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Discovery And Description Of A New Trichostrongyloid Species (Nematoda: Ostertagiinaw), Abomasal Parasites In Mountain Goat, Oreamnos Americanus, From The Western Cordillera Of North America [With Erratum], Eric P. Hoberg, Arthur Abrams, Patricia A. Pilitt, Emily J. Jenkins

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Marshallagia lichtenfelsi sp. n. is a dimorphic ostertagiine nematode occurring in the abomasum of mountain goats, Oreamnos americanus, from the Western Cordillera of North America. Major and minor morphotype males and females are characterized and distinguished relative to the morphologically similar Marshallagia marshalli/Marshallagia occidentalis from North America and Marshallagia dentispicularis, along with other congeners, from the Palearctic region. The configuration of the convoluted and irregular synlophe in the cervical region of males and females of M. lichtenfelsi is apparently unique, contrasting with a continuous and parallel system of ridges among those species of Marshallagia, including …

Occurrence, Transmission, And Zoonotic Potential Of Chronic Wasting Disease, Samuel E. Saunders, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Jason C. Bartz

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal, transmissible prion disease that affects captive and free-ranging deer, elk, and moose. Although the zoonotic potential of CWD is considered low, identification of multiple CWD strains and the potential for agent evolution upon serial passage hinders a defi nitive conclusion. Surveillance for CWD in free-ranging populations has documented a continual geographic spread of the disease throughout North America. CWD prions are shed from clinically and preclinically affected hosts, and CWD transmission is mediated at least in part by the environment, perhaps by soil. Much remains unknown, including the sites and mechanisms of prion …

Analysis Of Bacterial Biofilms Using Nmr-Based Metabolomics, Bo Zhang, Robert Powers

Robert Powers Publications

Infectious diseases can be difficult to cure, especially if the pathogen forms a biofilm. After decades of extensive research into the morphology, physiology and genomics of biofilm formation, attention has recently been directed toward the analysis of the cellular metabolome in order to understand the transformation of a planktonic cell to a biofilm. Metabolomics can play an invaluable role in enhancing our understanding of the underlying biological processes related to the structure, formation and antibiotic resistance of biofilms. A systematic view of metabolic pathways or processes responsible for regulating this ‘social structure’ of microorganisms may provide critical insights into biofilm-related …

Simulating School Closure Policies For Cost Effective Pandemic Decision Making, Ozgur M. Araz, Paul Damien, David A. Paltiel, Sean Burke, Bryce Van De Geijn, Alison Galvani, Lauren Ancel Meyers

Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics: Faculty Publications

Background: Around the globe, school closures were used sporadically to mitigate the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. However, such closures can detrimentally impact economic and social life.

Methods: Here, we couple a decision analytic approach with a mathematical model of influenza transmission to estimate the impact of school closures in terms of epidemiological and cost effectiveness. Our method assumes that the transmissibility and the severity of the disease are uncertain, and evaluates several closure and reopening strategies that cover a range of thresholds in school-aged prevalence (SAP) and closure durations.

Results: Assuming a willingness to pay per quality adjusted life-year (QALY) …

Pricing Mortality Securities With Correlated Mortality Indexes, Yijia Lin, Sheen Liu, Jifeng Yu

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

This article proposes a stochastic model, which captures mortality correlations across countries and common mortality shocks, for analyzing catastrophe mortality contingent claims. To estimate our model, we apply particle filtering, a general technique that has wide applications in non-Gaussian and multivariate jump-diffusion models and models with nonanalytic observation equations. In addition, we illustrate how to price mortality securities with normalized multivariate exponential titling based on the estimated mortality correlations and jump parameters. Our results show the significance of modeling mortality correlations and transient jumps in mortality security pricing.

Synthesizing Parasitology With Archaeology In Paleopathology, Karl Reinhard, Adauto Araujo

Karl Reinhard Publications

Parasitology is the study of organisms that are symbiotic with other organisms. In this form of symbiosis, the parasite species by definition benefits from the interaction while the host is harmed to some degree. In actuality, some parasites benefit their hosts. The animals traditionally studied by parasitologists range from protozoa to arthropods, and include all types of internal and external worms. Ticks, fleas, lice, and a variety of insects that transmit parasites are also studied by parasitologists. Recently, a more holistic view of parasitism appeared, including bacteria and viruses. In essence, parasitology is the study of a certain kind of …

Biology And Impacts Of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 8. Eleutherodactylus Planirostris, The Greenhouse Frog (Anura: Eleutherodactylidae), Christina A. Olson, Karen H. Beard, William C. Pitt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The greenhouse frog, Eleutherodactylus planirostris, is a direct developing (i.e., no aquatic stage) frog native to Cuba and the Bahamas. It was introduced to Hawai‘i via nursery plants in the early 1990s and then subsequently from Hawai‘i to Guam in 2003. The greenhouse frog is now widespread on five Hawaiian Islands and Guam. Infestations are often overlooked due to the frog’s quiet calls, small size, and cryptic behavior, and this likely contributes to its spread. Because the greenhouse frog is an insectivore, introductions may reduce invertebrates. In Hawai‘i, the greenhouse frog primarily consumes ants, mites, and springtails and obtains …

Didactic Lessons Derived From The Shoshone River Skunk Rabies Epizootic, Craig A. Ramey, Kenneth H. Mills, Justin W. Fischer, Robert G. Mclean

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Studying the lower Shoshone River Basin’s (SRB) striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) rabies 6-year epizootic in northwestern Wyoming has produced four didactic lessons. First, physiographic changes by settlers circa 1900 affected its zoogeography by creating a canal system for irrigating crops originating at Buffalo Bill Reservoir (BBR). The resulting landscape changes increased agricultural lands and skunk habitat eightfold between the valley’s steep gravel benches. The valley was historically free of skunk rabies until the epizootic’s index case in August 1988. Second, human intervention began when the Bighorn County Predator Board (BCPB) proactively implemented rabies trapping surveillance and depopulation programs …

Low-Pathogenic Avian Influenza Viruses In Wild House Mice, Susan A. Shriner, Kaci K. Vandalen, Nicole L. Mooers, Jeremy W. Ellis, Heather J. Sullivan, J. Jeffrey Root, Angela M. Pelzel, Alan B. Franklin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Avian influenza viruses are known to productively infect a number of mammal species, several of which are commonly found on or near poultry and gamebird farms. While control of rodent species is often used to limit avian influenza virus transmission within and among outbreak sites, few studies have investigated the potential role of these species in outbreak dynamics.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We trapped and sampled synanthropic mammals on a gamebird farm in Idaho, USA that had recently experienced a low pathogenic avian influenza outbreak. Six of six house mice (Mus musculus) caught on the outbreak farm …

Rabies In North America: A Model Of The One Health Approach, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Christine Ellis, Richard Chipman, Thomas J. Deliberto, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Dennis Slate

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The One Health concept merges environmental, wildlife, domestic animal, and human health into a global, interconnected context. Though recently a popular catchphrase due to the emergence and reemergence of diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), bluetongue, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), Q Fever, Rift Valley fever, Nipah virus, West Nile virus (WNV), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, and plague, the One Health concept is not new. The One Health approach to managing infectious diseases aims to promote and implement meaningful collaboration and communication between multiple allied disciplines working locally, nationally, and internationally to attain optimal health …

On-Farmmitigation Of Transmission Of Tuberculosis Fromwhite-Tailed Deer To Cattle: Literature Review And Recommendations, W. David Walter, Charles W. Anderson, Rick Smith, Mike Vanderklok, James J. Averill, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The Animal Industry Division of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has been challenged with assisting farmers with modifying farm practices to reduce potential for exposure to Mycobacterium bovis from wildlife to cattle. The MDARD recommendations for on-farm risk mitigation practices were developed from experiences in the US, UK and Ireland and a review of the scientific literature. The objectives of our study were to review the present state of knowledge on M. bovis excretion, transmission, and survival in the environment and the interactions of wildlife and cattle with the intention of determining if the current recommendations …

Effects Of Biotic Disturbances On Forest Carbon Cycling In The United States And Canada, Jeffrey A. Hicke, Craig D. Allen, Ankur R. Desai, Michael C. Dietze, Ronald J. Hall, Edward (Ted) H. Hogg, Daniel M. Kashian, David Moore, Kenneth F. Raffa, Rona N. Sturrock, James Vogelmann

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Forest insects and pathogens are major disturbance agents that have affected millions of hectares in North America in recent decades, implying significant impacts to the carbon (C) cycle. Here, we review and synthesize published studies of the effects of biotic disturbances on forest C cycling in the United States and Canada. Primary productivity in stands was reduced, sometimes considerably, immediately following insect or pathogen attack. After repeated growth reductions caused by some insects or pathogens or a single infestation by some bark beetle species, tree mortality occurred, altering productivity and decomposition. In the years following disturbance, primary productivity in some …

Genetic Measures Confirm Familial Relationships And Strengthen Study Design, Stacie J. Robinson, Ryan D. Walrath, Timonthy R. Vandeelen, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Social structure and behavioral interactions between individuals shape basic biological processes, such as breeding; foraging and predator avoidance; movement and dispersal; and disease transmission. We used a targeted trapping strategy to capture kin groups of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) during 2007 and 2008 in Sandhill Wildlife Research Area, Wisconsin, USA, in order to observe social behaviors. Because inferring family relationships from observation of behavior is subjective, we usedmeasures of genetic relatedness and parentage assignment tests to determine that our capture strategy was efficient for capturing related pairs (78% of groups contained 1 dyad of related animals). The results of …

Deer Mice (Peromyscus Spp.) Biology, Damage And Management: A Review, Gary W. Witmer, Rachael S. Moulton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The deer mouse is the most widely distributed and abundant small mammal in North America. They use a wide array of habitats, are very adaptable, and have a high reproductive potential. They play a number of roles in ecosystems, but can cause damage to orchards, forests, agriculture crops, and rangelands primarily through seed and newly-emerged seedling consumption. They also cause damage similar to house mice when they occupy buildings or other structures. Deer mice are important components in disease transmission especially of hantaviruses and Lyme disease. Damage reduction methods generally involve lethal control to reduce numbers using rodenticides and traps. …

Efficacy Of Proximity Loggers For Detection Of Contacts Between Maternal Pairs Of White-Tailed Deer, Ryan Walrath, Timonthy R. Vandeelen, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Contact frequency and duration estimates between individuals are important to understanding the behavioral ecology of wildlife species and the epidemiology of infectious diseases. A new technology uses proximity data loggers to record time and duration of contacts. We conducted an experiment at Sandhill Wildlife Management Area, located near Babcock, Wisconsin (USA) to compare probabilities of detecting intraspecific contacts among white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) maternal pairs (dams/fawns) based on detections from proximity loggers deployed on collars versus those obtained from direct observation. We defined 5 discrete probabilities of detection of a contact in terms of P (probability of detection …

The Impact Of University Patenting On Mobility Of Scientists, Xi Ye

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

After the passage of Bayh-Dole Act, universities have been actively involved in patenting. At the same time, the booming of university patenting has brought up huge controversies and debates in academia. A large body of literature is devoted, from a broad macro-level view, to investigate the impact of intellectual property rights (IPR) on the research activities of universities. However, very few empirical studies have been conducted to study the impact of university patenting on the mobility of individuals who have been granted these patents. This study, aiming to provide a different insight to the extant literature, employs data from U.S. …

Resistance Patterns Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Isolates From Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients In Nairobi, Perpetual Wangui Ndung’U, Samuel Kariuki, Zipporah Ng’Ang’A, Gunturu Revathi

Pathology, East Africa

Introduction: In Kenya, which ranks thirteenth of 27 high tuberculosis burden countries, diagnosis is based on Ziehl-Neelsen staining alone and patients are treated without information on sensitivity patterns. This study aimed to determine resistance patterns of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from pulmonary samples.

Methodology: Pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Nairobi were randomly sampled after informed consent and recruited into the study using a structured questionnaire. Specimens were cultured in liquid and solid media, and drug susceptibility tests were performed for first-line drugs including (isoniazid, rifampin, streptomycin, ethambutol and pyrazinamide).

Results: Eighty-six (30%) of 286 isolates were resistant to at least one of …

Emerging Microbial And Viral Infections Of The Central Nervous System, Brian J. Balin, Christine J. Hammond

PCOM Scholarly Works

This review focuses on emerging viral and bacterial infections in the human central nervous system (CNS) that are responsible for significant global morbidity and mortality. These infections include those responsible for acute neurological disease such as meningitis and encephalitis as well those associated with chronic neurodegenerative conditions. Recent changes in climate conditions and pollution have been precipitating factors leading to the emergence of many of these pathogenic organisms. In addition, increased urbanization, global travel, life span, and exposure to new vectors have promoted the organisms’ spread across the globe. Categorization of many of these organisms includes identification of new species, …

An Epidemiological Model Of Rift Valley Fever With Spatial Dynamics, Tianchan Niu, Holly D. Gaff, Yiannis E. Papelis, David M. Hartley

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

As a category A agent in the Center for Disease Control bioterrorism list, Rift Valley fever (RVF) is considered a major threat to the United States (USA). Should the pathogen be intentionally or unintentionally introduced to the continental USA, there is tremendous potential for economic damages due to loss of livestock, trade restrictions, and subsequent food supply chain disruptions. We have incorporated the effects of space into a mathematical model of RVF in order to study the dynamics of the pathogen spread as affected by the movement of humans, livestock, and mosquitoes. The model accounts for the horizontal transmission of …

In Vitro Propagation Of Candidatus Rickettsia Andeanae Isolated From Amblyomma Maculatum, Alison Luce-Fedrow, Chelsea Wright, Holly D. Gaff, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Wayne L. Hynes, Allen L. Richards

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae was identified during an investigation of a febrile outbreak in northwestern Peru (2002). DNA sequencing from two ticks (Amblyomma maculatum, Ixodes boliviensis) collected during the investigation revealed a novel Rickettsia agent with similarity to the spotted fever group rickettsiae. Since then, Candidatus R. similar to andeanae has been detected in A. maculatum ticks collected in the southeastern and southcentral United States, Argentina, and Peru. To date, Candidatus R. andeanae has not been successfully cultivated in the laboratory. We present evidence for the continuous cultivation in three cell lines of Candidatus R. similar to …

Mutation In The Plasmodium Falciparum Crt Protein Determines The Stereospecific Activity Of Antimalarial Cinchona Alkaloids, Carol E. Griffin, Jonathan M. Hoke, Upeka Samarakoon, Junhui Duan, Jianbing Mu, Michael T. Ferdig, David C. Warhurst, Roland A. Cooper

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Cinchona alkaloids are quinoline aminoalcohols that occur as diastereomer pairs, typified by (-)-quinine and (+)-quinidine. The potency of (+)-isomers is greater than the (-)-isomers in vitro and in vivo against Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites. They may act by the inhibition of heme crystallization within the parasite digestive vacuole in a manner similar to chloroquine. Earlier studies showed that a K76I mutation in the digestive vacuole-associated protein, PfCRT (P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter), reversed the normal potency order of quinine and quinidine toward P. falciparum. To further explore PfCRT-alkaloid interactions in the malaria parasite, we measured the in …

Get The Balance Right!: Squaring Access With Patent Protection, Kristen Jakobsen Osenga

Law Faculty Publications

Professor Osenga discusses the tensions between the interests of patent holders and patients worldwide in need of pharmaceutical treatments. Explaining the combination of exclusive patent and compulsory license approaches that govern access to intellectual property by statute and treaty, she urges that a carefully conceived balancing of these approaches will best serve both interests.

Four Events Of Host Switching In Aspidoderidae (Nematoda) Involve Convergent Lineages Of Mammals, F. Agustín Jiménez-Ruiz, Scott Lyell Gardner, Graciela Navone, Guillermo Ortí

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The Great American Interchange resulted in the mixing of faunistic groups with different origins and evolutionary trajectories that underwent rapid diversification in North and South America. As a result, groups of animals of recent arrival converged into similar habits and formed ecological guilds with some of the endemics. We present a reconstruction of the evolutionary events in Aspidoderidae, a family of nematodes that infect mammals that are part of this interchange, i.e., dasypodids, opossums, and sigmodontine, geomyid, and hystricognath rodents. By treating hosts as discrete states of character and using parsimony and Bayesian inferences to optimize these traits into the …

Eating Lizards: A Millenary Habit Evidenced By Paleoparasitology, Luciana Sianto, Isabel Teixeira-Santos, Marcia Chame, Sergio M. Chavez, Sheila M. Souza, Luiz Fernando Ferreira, Karl Reinhard, Adauto Araujo

Karl Reinhard Publications

Background: Analyses of coprolites have contributed to the knowledge of diet as well as infectious diseases in ancient populations. Results of paleoparasitological studies showed that prehistoric groups were exposed to spurious and zoonotic parasites, especially food-related. Here we report the findings of a paleoparasitological study carried out in remote regions of Brazil’s Northeast.

Findings: Eggs of Pharyngodonidae (Nematoda, Oxyuroidea), a family of parasites of lizards and amphibians, were found in four human coprolites collected from three archaeological sites. In one of these, lizard scales were also found.

Conclusions: Through the finding of eggs of Pharyngodonidae in human coprolites and reptile …

Evaluation Of A Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay For Pseudorabies Virus Surveillance Purposes, Eraldo L. Zanella, Laura C. Miller, Kelly M. Lager, Troy T. Bigelow

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

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is the cause of Aujeszky’s disease, a disease that is significant economically for the swine industry worldwide. A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay based on the gB and gE genes was used to identify PRV nucleic acid in diagnostic samples. Using virus isolation (VI) as the gold standard, the PCR assay performed well in a variety of diagnostic matrices. Testing was conducted on 1,027 nasal swabs with the following findings: gB sensitivity: 94.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 92.3–96.4%), specificity: 71.0% (95% CI: 64.0–77.3%); gE sensitivity: 94.6% (95% CI: 92.3–96.4%), specificity: 79.3% (95% CI: 72.9–84.7%). Diagnostic performance …

Sex Trafficking In Kolkata, India: Employment Histories And Perceptions Of Risk, Madison Leigh Rose

Public Health Theses

Abstract

Sex trafficking is a significant public health and human rights concern in India. This paper aims to (1) replicate questions about predisposing factors and trafficking mechanisms previously asked of women and girls released from trafficking to a sample of women actively involved in commercial sex work; and (2) go beyond existing research by determining first-hand information on pre-trafficking employment histories and subjective perceptions of trafficking and health risks.

Interviews with 57 trafficked female sex workers in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. Most women were born in India. Bangladesh and Nepal were also reported nations-of-origin. Illiteracy was prevalent in the sample (67.9%, …

Hpv Type Distribution In New Haven County, Ct Among Women With Cin2+ Diagnoses From 2008-2010, Chelsea Anne Russ

Public Health Theses

Background

The human papillomavirus is a necessary cause of cervical cancer leading to >12,000 cervical cancer diagnoses and >4,000 deaths in the United States in 2007. In 2006, the first HPV vaccine was approved by the US FDA, which prevents the acquisition of high-risk types of HPV (16/18) that cause 70% cervical cancer cases in the US and 50% of precancerous lesions. Our objectives were to examine HPV type distribution among women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2/3 (CIN2+) by area-based measures of race, ethnicity, and poverty and individual level characteristics.

Methods

In 2008, the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) …

Characterization Of Bis-(3', 5')-Cyclic Dimeric Adenosine Monophosphate As A Mucosal Adjuvant And Its Relevance In A Model Of Hookworm Pathogenesis, Shawn Terryah

Public Health Theses

Most pathogens invade their human host or establish infection at mucosal surfaces. In contrast to parenteral vaccines, mucosal immunization has the potential to induce a robust immune response at mucosal surfaces capable of blocking the entry and establishment of many pathogens. Despite these advantages, very few mucosal vaccines are licensed for human use, largely because antigens administered by the mucosal route are either poorly or non-immunogenic. A strategy to overcome this problem is co-administering vaccine antigens with a mucosal adjuvant. Recently, bis-(3',5')-cyclic dimeric adenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP) was identified as a potential mucosal adjuvant. To evaluate c-di-AMP as a mucosal adjuvant …

Obesity As A Risk Factor For Hospital Acquired Infections In Pediatric Trauma Patients: A Pilot Study, Elyor Vidal

Public Health Theses

Context

The prevalence of obesity among young Americans in the 6 to 19 year old category has tripled since the 1960's. Today, 50% of individuals in this age group are either overweight or obese (Kimm, 2002). Studies have shown that increased percentage of body fat weakens the body's immune system (Falagas, 2009). Moreover, trauma can be an immuno-compromising condition. A study by Brown et al. in 2006 showed that obese pediatric trauma patients had more sepsis (15% vs 4%, P = .007) and wound infection (26% vs. 8%, p = .03), along with other clinical complications.

Objective

This project serves …

Governance Implications Of Global Infectious Disease Epidemics Under Shared Health Governance Scheme. Lessons From Sars, Ruosi Wang

Public Health Theses

The world is becoming flat. With the progress of globalization and world integration, the past century has witnessed a growing number of emerging and reemerging diseases. It has become a common concern the world will face a deadly infectious disease pandemic and the international community needs to set up a functional system to face up the challenge. Over the past decade, outbreaks of SARS, H5N1 and H1N1 pandemic have raised concern among public health officials and the public in general on the need of global and local pandemic control. Infectious agents have been able to take advantage of the dramatic …