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Characterizing Borrelia Burgdorferi In Virginia : Lyme Disease Prevalence As A Matter Of Bacterial Genetic Variation, Hannah Cornman
Characterizing Borrelia Burgdorferi In Virginia : Lyme Disease Prevalence As A Matter Of Bacterial Genetic Variation, Hannah Cornman
Honors Theses
yme Disease (LD) incidence and spatial distribution has grown dramatically in the past 20 years. In Virginia, the growth has been especially drastic, primarily in the Western part of the state. This research project investigates how genetic variability of the Lyme Disease causing bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, might be contributing to this increase in LD incidence in western Virginia. To do this, B. burgdorferi samples were isolated from ticks found across the state and were characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Phylogenetic and minimum spanning tree analyses were also performed. It was hypothesized that the increasing number of Lyme disease infections …
The Progression Of Lyme Disease In The State Of Virginia, Margaret Michel
The Progression Of Lyme Disease In The State Of Virginia, Margaret Michel
Honors Theses
Lyme disease has spread in the United States from the northeast to more southern and western parts of the country. It has been shown that the tick which most often carries the Lyme disease pathogen (Borrelia burgdorferi) in North America, Ixodes scapularis, has also spread to these new areas of concern. In Virginia, the disease has progressed from the eastern shore to the western, more mountainous regions. Through obtaining historical museum specimens of mice from 11 locations in Virginia, we seek to determine whether the Lyme disease causing pathogen, B. burgdorferi, has always been present in …
Impact Of Vector Range Expansion On Pathogen Transmission Dynamics Of Lyme Disease In Southwestern Virginia, Bishan Bhattarai
Impact Of Vector Range Expansion On Pathogen Transmission Dynamics Of Lyme Disease In Southwestern Virginia, Bishan Bhattarai
Honors Theses
Blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis is the primary vector of Lyme disease in eastern United States. Borrelia Burgdorfei, the etiological agent of Lyme disease is transferred by ticks of Ixodes species. In recent years, its congener, Ixodes affinis has been expanding its range northwards from its southern population. We were interested in studying how the introduction of this new vector affected the interaction between the pathogen genotype and the host. We hypothesized that differential host use by I. affinis and I. scapularis would partly explain observed differences in B. burgdorferi infection prevalence and genotypic structure in southeastern Virginia. The result …