Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting:

Participants- Dan Kline, James Becnel, Theodore Andreadis, Herb Bolton, Rui-De Xue, Stephen Dobson, Michael Turell, Alden Estep, Jonas King, Gabe Hammer, Graham White, Paul Leisnham, Lee Cohnstaedt, Rajeev Vaidyanathan, Uli Munderloh, Goudarz Molaei

Opening- Stephen Dobson outlined last year’s meeting outcome, the 2016 Experiment Station Section Award for Excellence in Multistate Research, and the Northeast Supplement to the Guidelines for Multistate Research Activities.

Theodore Andreadis explained the basis of Hatch funds and the relationship between NE:1443, Zika and Chikungunya viruses along with a need to develop clearly-identified collaborations between NE:1443 members.

Herb Bolton then explained that NIFA was previously CSREES and functions to support research, education, and extension. About half of capacity funds are competitive. Importantly, we were reminded to get any significant discoveries or other advancements to Dr. Bolton for potential use in congressional testimony in defense of NIFA funding.  

Objective 1: Development of parasitic and arthropod catalogue/resources. An overview was given and an excel file was then shown as an example of the progress made thus far. The possibility of an online-accessible, “living document” database was also discussed and it was agreed that this was a good idea. It was agreed that we were ahead of schedule with regard to the milestones initially proposed for this objective.

Action Items: 1) decide upon a database program to use, 2) establish a curation committee, 3) compile shipping/regulatory information and 4) work towards a publication.

Objective 2:  Integrated tick management and community-centered approaches, including understanding the biology and ecology of novel and emerging tick-borne pathogens. – Dr. Munderloh first gave the news that a new artificial feeding system for lab-reared ticks was shown last year by her group. Dr. Goudarz Molaei (on teleconference line) then discussed tick IPM efforts against Lyme disease in CN and ME and said that several publications were pending. These studies are looking at spatial, social, and vector and rodent management and factors effecting transmission. Dr. Philip Armstrong discussed Powassan virus associated with human-biting Ixodes. He said there were three foci of tick infections in the state and that their group is working to track overall prevalence in CT.

Action Items: None identified

Objective 3: Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti, with a focus on surveillance, range, expansion, ecology, genetics, climate change and disease risk. Dr. Gabe Hammer started by reporting a recently accepted J. Med Ent article comparing state mosquito control efforts for CA, TX, and KY. He also discussed a lack of information about male vs. female Aedes dispersal that he is currently studying. Dr. Armstrong then discussed the establishment of Ae. albopictus in CT. He added that the current info suggest overwintering populations in some areas, not just summer expansion. Several unanswered questions about Ae. albopictus and Zika virus were then discussed with no clear conclusions. Dr. Paul Leisnham explained and then led a discussion on socio-economic gradients affecting Aedes prevalence and how educating the public is important in controlling them.  Drs. Xue and White (Florida) then discussed the discovery of a small Aedes aegypti population that had been found in St. Augustine and is targeted for elimination.

Action Items: None identified

Objective 4: New control tools, including socio-ecological approaches. Lee Cohnstaedt has recruited high school students for collecting insect surveillance data that should be considered by members of NE:1443. The discussion then shifted to the standardization of surveillance strategies across groups and the potential use of UAVs in future surveillance and control efforts. The outcomes of recent Wolbachia trials and dsRNA technologies for potential mosquito control efforts were recapped. Paul Leisnham then closed this objective by leading a discussion on strategies for more effective public outreach. The effect of potential genetically modified Aedes release in the Florida Keys and the subsequent ripple-effect of fear in the public were discussed. 

Action Items: None identified

Objective 5: Training and training tools.  The teachers workshop was a major focus. It was agreed upon that 20 minute talks by recognized outstanding teachers in the field of medical entomology would be a good format. Paul Leisnham work towards finalizing a course by next year.

Action Items: a ”One day, Master teacher Symposium for Teaching Medical Entomology” might fit in with the annual American Mosquito Control Association meeting and that this could help researchers prepare for answering the public’s concerns, as well as being better university instructors.

Group discussions on potential funding sources and development of prospective collaborative proposals- Zika related grants were primarily discussed in the first half of this section of the meeting. I.e. NIH, NSF-EEID, NSF-RAPID. Non-Zika-related potential R21 and R01 ideas were then discussed.

Closing: Phillip Armstrong was elected as Chair of NE1443 for 2016-2017. Jonas King volunteers to act as secretary for the next year. For 2017, it was unanimously agreed to have the meeting at the same venue and again in in conjunction with the 13^th Arbovirus Surveillance and Mosquito Control Workshop, date TBA.

Meeting adjourned at 5 pm.

Special thanks to Jonas King for recording minutes of the meeting.

Accomplishments

Objective 1: The aim of this project is to support and promote available resources such as the BEI Resources established by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for human pathogens and to identify alternative sources for vector resources beyond those found in BEI. The main objective is to support, promote, and enlarge the BEI resource for pathogens and vectors of human disease to include the identification and development of alternative resources that can be used to facilitate the study of arthropod vectors and arthropod-borne zoonotic disease agents of human and animal health importance.

A comprehensive listing has been compiled to include more than 70 laboratory colonies of mosquitoes, sandflies, muscoid flies, culicoides, and ticks, and arthropod cell lines derived from ticks, mosquitoes, sand flies, and culicoides . The current database will be distributed via an online database and ultimately be published.  The committee is also reviewing and compiling new shipping/regulatory information regarding interstate transfer of live, arthropod vectors.

Objective 2: The rapid increase in the incidence of human illness due to tick-borne pathogens requires better integration of available management options as well as development of new approaches. The aim of this project is to improve methods for assessment of infection status of ticks and reservoirs, to assess ecological risk of tick-borne pathogens and features that regulate tick density, and to test and develop methods for suppression of ticks or pathogens in urban and suburban environments.

Powassan encephalitis is a relatively rare but serious tick-borne viral infection that is increasing in incidence in the northeastern and northcentral U.S.   Accordingly, Dr. Armstrong and participants initiated a multi-year survey to evaluate the spatial distribution and environmental risk of POWV infection by determining the prevalence of POWV in field-collected I. scapularis from Connecticut.  To date, a total of 1077 I. scapularis nymphs and 1803 adults were assayed for virus infection.  POWV was recovered from 4 nymphal ticks (0.4%) and from 17 adult ticks (0.9%) in four locations in Connecticut (Bridgeport, Lyme, Redding, and North Branford).  This investigation shows that POWV is distributed in foci throughout Connecticut where it infects a low proportion of human biting ticks.   Infection rates were more than 2-fold higher in adult than nymphal ticks.  Given that POWV may be transmitted within 15 minutes of tick attachment as compared with the agents of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis which takes at least 48 hours, the adult tick may be an important source of human infection of POWV.

Lyme disease (LD) is the most important tick-associated disease in the United States. A variety of prevention and control methods, including personal protective measures, habitat modification, applications of biological and natural compounds, and host-targeted control measures, have been examined for reducing tick abundance and risk for LD. Most of these approaches have met with varying degrees of success. Dr. Molaei and colleagues are exploring  the efficacy of integrated and individual tick control measures by: 1) developing a reduced risk/integrated tick management (ITM) approach to tick control, using an array of least-toxic tick control measures, in a residential community, that is effective, safe, inexpensive, and simple to implement, 2) measuring efficacy of individual methods and an ITM approach to reduce infected ticks, infected reservoirs, and questing tick populations as a means of reducing the risk of tick-borne disease and LD incidence, 3) determining most effective timing and method of implementation of each tick control method and analyze costs for individual components of an ITM program, the ITM program as a whole, and individual costs to the homeowner, and 4) creating a decision support system that provides guidance to homeowners on the risk of acquisition of LD. The project should result in reduced pesticide use, easy access to information on tick management strategies, the adoption and use of various cost-effective tick management approaches by homeowners, and the ability of communities to design an ITM system to reduce the risk of LD.

Objective 3: This Aim focuses on on the surveillance, range expansion, ecology, genetics, and disease risk of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti. Although much work has been conducted already on these species, not enough is known about their recent biology, especially in areas where Ae. albopictus has recently invaded (Northeastern States), or where a resurgence in population abundance is occurring for Ae. aegypti (Florida) where it overlaps with Ae. albopictus.  This objective will produce the following: (1) development of new data on overwintering survival of the Asian tiger mosquito (2) development of predictive models for vector range expansion and disease transmission, and (3) recommendations best practices for vector control and disease intervention in the face of an outbreak.

The northern distribution limit for Ae. albopictus is estimated to be between the 0^o and -5^o C mean winter temperature isotherms based on its distribution in East Asia.  The coast of southern Connecticut and Massachusetts is located within these isotherms and appear to possess suitable habitat and climatic conditions for future colonization.  Dr. Armstrong and colleagues sampled larval and adult mosquitoes from locations in Connecticut, to determine the extent of the Ae. albopictus infestation and to evaluate its overwintering success in this region.  The first female Ae. albopictus was collected in Stratford, Connecticut during 2006 and none were collected again until 2010 and 2011.  The number of Ae. albopictus increased substantially in the following years and were restricted to southwestern coastal Connecticut. Ae. albopictus larvae were recovered from tires that were left outside overwinter and flooded in the spring during 2013 but not following exceptionally cold winters of 2014 and 2015.  This study documents the northward expansion and establishment of Ae. albopictus into southern Connecticut.  Recovery of larvae from tires that were flooded during the spring clearly indicates that this species may survive mild winter conditions in southern Connecticut.  Continued monitoring of this region is warranted to document areas of Ae. albopictus establishment and anticipate the potential for future range expansion.

Dr. Laura Harrington (Cornell University) conduced the first year of preliminary experiments to understand winter egg survival under different temperatures. Additionally, data on winter temperature in diapause habitats was recorded with data loggers in three field sites in the Lower Hudson River Valley, NY that have well established Asian tiger mosquito populations. Mosquito control personnel in these regions to collaborate with were identified on this project. During the summer of 2016, surveys were conducted in the Lower Hudson Valley Region of New York State (Westchester, Rockland, and Suffolk counties). Surveys were conducted through the entire adult mosquito activity season (April to November) in nine neighborhoods within the known zone of infestation (NYSDOH). The sites varied in socioeconomic demographics and in urban cover (percent impervious surface). Positive container habitat traits, larval presence with other mosquito species, and spatial patterns of occurrence between the nine individual sites and between sites of different socioeconomic strata were compared. Additional sampling was conducted in non-residential sites above the known zone of infestation in order to update the established range of this species in New York State. These data are currently being analyzed and a second season replicate is planned for 2017. Ae. albopictus were collected north of the currently understood distribution boundary in 2016.  Follow up surveys in 2017, will further characterize the current zone of infestation for this species in NYS.

Dr. Leisnham (University of Maryland) is conducting a similar but independent study comparing seasonal changes in summer and winter temperatures among common artificial container habitats in the field (i.e., used tire, plastic cup, pottery planter, plastic corrugated tubing, plastic bucket) using data loggers. Data was also collected on Ae. albopictus oviposition activity. Preliminary data from the first year of the study indicate potentially important variation in the seasonal temperature profiles among different container types that may affect larval survival and development in the summer, and egg survival in the winter.

Dr. Gabe Hammer (Texas A&M) published a forum article the Journal of Medical Entomology (Hamer 2016) comparing and contrasting states on publishing mosquito information. A key conclusion was that available funding was a significant predictor. He's continuing work on socio-ecological dynamics and citizen science in border communities

Drs. Dan Kline (USDA-ARS) and Paul Leisnham (University of Maryland) are working with mosquito control districts in New Jersey (Dr. Isik Unlu, Mercer Co.) and James McNelly (Volusia Co.) to understand geographical variation in the seasonal patterns of Ae. albopictus oviposition and egg ecology, and to develop more accurate degree day models for northern vs. southern populations. Weekly ovitrapping was conducted from the spring through early fall in 2015 at two sites in the north (New Jersey and Maryland) and two sites in Florida. Ovitrapping has continued into 2016 for the two sites in Florida.

Objective 4: This research cluster focuses on the development of mosquito control and management tools for maintaining mosquito populations below nuisance levels and/or below epidemic levels for disease transmission. This includes a broad based approach to new toxicant discovery, screening of compounds derived from natural products, and evaluation of registered compounds for mosquitocidal activity.  In addition, we are exploring gene silencing using RNAi technology as a method to knock down critical proteins in adult and larval mosquitoes with possible applications for control. Microsporidian parasites are known to infect many mosquitoes worldwide, but fundamental knowledge on the genomes of mosquito microsporidia and host-pathogen interactions are poorly known. These products will complement and expand the comprehensive scientific literature regarding operational technologies for mosquito surveillance and control that is already in existence. 

Dr. Dobson (University of Kentucky) has implemented Wolbachia trials to control Aedes albopictus in California and initial results are promising thus far.  Dr. Vaidyanathan (Clarke Inc) and Dr. Becnel (USDA-ARS) are investigating the application of dsRNA technologies for potential mosquito control efforts. Paul Leisnham is evaluating the effectiveness of different strategies for community outreach for vector control interventions.  He has identified a number of public misconceptions ranging from mosquitoes vectoring HIV, to a great fear of male mosquito releases that have consequences on the implementation of control efforts.

Objective 5: The key outcome will be training and training tools delivered to developing scientists within the field of Medical and Veterinary Entomology. Tools will be (1) a training course in conjunction with one or more Multistate meetings and (2) Publication of a position paper regarding the development of the next generation of scientists within our field.

During this past project year appropriate training tools were discussed in-depth and planned. Following initial discussions in year 1 of the project, in this past project year (Year 2) a database of current training courses was compiled through input from project personnel, and made available to the wider group. The database consisted of 16 courses that represented a range in approached with regards to their target audiences, delivery of instruction, and content. The majority of courses (n=12) targeted full or part-time students in an academic setting, while four courses were targeted for a professional/technical audience. Fifteen courses involved in-person instruction, while 1 course was delivered online. Eleven courses had content that focused on practical taxonomic identification and 3 courses focused on a broader range of methods within the field of medical entomology. These 14 courses appeared to use experiential learning techniques for at least part of their instructional delivery. Two other classes appeared to be more focused on broader conceptual and theoretical issues important to ecological and/or global heath. As expected, while courses focused on particular audiences, instructive approaches, and content, most provided a broad experience for their students. After considerable discussion at the annual meeting, discussion among project personnel concluded that a next step might be to plan and organize an in-person course to coincide with the annual meeting in Years 4 and 5, and that detailed planning for this course could take at the annual meeting in Year 3.

Publications

Alfonso-Parra C, Ahmed-Braimah YH, Degner EC, Avila FW, Villarreal SM, Pleiss JA, Wolfner MF, Harrington LC. Mating-induced transcriptome changes in the reproductive tract of female Aedes aegypti. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016 Feb 22;10(2):e0004451.

Armstrong PM, Andreadis TG, Anderson JF. Emergence of a new lineage of Cache Valley virus (Bunyaviridae: Orthobunyavirus) in the Northeastern United States. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2015 Jul;93(1):11-7.

Baldridge GD, Li YG, Witthuhn BA, Higgins L, Markowski TW, Baldridge AS, Fallon AM. Mosaic composition of ribA and wspB genes flanking the virB8-D4 operon in the Wolbachia supergroup B-strain, wStr. Arch Microbiol. 2016 Jan;198(1):53-69.

Baldridge GD, Markowski TW, Witthuhn BA, Higgins L, Baldridge AS, Fallon AM. The Wolbachia WO bacteriophage proteome in the Aedes albopictus C/wStr1 cell line: evidence for lytic activity? In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim. 2016 Jan;52(1):77-88.

Beyenbach KW, Yu Y, Piermarini PM, Denton J. Targeting renal epithelial channels for the control of insect vectors. Tissue Barriers. 2015 Sep 1;3(4):e1081861.

Bodner D, LaDeau SL, Biehler D, Kirchoff N, Leisnham PT. Effectiveness of Print Education at Reducing Urban Mosquito Infestation through Improved Resident-Based Management. PLoS One. 2016 May 12;11(5):e0155011.

Calkins TL, Piermarini PM. Pharmacological and Genetic Evidence for Gap Junctions as Potential New Insecticide Targets in the Yellow Fever Mosquito, Aedes aegypti. PLoS One. 2015 Sep 1;10(9):e0137084.

Calkins TL, Woods-Acevedo MA, Hildebrandt O, Piermarini PM. The molecular and immunochemical expression of innexins in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti: insights into putative life stage- and tissue-specific functions of gap junctions. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol. 2015 May;183:11-21.

Davis TJ, Kline DL, Kaufman PE. Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Oviposition Preference as Influenced by Container Size and Buddleja davidii Plants. J Med Entomol. 2016 Mar;53(2):273-8.

Davis TJ, Kaufman PE, Hogsette JA, Kline DL. The Effects of Larval Habitat Quality on Aedes albopictus Skip Oviposition. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 2015 Dec;31(4):321-8.

Davis TJ, Kaufman PE, Tatem AJ, Hogsette JA, Kline DL. Development and Evaluation of an Attractive Self-Marking Ovitrap to Measure Dispersal and Determine Skip Oviposition in Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Field Populations. J Med Entomol. 2016 Jan;53(1):31-8.

Desjardins CA, Sanscrainte ND, Goldberg JM, Heiman D, Young S, Zeng Q, Madhani HD, Becnel JJ, Cuomo CA. Contrasting host-pathogen interactions and genome evolution in two generalist and specialist microsporidian pathogens of mosquitoes. Nat Commun. 2015 May 13;6:7121.

Degner EC, Harrington LC. Polyandry Depends on Postmating Time Interval in the Dengue Vector Aedes aegypti. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2016 Apr; 94(4):780-5.

Esquivel CJ, Cassone BJ, Piermarini PM. A de novo transcriptome of the Malpighian tubules in non-blood-fed and blood-fed Asian tiger mosquitoes Aedes albopictus: insights into diuresis, detoxification, and blood meal processing. PeerJ. 2016 Mar 10;4:e1784.

Fallon AM. Effects of mimosine on Wolbachia in mosquito cells: cell cycle suppression reduces bacterial abundance. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim. 2015 Oct;51(9):958-63. doi: 10.1007/s11626-015-9918-7.

Faraji A, Gaugler R. Experimental host preference of diapause and non-diapause induced Culex pipiens pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae). Parasit Vectors. 2015 Jul 24; 8:389.

Faraji A, Unlu I, Crepeau T, Healy S, Crans S, Lizarraga G, Fonseca D, Gaugler R. Droplet Characterization and Penetration of an Ultra-Low Volume Mosquito Adulticide Spray Targeting the Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus, within Urban and Suburban Environments of Northeastern USA. PLoS One.

Fonseca DM, Kaplan LR, Heiry RA, Strickman D. Density-Dependent Oviposition by Female Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Spreads Eggs Among Containers During the Summer but Accumulates Them in the Fall. J Med Entomol. 2015 Jul;52(4):705-12.

Hamer GL. Heterogeneity of Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) Control Community Size, Research Productivity, and Arboviral Diseases Across the United States. J Med Entomol. 2016 May;53(3):485-495.

Hardstone MC, Strycharz JP, Kim J, Park IK, Yoon KS, Ahn YJ, Harrington LC, Lee SH, Clark JM. Development of multifunctional metabolic synergists to suppress the evolution of resistance against pyrethroids in insects that blood feed on humans. Pest Manag Sci. 2015 Jun;71(6):842-9.

Hoel DF, Dunford JC, Kline DL, Irish SR, Weber M, Richardson AG, Doud CW, Wirtz RA. A Comparison of Carbon Dioxide Sources for Mosquito Capture in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Light Traps on the Florida Gulf Coast. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 2015 Sep;31(3):248-57.

Heu CC, Kurtti TJ, Nelson CM, Munderloh UG. Transcriptional Analysis of the Conjugal Transfer Genes of Rickettsia bellii RML 369-C. PLoS One. 2015 Sep 9;10(9):e0137214.

Hegde S, Rasgon JL, Hughes GL. The microbiome modulates arbovirus transmission in mosquitoes. Curr Opin Virol. 2015 Dec;15:97-102.

Henning TC, Orr JM, Smith JD, Arias JR, Rasgon JL, Norris DE. Discovery of filarial nematode DNA in Amblyomma americanum in Northern Virginia. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2016 Mar;7(2):315-8.

Huang YJ, Harbin JN, Hettenbach SM, Maki E, Cohnstaedt LW, Barrett AD, Higgs S, Vanlandingham DL. Susceptibility of a North American Culex quinquefasciatus to Japanese Encephalitis Virus. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2015 Nov;15(11):709-11.

Hutcheson HJ, Mertins JW, Larson SR, Paskewitz S. Acarine hypopi (Sarcoptiformes: Acaridae) on Ixodes scapularis (Ixodida: Ixodidae) in Central North America. J Med Entomol. 2015 Sep;52(5):837-41.

Johnson BJ, Fonseca DM. Insecticide resistance alleles in wetland and residential populations of the West Nile virus vector Culex pipiens in New Jersey. Pest Manag Sci. 2016 Mar;72(3):481-8.

Karki S, Hamer GL, Anderson TK, Goldberg TL, Kitron UD, Krebs BL, Walker ED, Ruiz MO. Effect of Trapping Methods, Weather, and Landscape on Estimates of the Culex Vector Mosquito Abundance. Environ Health Insights. 2016 Jun 22;10:93-103.

LaDeau SL, Allan BF, Leisnham PT, Levy MZ. The ecological foundations of transmission potential and vector-borne disease in urban landscapes. Funct Ecol. 2015 Jul;29:889-901.

Larson SR, Paskewitz SM. Teratological Nymphal Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) From Wisconsin. J Med Entomol. 2016 Mar;53(2):477-9.

Misencik MJ, Grubaugh ND, Andreadis TG, Ebel GD, Armstrong PM. Isolation of a Novel Insect-Specific Flavivirus from Culiseta melanura in the Northeastern United States. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2016 Mar;16(3):181-90.

Molaei G, Thomas MC, Muller T, Medlock J, Shepard JJ, Armstrong PM, Andreadis TG. Dynamics of Vector-Host Interactions in Avian Communities in Four Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus Foci in the Northeastern U.S. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016 Jan 11;10(1):e0004347.

Molaei G, Armstrong PM, Graham AC, Kramer LD, Andreadis TG. Insights into the recent emergence and expansion of eastern equine encephalitis virus in a new focus in the Northern New England USA. Parasit Vectors. 2015 Oct 9;8:516.

Molaei G, Armstrong PM, Abadam CF, Akaratovic KI, Kiser JP, Andreadis TG. Vector-Host Interactions of Culiseta melanura in a Focus of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus Activity in Southeastern Virginia. PLoS One. 2015 Sep 1;10(9):e0136743.

Monaghan AJ, Morin CW, Steinhoff DF, Wilhelmi O, Hayden M, Quattrochi DA, Reiskind M, Lloyd AL, Smith K, Schmidt CA, Scalf PE, Ernst K. On the Seasonal Occurrence and Abundance of the Zika Virus Vector Mosquito Aedes Aegypti in the Contiguous United States. PLoS Curr. 2016 Mar 16;8.

Nair AD, Cheng C, Ganta CK, Sanderson MW, Alleman AR, Munderloh UG, Ganta RR. Comparative Experimental Infection Study in Dogs with Ehrlichia canis, E. chaffeensis, Anaplasma platys and A. phagocytophilum. PLoS One. 2016 Feb 3;11(2):e0148239.

Oliver JD, Lynn GE, Burkhardt NY, Price LD, Nelson CM, Kurtti TJ, Munderloh UG. Infection of Immature Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) by Membrane Feeding. J Med Entomol. 2016 Mar;53(2):409-15.

Oliva Chávez AS, Fairman JW, Felsheim RF, Nelson CM, Herron MJ, Higgins L, Burkhardt NY, Oliver JD, Markowski TW, Kurtti TJ, Edwards TE, Munderloh UG. An O-Methyltransferase Is Required for Infection of Tick Cells by Anaplasma phagocytophilum. PLoS Pathog. 2015 Nov 6;11(11):e1005248.

Oliver JD, Chávez AS, Felsheim RF, Kurtti TJ, Munderloh UG. An Ixodes scapularis cell line with a predominantly neuron-like phenotype. Exp Appl Acarol. 2015 Jul;66(3):427-42.

Price DC, Egizi A, Fonseca DM. Characterization of the doublesex gene within the Culex pipiens complex suggests regulatory plasticity at the base of the mosquito sex determination cascade. BMC Evol Biol. 2015 Jun 11;15:108.

Pridgeon JW, Zhao L, Becnel JJ, Strickman DA, Clark GG, Linthicum KJ. Erratum. Topically applied AaeIAP1 double-stranded RNA kills female adults of Aedes aegypti. Journal of Medical Entomology 45(3):414–420. J Med Entomol. 2016 Mar;53(2):484.

Piermarini PM, Dunemann SM, Rouhier MF, Calkins TL, Raphemot R, Denton JS, Hine RM, Beyenbach KW. Localization and role of inward rectifier K(+) channels in Malpighian tubules of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti. Insect Biochem Mol Biol. 2015 Dec;67:59-73.

Pritt BS, Mead PS, Johnson DK, Neitzel DF, Respicio-Kingry LB, Davis JP, Schiffman E, Sloan LM, Schriefer ME, Replogle AJ, Paskewitz SM, Ray JA, Bjork J, Steward CR, Deedon A, Lee X, Kingry LC, Miller TK, Feist MA, Theel ES, Patel R, Irish CL, Petersen JM. Identification of a novel pathogenic Borrelia species causing Lyme borreliosis with unusually high spirochaetaemia: a descriptive study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2016 May;16(5):556-64.

Puglise JM, Estep AS, Becnel JJ. Expression Profiles and RNAi Silencing of Inhibitor of Apoptosis Transcripts in Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae). J Med Entomol. 2016 Mar;53(2):304-14.

Reiskind MH, Janairo MS. Late-instar Behavior of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Larvae in Different Thermal and Nutritive Environments. J Med Entomol. 2015 Sep;52(5):789-96.

Sakamoto JM, Ng TF, Suzuki Y, Tsujimoto H, Deng X, Delwart E, Rasgon JL. Bunyaviruses are common in male and female Ixodes scapularis ticks in central Pennsylvania. PeerJ. 2016 Aug 11;4:e2324.

Sarikahya NB, Kayce P, Tabanca N, Estep AS, Becnel JJ, Khan IA, Kirmizigul S. Toxicity of Cephalaria Species and their Individual Constituents against Aedes aegypti. Nat Prod Commun. 2015 Jul;10(7):1195-8.

Shand L, Brown WM, Chaves LF, Goldberg TL, Hamer GL, Haramis L, Kitron U, Walker ED, Ruiz MO. Predicting West Nile Virus Infection Risk From the Synergistic Effects of Rainfall and Temperature. J Med Entomol. 2016 Jul;53(4):935-944.

Smith CD, Freed TZ, Leisnham PT. Prior Hydrologic Disturbance Affects Competition between Aedes Mosquitoes via Changes in Leaf Litter. PLoS One. 2015 Jun 2;10(6):e0128956.

Suman DS, Wang Y, Gaugler R. The Insect Growth Regulator Pyriproxyfen Terminates Egg Diapause in the Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus. PLoS One. 2015 Jun 19;10(6):e0130499.

Troemel ER, Becnel JJ. Genome analysis and polar tube firing dynamics of mosquito-infecting microsporidia. Fungal Genet Biol. 2015 Oct;83:41-4.

Unlu I, Leisnham PT, Williams GM, Klingler K, Dow GW, Kirchoff N, Jin S, Delisi N, Montenegro K, Faraji A. Effects of a Red Marker Dye on Aedes and Culex Larvae: Are There Implications for Operational Mosquito Control? J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 2015 Dec;31(4):375-9.

Villiard A, Gaugler R. Long-term Effects of Carbohydrate Availability on Mating Success of Newly Eclosed Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Males. J Med Entomol. 2015 May;52(3):308-14.

Wang J, Dyachenko V, Munderloh UG, Straubinger RK. Transmission of Anaplasma phagocytophilum from endothelial cells to peripheral granulocytes in vitro under shear flow conditions. Med Microbiol Immunol. 2015 Oct;204(5):593-603.

Wilkerson RC, Linton YM, Fonseca DM, Schultz TR, Price DC, Strickman DA. Making Mosquito Taxonomy Useful: A Stable Classification of Tribe Aedini that Balances Utility with Current Knowledge of Evolutionary Relationships. PLoS One. 2015 Jul 30;10(7):e0133602.

Xue L, Scoglio C, McVey DS, Boone R, Cohnstaedt LW. Two Introductions of Lyme Disease into Connecticut: A Geospatial Analysis of Human Cases from 1984 to 2012. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2015 Sep;15(9):523-8

Yee DA, Kaufman MG, Ezeakacha NF. Correction: How Diverse Detrital Environments Influence Nutrient Stoichiometry between Males and Females of the Co-Occurring Container Mosquitoes Aedes albopictus, Ae. aegypti, and Culex quinquefasciatus. PLoS One. 2016 Mar 23;11(3):e0144867.

Yee DA, Kaufman MG, Ezeakacha NF. How Diverse Detrital Environments Influence Nutrient Stoichiometry between Males and Females of the Co-Occurring Container Mosquitoes Aedes albopictus, Ae. aegypti, and Culex quinquefasciatus. PLoS One.2015 Aug 5;10(8):e0133734.