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Full-Text Articles in Veterinary Medicine
Rickettsia Felis, Transmission Mechanisms Of An Emerging Flea-Borne Rickettsiosis, Lisa Diane Brown
Rickettsia Felis, Transmission Mechanisms Of An Emerging Flea-Borne Rickettsiosis, Lisa Diane Brown
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Rickettsia felis is an emerging insect-borne rickettsial pathogen and the causative agent of flea-borne spotted fever. First described as a human pathogen from the United States in 1991, R. felis is now identified throughout the world and considered a common cause of fever in Africa. The cosmopolitan distribution of this pathogen is credited to the equally widespread occurrence of cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis), the primary vector and reservoir of R. felis. Additionally, R. felis has been identified in other hematophagous arthropods (including numerous species of fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and mites). Most transmission cycles of pathogenic Rickettsia include transovarial and transstadial …
Arbovirus Phenotype Alters Transmission Potential, Rebecca C. Christofferson
Arbovirus Phenotype Alters Transmission Potential, Rebecca C. Christofferson
LSU Doctoral Dissertations
Extrinsic and environmental factors are known to affect the transmission of arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), including variations in the arthropod vector populations. Differences among these factors have been associated with differential transmission and are sometimes used to control the spread of an arbovirus through a vertebrate population in an effort to prevent or disrupt an outbreak. However, diversity in intrinsic viral populations, such as genetic and phenotypic variability, is not often accounted for when considering alterations in transmission. Presented in this dissertation are four experimental studies that explore the contribution of viral intrinsic factors, especially phenotypic variability, to the transmission potential …