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Researchers looking for solution to tick-borne cattle disease 

The Asian longhorned tick, slightly larger than a poppyseed, can carry a rare pathogen that has been identified in cattle in multiple Virginia counties.

Theileria orientalis Ikeda strain is a tick-borne disease that causes anemia, death and abortion in cattle. While it is not a risk to human health, it carries the potential for significant economic impacts on cattle farms.

Because the longhorned tick can reproduce asexually, “one tick can produce thousands of ticks,” said Dr. Kevin Lahmers, a veterinary pathologist with the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

While T. orientalis infection may have been misdiagnosed for years, it has been documented in Virginia cattle since September 2017, when seven cows died in Albemarle County. Since then, the pathogen has been detected in at least 31 Virginia counties—from Northern Virginia to the Shenandoah Valley and into Southwest Virginia, and six other states.

Australian cattle ranchers lose $20 million annually to the pathogen. If left unchecked in the U.S., its estimated economic losses could reach $300 million per year.  ” READ MORE>>
Tick-borne Disease Outreach Activities by CeZAP Affiliated Faculty
  • Emerging Tick-Borne Arboviruses: Powassan virus, Heartland virus, and Bourbon virus 

The Extension factsheet draws attention to tick-borne viral pathogens thought to be emerging in Virginia. These are rare but serious arboviruses associated with ticks: Powassan virus, Heartland virus, and Bourbon virus. The two tick species that vector each virus, Ixodes scapularis or the blacklegged tick (in the case of Powassan) and Amblyomma americanum or the Lone-star tick (Heartland and Bourbon viruses) are widespread across the Commonwealth of Virginia, and bite humans. The Eastwood Lab (producing this report) investigates vector-borne pathogens, and their project focused on tick-borne viruses forms the basis of both an MS dissertation, undergraduate research, and a CALS-funded integrative research project.  READ MORE>>

  • How to protect yourself from ticks

Brandon Jutras, an Assistant Professor in the Biochemistry department at Virginia Tech, says the easiest way to protect yourself from ticks starts with your clothing. He says to wear clothes that will cover the most skin. It might not be fashionable, but he recommends wearing high socks and tucking your pants into your socks.

If you plan on going on a hike, it is best to stay on the trail where the grass is well-groomed. Jutras says that ticks are not like mosquitoes. They are not trying to actively find you and bite you, they go on quests.   READ MORE>>

  • Expert: Landscape choices an reduce risk of tick-borne illnesses

Rethinking our landscaping choices – from the municipal level down to individual yards – is one way to reduce our interaction with infected ticks and therefore the threat of tick-borne illnesses, according to a Virginia Tech geography expert who studies how Lyme cases are associated with certain land cover characteristics and configurations

“We found higher rates of Lyme disease in areas with herbaceous cover, such as meadows and grass, as well as the edges or boundaries between herbaceous land cover and forest patches,” said Korine Kolivras, a professor in the university’s Department of Geography, part of the College of Natural Resources and Environment. READ MORE>>

Save the date
2022  CeZAP Infectious Diseases Symposium 

October 7, 2022 
8:30 am - 5:30 pm

The Inn at Virginia Tech


Keynote speakers include: 

 Jennifer McQuiston
Deputy Director, Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

T. Jake Liang
NIH Distinguished Investigator and Member of National Academy of Medicine, NIH

Sue VandeWoude
Director of One Health Institute and Member of National Academy of Sciences, Colorado State University
ID IGEP affiliated students Marcel Shams Eddin, Carolina Martinez, Matt Flores, Jason Pough, Abdullahi Jamiu and Jaspreet Gill having fun at the CeZAP Spring Mix & Mingle Selfie Station

Congratulations to Rebecca Hester on receiving the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Diversity Award  

Hester’s nomination described her work as “programmatic and expansive; she is a true agent of change in curricula and pedagogy centered on important issues, and on outreach to newcomer communities. Hester’s support of diversity reflects a deep commitment and is thoroughly integrated across teaching, service, and research. She thus serves as an excellent model of what diversity work can be at the university.” READ MORE>>
Recent Publications by CeZAP Affiliated Faculty
Giraffe skin disease: Clinicopathologic characterization of cutaneous filariasis in the critically endangered Nubian giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis)
Han S, Dadone L, Ferguson S, Bapodra-Villaverde P, Dennis PM, Aruho R, Sadar MJ, Fennessy J, Driciru M, Muneza AB, Brown MB, Johnston M, Lahmers K. Vet Pathol 
DOI: 10.1177/03009858221082606

Investigating plant disease outbreaks with long-read metagenomics: sensitive detection and highly resolved phylogenetic reconstruction applied to Xylella fastidiosa Johnson M, Liu H, Bush E, Sharma P, Yang S, Mazloom R, Heath L, Nita M, Li S, Vinatzer B. Microb Genom DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000822

Could a Focus on the "Why" of Taxonomy Help Taxonomy Better Respond to the Needs of Science and Society? Pritchard L, Brown C. Harrington B, Heath L, Pierce-Ward, Vinatzer B.  Front Microbiol
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.887310

African Animal Trypanosomiasis: A Systematic Review on Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Drug Resistance in Sub-Saharan Africa Okello I, Mafie E, Eastwood G, Nzalawahe J, Mboera LG  J Med Entomol DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjac018

Biophysical insights into OR2T7: Investigation of a potential prognostic marker for glioblastoma Sharp A, Newman D, Libonate G, Borns-Stern M, Bevan D, Brown AM, Anandakrishnan R. Biophys J. 
DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.05.009

Rehabilitation of misbehaving microbiome: phages for the remodeling of bacterial composition and function. Baaziz H, Baker Z, Franklin H Hsu B.  iScience DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104146
Behavioral and postural analyses establish sleep-like states for mosquitoes that can impact host landing and blood feeding Ajayi O, Marlman J, Gleitz L, Smith E, Piller B, Krupa J, Vinauger C, Benoit J. J Exp Biol DOI: 10.1242/jeb244032

Mechanistic Studies in In Vivo Efficacy of an Oxadiazole-Containing Antibiotic Naclerio GA, Abutaleb NS, Onyedibe KI, Karanja C, Eldesouky HE, Liang HW, Dieterly A, Aryal UK, Lyle T, Seleem MN, Sintim HO. J Med Chem  DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c02034

Trypanosoma cruzi strain and starvation-driven mitochondrial RNA editing and transcriptome variability Gerasimov ES, Ramirez-Barrios R, Yurchenko V, Zimmer SL. RNA  DOI: 10.1261/rna.079088.121

The Consistent Tick-Vertebrate Infectious Cycle of the Lyme Disease Spirochete Enables Borrelia burgdorferi To Control Protein Expression by Monitoring Its Physiological Status Steenson B, Krusenstjerna A, Castro-Padovani T, Savage C, Jutras B, Saylor T.  J Bacteriol 
DOI: 10.1128/jb.00606-21
Molecular Dynamics Simulations Indicate Aromaticity as a Key Factor in the Inhibition of IAPP (20-29) Aggregation  King K, Bevan D, Brown AM.  ACS Chem Neurosci
DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00025

Behavioral and postural analyses establish sleep-like states for mosquitoes that can impact host landing and blood feeding Ajayi OM, Marlman JM, Gleitz LA, Smith ES, Piller BD, Krupa JA, Vinauger C, Benoit JB. J Exp Biol  DOI: 10.1242/jeb.244032



 
COVID-19 Outreach Activities by CeZAP Affiliated Faculty Linsey Marr
 
COVID-19 Publications by CeZAP Affiliated Faculty
 
Subsewershed SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance and COVID-19 Epidemiology Using Building-Specific Occupancy and Case Data Cohen A, Maile-Moskowitz A, Grubb C, Gonazalez R, Ceci A, Darling A, Hungerford L, Fricker Jr. R, Finkielstein C, Pruden A, Vikesland P.  ACS EST Water  DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.2c00059.
Recent Research Grants Awarded to CeZAP Affiliated Faculty
  • DBSP  Immune Responses to Recombinant Rotaviruses Expressing Norovirus Capsid Protein  $566,429
    • PI Lijuan Yuan
Human noroviruses (HuNoV) and rotaviruses (HRV) are the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. Currently, there is no HuNoV vaccine available. Rotavirus vaccines have been effective in reducing HRV gastroenteritis in infants and young children. In collaboration with Dr. John Patton from Indiana University we aim to develop an oral HuNoV vaccine using rotavirus vaccine as an expression platform through reverse genetics system of rotavirus. We will evaluate the replication capacity, immunogenicity, and protective efficacy of the recombinant live oral vaccine in gnotobiotic pig model of HuNoV and HRV infection and diarrhea.
  • Guatemalan government institute (SENACYT) grant to research mosquito vector species and enzootic arboviral circulation in Department Izabal, Guatemala
    • Co-PI Gillian Eastwood
Gillian Eastwood was recently in Guatemala collaborating with Centro Universitario de Zacapa in mosquito collections and community understanding of vectors and arboviral diseases.
 CeZAP Affiliated Faculty highlighted in
 Link+License+Launch: Faculty Inventor Spotlight

WEBSTER L. SANTOS

My team develops novel drugs for the treatment of various diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, multiple sclerosis, and chronic kidney disease. In particular, we are making drugs to target the mitochondria, sphingosine kinase, and sphingosine-1-phosphate transporters  READ MORE>>
KEVIN EDGAR

My major fields of interest are the chemistry of natural polysaccharides, glycoscience, creating methods for selective synthesis of derivatives of the complex and challenging polysaccharides, designing sustainable-based materials for optimal performance, biodegradable materials for low environmental impact, and biomedical applications including delivery of poorly soluble, low bioavailability active molecules, and tissue engineering. READ MORE>>

PAUL CARLIER

My team’s expertise in making molecules in the correct “left-handed” or “right-handed” form enantioselective synthesis is critical in these efforts, since only the correctly handed form will have the desired effects. Drug resistance is an ever-present threat to the effective treatment of malaria and bacterial infections. We focus on the development of agents that will kill strains of malaria parasites and pathogenic bacteria that are resistant to known antibiotics. READ MORE>>

X.J. MENG

My research focuses on delineating the mechanisms of viral replication and pathogenesis and developing vaccines against emerging viruses including hepatitis E virus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, and SARS-CoV-2. Since 1999, I have been awarded over $23 million in research funding as principal investigator and over $30 million as co-principal investigator. I have been awarded more than 22 U.S. patents, and my inventions led to development of commercial licensed vaccines on the global markets. READ MORE>>

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Center for Emerging, Zoonotic & Arthropod-borne Pathogens · 1918 Kraft Dr Rm 2036 · Blacksburg, VA 24060-6353 · USA