Research Abstract:
Our chief area of study has in recent years become the ecology and epidemiology of vector-borne diseases. Of particular interest are Erlichiosis, Southern Tick-associated Rash (Lyme-like) Illness, Tularemia and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The pathogens responsible for these diseases are increasing in Missouri (long-recognized as a major center of tick infestation in the United States), and pose a significant public health hazard. We utilize a combination of field and laboratory approaches to identify the animal reservoirs which perpetuate these pathogens in nature. Using this information we hope to shed light on why pathogens are not evenly distributed geographically, but are often clustered in “hot spots”.
Close collaborators in this study are Dr. Gregory A. Storch, Chief of Infectious Disease at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and Brian F. Allan, graduate student in the Washington University Biology Department.
Selected Publications:
Allan BF, Keesing F, and Ostfeld RS. Effect of Forest Fragmentation on Lyme Disease Risk. Conservation Biol 2003 17:267-272.
Butler RS, Arens M, Harid SP, Paddock CD, Sumner JW, Rikhisa Y, Unver A, Gaudreault-Keener M, Manian FA, Liddell AM, Schmulewitz N, and Storch GA. New England J Med 1999 341:148-155l.
Goessling LS, Mascotti DP, Thach RE. Involvement of heme in the degradation of iron-regulatory protein 2. J Biol Chem 1998 273:12555-12557.
Mascotti DP, Goessling LS, Rup D, Thach RE. Effects of the ferritin open reading frame on translational induction by iron. Prog Nucleic Acid Res Mol Biol 1996 55:121-134.
Goessling LS, Mascotti DP, Bhattacharyya-Pakrasi M, Gang H, Thach RE. Irreversible steps in the ferritin synthesis induction pathway. J Biol Chem 1994 269:4343-4348.
Last Updated: 07/07/2008 |