Immunology and Infectious Disease | Open Access Articles

The Stockholm Paradigm Explains The Dynamics Of Darwin’S Entangled Bank, Including Emerging Infectious Disease, Salvatore J. Agosta

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Pathogens and their hosts are embedded within the larger biosphere, what Darwin called the “entangled bank.” Emerging infectious disease occurs when a parasite “switches” to a new host. Understanding the dynamics of emerging disease requires understanding the dynamics of host-switching, which requires a more general understanding of how the biosphere and its constituent members cope when conditions change. The Stockholm paradigm is an integrative evolutionary framework that describes how living systems cope with change by oscillating between exploiting and exploring the geographical and functional dimensions of their environments. It combines organismal capacity, ecological opportunity, and the repeated external perturbations to …

Go to article

The Ecological Niche Of Echinococcus Multilocularis In North America: Understanding Biotic And Abiotic Determinants Of Parasite Distribution With New Records In New Mexico And Maryland, United States, Sebastian Botero-Cañola, Altangerel Tsogtsaikhan Dursahinhan, Sara E. Rácz, Parker V. Lowe, John E. Ubelaker, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

English abstract: Understanding the factors shaping the niche of parasites and its expression over geographical space and through time continues to be a modern scientific challenge with the results of research in this area directly influencing both theoretical and applied biology. This is especially important for proactive management of zoonotic parasites such as Echinococcus multilocularis, the etiologic agent of alveolar echinococcosis. Echinococcus multilocularis has a Holarctic distribution; with its geographic range and prevalence increasing recently in areas of the western Palearctic, while its distribution dynamics are poorly understood in the Nearctic. In this paper, we use an ecological niche …

Go to article

Recovering Parasites From Mummies And Coprolites: An Epidemiological Approach, Morgana Camacho, Adauto Araújo, Johnica J. Morrow, Jane E. Buikstra, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

In the field of archaeological parasitology, researchers have long documented the distribution of parasites in archaeological time and space through the analysis of coprolites and human remains. This area of research defined the origin and migration of parasites through presence/absence studies. By the end of the 20th century, the field of pathoecology had emerged as researchers developed an interest in the ancient ecology of parasite transmission. Supporting studies were conducted to establish the relationships between parasites and humans, including cultural, subsistence, and ecological reconstructions. Parasite prevalence data were collected to infer the impact of parasitism on human health. In the …

Go to article

Tick-, Mosquito-, And Rodent-Borne Parasite Sampling Designs For The National Ecological Observatory Network [Special Feature: Neon Design], Yuri P. Springer, David Hoekman, Pieter T.J. Johnson, Paul A. Duffy, Rebecca A. Hufft, David T. Barnett, Brian F. Allan, Brian R. Amman, Christopher M. Barker, Roberto Barrera, Charles B. Beard, Lorenza Beati, Mike Begon, Mark S. Blackmore, William E. Bradshaw, Dustin Brisson, Charles H. Calisher, James E. Childs, Maria A. Diuk-Wasser, Richard J. Douglass, Rebecca J. Eisen, Desmond H. Foley, Janet E. Foley, Holly D. Gaff, Scott Lyell Gardner, Howard S. Ginsberg, Gregory E. Glass, Sarah A. Hamer, Mary H. Hayden, Brian Hjelle, Christina M. Holzapfel, Steven A. Juliano, Laura D. Kramer, Amy J. Kuenzi, Shannon L. Ladeau, Todd P. Livdahl, James N. Mills, Chester G. Moore, Serge Morand, Roger S. Nasci, Nicholas H. Ogden, Richard S. Ostfeld, Robert R. Parmenter, Joseph Piesman, William K. Reisen, Harry M. Savage, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Andrea Swet, Michael J. Yabsley

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Parasites and pathogens are increasingly recognized as significant drivers of ecological and evolutionary change in natural ecosystems. Concurrently, transmission of infectious agents among human, livestock, and wildlife populations represents a growing threat to veterinary and human health. In light of these trends and the scarcity of long-term time series data on infection rates among vectors and reservoirs, the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) will collect measurements and samples of a suite of tick-, mosquito-, and rodent-borne parasites through a continental-scale surveillance program. Here, we describe the sampling designs for these efforts, highlighting sampling priorities, field and analytical methods, and the …

Go to article

Paleoparasitological Studies On Mummies Of The Joseon Dynasty, Korea, Min Seo, Adauto Araújo, Karl J. Reinhard, Jong Yil Chai, Dong Hoon Shin

Karl Reinhard Publications

Paleoparasitology is the application of conventional or molecular investigative techniques to archeological samples in order to reveal parasitic infection patterns among past populations. Although pioneering studies already have reported key paleoparasitological findings around the world, the same sorts of studies had not, until very recently, been conducted in sufficient numbers in Korea. Mummified remains of individuals dating to the Korean Joseon Dynasty actually have proved very meaningful to concerned researchers, owing particularly to their superb preservation status, which makes them ideal subjects for paleoparasitological studies. Over the past several years, our study series on Korean mummies has yielded very pertinent …

Go to article

Worm-Web Search: A Content-Based Image Retrieval (Cbir) System For The Parasite Image Collection In The Harold W. Manter Laboratory Of Parasitology, University Of Nebraska State Mueum, Ramalingamurthy Meduri, Ashok Samal, Scott Lyell Gardner

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

We have developed a prototype web-accessible content-based image retrieval (CBIR) system that allows internet/web-based sharing of biological collections that contain large numbers of images of archived specimens. This system will enable both researchers and educators to access verified, high quality data on biological collections that are available in any museum with digitized holdings. The CBIR system that we are testing can play an important role in understanding global biodiversity because no knowledge of the specific names of specimens need be known before useful information can be extracted from such databases. Our CBIR framework allows users to search image collections using …

Go to article

Host And Distribution Lists Of Mites (Acari), Parasitic And Phoretic, In The Hair Or On The Skin Of North American Wild Mammals North Of Mexico: Records Since 1974, John O. Whitaker Jr., Brianne L. Walters, Linda K. Castor, Christopher M. Ritzi, Nixon Wilson

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Information concerning mites found in the hair of wild mammals of North America north of Mexico is summarized for records accumulated since a similar paper was published by Whitaker and Wilson in 1974. Chiggers, ticks and species that burrow into or under the skin are generally excluded although follicle-inhabiting mites are included. Included are lists a) of the mites organized taxonomically, b) hosts from which each species has been reported, and c) states and provinces citing references for each separate record.

Go to article

Potential Pathological Effects Of Blood Flukes (Digenea: Sanguinicolidae) On Pen-Reared Marine Fishes, Stephen A. Bullard, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Sanguinicolids, or fish blood flukes, infect the vascular system of both marine and freshwater fishes, and some act as serious pathogens of hosts in aquaculture. Blood flukes typically possess a relatively benign relationship with wild fishes; however, cultured hosts near appropriate intermediate hosts (i.e., snail, bivalve, or polychaete) may accumulate heavy infections of the worms and their eggs. The resulting disease, sanguinicoliasis, has caused mass mortalities of fish reared in ponds and cages in North America, Europe, and Asia. In the life cycle, the cercaria emerges from the intermediate invertebrate host and penetrates into and matures in the definitive fish …

Go to article

New Host And Geographic Records For Two Protostrongylids In Dall's Sheep, Susan J. Kutz, A. M. Veitch, Eric P. Hoberg, B. T. Elkin, Emily J. Jenkins, L. Polley

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Biodiversity survey and inventory have resulted in new information on the distribution of Protostrongylidae in Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) from the Northwest Territories (Northwest Territories, Canada) and from Alaska (Alaska, USA). In 1998, Parelaphostrongylus odocoilei adults were found for the first time in the skeletal muscles of Dall’s sheep in the Mackenzie Mountains (Northwest Territories). Adult P. odocoilei were associated with petechial and ecchymotic hemorrhages and localized myositis; eggs and larvae in the lungs were associated with diffuse granulomatous pneumonia. Experimental infections of the slugs Deroceras laeve and Deroceras reticulatum with dorsal-spined first-stage larvae assumed to be …

Go to article

Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Full-Text Articles in Immunology and Infectious Disease

The Stockholm Paradigm Explains The Dynamics Of Darwin’S Entangled Bank, Including Emerging Infectious Disease, Salvatore J. Agosta

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Recovering Parasites From Mummies And Coprolites: An Epidemiological Approach, Morgana Camacho, Adauto Araújo, Johnica J. Morrow, Jane E. Buikstra, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Paleoparasitological Studies On Mummies Of The Joseon Dynasty, Korea, Min Seo, Adauto Araújo, Karl J. Reinhard, Jong Yil Chai, Dong Hoon Shin

Karl Reinhard Publications

Worm-Web Search: A Content-Based Image Retrieval (Cbir) System For The Parasite Image Collection In The Harold W. Manter Laboratory Of Parasitology, University Of Nebraska State Mueum, Ramalingamurthy Meduri, Ashok Samal, Scott Lyell Gardner

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Host And Distribution Lists Of Mites (Acari), Parasitic And Phoretic, In The Hair Or On The Skin Of North American Wild Mammals North Of Mexico: Records Since 1974, John O. Whitaker Jr., Brianne L. Walters, Linda K. Castor, Christopher M. Ritzi, Nixon Wilson

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Potential Pathological Effects Of Blood Flukes (Digenea: Sanguinicolidae) On Pen-Reared Marine Fishes, Stephen A. Bullard, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

New Host And Geographic Records For Two Protostrongylids In Dall's Sheep, Susan J. Kutz, A. M. Veitch, Eric P. Hoberg, B. T. Elkin, Emily J. Jenkins, L. Polley

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications