Cell Fusion, Lulin Ha, Kendra Plafker, Valeriya Vorozhoko, Rosemary E. Zuna, Marie H. Hanigan, Gary J. Gorbsky, Scott M. Plafker, Peter C. Angeletti, Brian P. Ceresa

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Human Papillomaviruses (HPV) 16 is a DNA virus encoding three oncogenes – E5, E6, and E7. The E6 and E7 proteins have well-established roles as inhibitors of tumor suppression, but the contribution of E5 to malignant transformation is controversial. Using spontaneously immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT cells), we demonstrate that expression of HPV16 E5 is necessary and sufficient for the formation of bi-nucleated cells, a common characteristic of precancerous cervical lesions. Expression of E5 from non-carcinogenic HPV6b does not produce bi-nucleate cells. Video microscopy and biochemical analyses reveal that bi-nucleates arise through cell-cell fusion. Although most E5-induced bi-nucleates fail to propagate, …

Mouse × Pig Chimeric Antibodies Expressed In Baculovirus Retain The Same Properties Of Their Parent Antibodies, Ana M. Jar, Fernando A. Osorio, Osvaldo J. López

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The development of hybridoma and recombinant DNA technologies has made it possible to use antibodies against cancer, autoimmune disorders, and infectious diseases in humans. These advances in therapy, as well as immunoprophylaxis, could also make it possible to use these technologies in agricultural species of economic importance such as pigs. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is an arterivirus causing very important economic losses to the industry. Passive transfer of antibodies obtained by biotechnology could be used in the future to complement or replace vaccination against this and other pig pathogens. To this end, we constructed and studied the …

Regulation Of Innate Immune Responses By Bovine Herpesvirus 1 And Infected Cell Protein 0 (Bicp0), Clinton Jones

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) infected cell protein 0 (bICP0) is an important transcriptional regulatory protein that stimulates productive infection. In transient transfection assays, bICP0 also inhibits interferon dependent transcription. bICP0 can induce degradation of interferon stimulatory factor 3 (IRF3), a cellular transcription factor that is crucial for activating beta interferon (IFN-β) promoter activity. Recent studies also concluded that interactions between bICP0 and IRF7 inhibit trans-activation of IFN-β promoter activity. The C3HC4 zinc RING (really important new gene) finger located near the amino terminus of bICP0 is important for all known functions of bICP0. A recombinant virus that contains a single …

A Comparative Study Of Hiv-1 Clade C Env Evolution In A Zambian Infant With An Infected Rhesus Macaque During Disease Progression, For Yue Tso, Federico G. Hoffmann, Damien C. Tully, Philippe Lemey, Robert A. Rasmussen, Hong Zhang, Ruth M. Ruprecht, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Objective—To evaluate whether HIV-1 clade C (HIV-C) envelope variations that arise during disease progression in rhesus macaque model reflect changes that occur naturally in human infection.

Design—An infant macaque was infected with SHIV-1157i, an R5 tropic clade C SHIV (SHIV-C) which expresses a primary HIV-C envelope derived from an infected human infant, and monitored over a five-year period. Genetic variation of the V1-V5 envelope region, which is the main target for humoral immune responses, derived from the infected macaque and infant was examined.

Methods—V1-V5 envelope region were cloned and sequenced from longitudinal PBMC samples collected from the infected macaque and …

Use Of Average Mutual Information For Studying Changes In Hiv Populations, Khalid Sayood, Federico Hoffman, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Average mutual information (AMI) has been used in a number of applications in bioinformatics. In this paper we present its use to study genetic changes in populations; in particular populations of HIV viruses. Disease progression of HIV-1 infection in infants can be rapid resulting in death within the the first year, or slow, allowing the infant to survive beyond the first year. We study the development of rapid and slow progressing HIV population using AMI charts based on average mutual information among amino acids in the env gene from a population of 1142 clones derived from seven infants with slow …

Protection Against Mucosal Shiv Challenge By Peptide And Helper-Dependent Adenovirus Vaccines, Eric A. Weaver, Pramod N. Nehete, Bharti P. Nehete, Stephanie J. Buchl, Donna Palmer, David C. Montefiori, Philip Ng, K. Jagannadha Sastry, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Groups of rhesus macaques that had previously been immunized with HIV-1 envelope (env) peptides and first generation adenovirus serotype 5 (FG-Ad5) vaccines expressing the same peptides were immunized intramuscularly three times with helper- dependent adenovirus (HD-Ad) vaccines expressing only the HIV-1 envelope from JRFL. No gag, pol, or other SHIV genes were used for vaccination. One group of the FG-Ad5- immune animals was immunized three times with HD-Ad5 expressing env. One group was immunized by serotype-switching with HD-Ad6, HD-Ad1, and HD-Ad2 expressing env. Previous work demonstrated that serum antibody levels against env were significantly higher in the serotype-switched group than …

Characterization Of A Monothiol Glutaredoxin Encoded By Chlorella Virus Pbcv-1, Lisa A. Fitzgerald, Yuanzheng Zhang, Gentry L. Lewis, James L. Van Etten

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Annotation of the 330-kb Chlorella virus PBCV-1 genome identified a 237 nucleotide gene (a438l) that codes for a protein with ~35% amino acid identity to glutaredoxins (Grx) found in other organisms. The PBCV-1 protein resembles classical Grxs in both size (9 kDa) and location of the active site (N-terminus). However, the PBCV-1 Grx is unusual because it contains a monothiol active site (CPYS) rather than the typical dithiol active site (CPYC). To examine this unique active site, four sitespecific mutants (CPYC, CPYA, SPYC, and SPYS) were constructed to determine if the N-terminal cysteine is necessary for enzyme activity. …

The Identification Of Cattle Nematode Parasites Resistant To Multiple Classes Of Anthelmintics In A Commercial Cattle Population In The Us, Louis C. Gasbarre, Larry L. Smith, J. Ralph Lichtenfels, Patricia A. Pilitt

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Resistance to modern anthelmintics by ruminant nematode parasites is an increasing problem throughout the world. To date the problem has largely been reported in parasites of small ruminants, but there are increasing reports of such resistance in nematodes recovered from cattle. Until now there have been no published reports of drug resistant parasites from cattle in North America. In 2002 a producer in the upper Midwest who backgrounds young cattle acquired from the southeastern US experienced lower than expected weight gain as well as apparent parasitic gastroenteritis in his cattle during the fall. Fecal sample results supported the suspicion that …

Coccidia (Apicomplexa : Eimeriidae) From The Lagomorph Lepus Tolai In Mongolia, Scott Lyell Gardner, Nathan A. Seggerman, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Sumiya Ganzorig, David S. Tinnin, Donald W. Duszynski

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

In 1999, a single specimen of the Tolai hare, Lepus tolai Pallas, 1778, from the Gobi region of Mongolia was examined and had a new species of eimerian parasite in its intestinal contents. Eimeria gobiensis n. sp. is relatively large; it possesses 2 oocyst walls and a very well-developed oocyst residuum. Oocysts of the new species possess a thick wall with a double layer, a massive 3-layered micropyle, and are ellipsoidal, with average length and width of the oocyst of 38.6 × 24.2 μm, respectively. The range in measurements of these oocysts extends from 27.3 to 49.2 μm in length …

Characterization Of Dictyocaulus Species (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea) From Three Species Of Wild Ruminants In Northwestern Spain, Ramon A. Carreno, Natividad Diez-Baños, Maria Del Rosario Hidalgo-Argüello, Steven A. Nadler

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Specimens of Dictyocaulus spp. were extracted from the respiratory tracts of 3 ruminant hosts including roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), and chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) from wild populations in the province of Leo´n, northwestern Spain. The near-complete nuclear small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene, and 2 regions of the large-subunit ribosomal RNA gene, were amplified by PCR and sequenced. The SSU rDNA gene sequences indicated a high level of similarity between the isolate from C. elaphus and the published sequences for Dictyocaulus eckerti. SSU rDNA gene sequences were identical in the isolates from …

Systematic Position Of Pseudocorynosoma And Andracantha (Acanthocephala, Polymorphidae) Based On Nuclear And Mitochondrial Gene Sequences, Martín García-Varela

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Species of Pseudocorynosoma are North and South American acanthocephalans that use waterfowl as definitive hosts and amphipods as intermediate hosts, whereas species of Andracantha occur in fish-eating birds with a worldwide distribution. Pseudocorynosoma and Andracantha were originally described as Corynosoma (now restricted to endoparasites of marine mammals). Morphologically, Andracantha is distinct from other genera of Polymorphidae in possessing 2 fields of spines on the trunk, whereas Corynosoma and Pseudocorynosoma have a single field. A recent phylogenetic hypothesis based on morphological characters suggested that Andracantha is closely related to Corynosoma, whereas Pseudocorynosoma was of uncertain phylogenetic position within the Polymorphidae. …

Trematoda (Platyhelminthes) Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Robin M. Overstreet, Joshua O. Cook, Richard W. Heard

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

First paragraph:

The platyhelminth class Trematoda, consisting of the subclasses Aspidogastrea and Digenea, contains individuals referred to as digeneans, trematodes, or flukes. Aspidogastreans, not digeneans in the strict sense2 number about 80 species in total (Rohde 2005), but adults in the Gulf of Mexico of 4 species have been reported from teleost and chondrichthyan fishes (Hendrix and Overstreet I 977) and one from a turtle (Wharton 1939). Consequently, this chapter deals with trematodes rather than just digeneans, even though all the records but the 5 refer to digeneans. Trematoda is the largest group of platyhelminths, and trematode adults, other than …

Regional Assessment On Influence Of Landscape Configuration And Connectivity On Range Size Of White-Tailed Deer, W. David Walter, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Henry Campa Iii, William R. Clark, Justin W. Fischer, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Nancy E. Mathews, Clayton K. Nielsen, Eric M. Schauber, Timothy R. Van Deelen, Scott R. Winterstein

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Variation in the size of home range of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has broad implications for managing populations, agricultural damage, and disease spread and transmission. Size of home range of deer also varies seasonally because plant phenology dictates the vegetation types that are used as foraging or resting sites. Knowledge of the landscape configuration and connectivity that contributes to variation in size of home range of deer for the region is needed to fully understand differences and similarities of deer ecology throughout the Midwest. We developed a research team from four Midwestern states to investigate how size of …

Paleoparasitology Of Chagas Disease - A Review, Adauto Araujo, Ann Maria Jansen, Karl Reinhard, Luiz F. Ferreira

Karl Reinhard Publications

One hundred years since the discovery of Chagas disease associated with Trypanosoma cruzi infection, growing attention has focused on understanding the evolution in parasite-human host interaction. This interest has featured studies and results from paleoparasitology, not only the description of lesions in mummified bodies, but also the recovery of genetic material from the parasite and the possibility of analyzing such material over time. The present study reviews the evidence of Chagas disease in organic remains excavated from archeological sites and discusses two findings in greater detail, both with lesions suggestive of chagasic megacolon and confirmed by molecular biology techniques. One …

Use Of Infrared Thermography To Detect Thermographic Changes In Mule Deer (Odocoileus Hemionus) Experimentally Infected With Foot-And-Mouth Disease, Mike R. Dunbar, Shylo R. Johnson, Jack C. Ryan, Matt Mccollum

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Infrared thermography (IRT) measures the heat emitted from a surface, displays that information as a pictorial representation called a thermogram, and is capable of being a remote, noninvasive technology that provides information on the health of an animal. Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) caused by FMD virus (FMDV) is a severe, highly communicable viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals, including both domestic and wild ruminants. Early detection of the disease may reduce economic loss and loss of susceptible wildlife. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of IRT to detect possible heat changes associated with sites of infection with FMDV …

Dogs Gone Wild: Feral Dog Damage In The United States, David Bergman, Stewart W. Breck, Scott Bender

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral dogs have been documented in all 50 states and estimates of damage in the U.S. from these animals amount to >$620 million annually. In Texas alone, it is estimated that over $5 million in damage to livestock annually can be attributed to feral dogs. We reviewed national statistics on feral dog damage reported to USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services for a 10-year period from 1997 through 2006. Damage by feral dogs crossed multiple resource categories (e.g., agriculture, natural resources); some examples of damage include killing and affecting the behavior and habitat use of native wildlife; killing and maiming livestock; and …