The Experts below are selected from a list of 327 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Bradley A. Mullens - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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beak condition drives abundance and grooming mediated competitive asymmetry in a poultry ectoparasite community
Parasitology, 2011Co-Authors: Brian L Chen, Kathryn L Haith, Bradley A. MullensAbstract:Objective . Ornithonyssus sylviarum (northern fowl mite) and Menacanthus stramineus (chicken body louse) are key poultry pests currently controlled by exclusion or pesticide application. We studied how host beak condition affected their populations over time and how the lice and mites might interact on a host. Methods . Beak-trimmed or beak-intact white leghorn hens were infested initially with either mites or lice and subsequently challenged using the alternate ectoparasite species (reciprocal transfer), while other hens harboured only the initial ectoparasite species. Results . Beak-trimmed hens had far higher ectoparasite numbers relative to beak-intact hens, and the 2 Ectoparasites showed evidence of grooming-mediated competitive asymmetry. On beak-trimmed hens, larger numbers of lice quickly nearly completely excluded mites in competition for enemy-free space (lower abdomen), while in the reciprocal transfer mites did not affect louse numbers on beak-trimmed hosts. The 2 Ectoparasites co-existed on beak-intact hens, which were better able to defend the lower abdomen habitat by grooming. Conclusion . Lice are somewhat less damaging and much easier to control relative to mites, and might be used to eliminate mites in commercial, beak-trimmed flocks. Beak trimming impairs host grooming and contributes greatly to the high ectoparasite populations seen in commercial flocks. The study adds incentives for poultry breeders to develop more docile hen strains that can be held without beak trimming. This has advantages both to welfare advocates and producers who may no longer need to use insecticides for pest control or be concerned about worker exposure to pesticides.
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MHC haplotype involvement in avian resistance to an ectoparasite
Immunogenetics, 2008Co-Authors: Jeb P. Owen, Mary E. Delany, Bradley A. MullensAbstract:Research on immune function in evolutionary ecology has frequently focused on avian Ectoparasites (e.g., mites and lice). However, host immunogenetics involved with bird resistance to Ectoparasites has not been determined. The critical role of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in adaptive immunity and high genetic variation found within the MHC make this gene complex useful for exploring the immunogenetic basis for bird resistance to Ectoparasites. The objective of this study was to determine if the avian MHC influenced resistance to a blood-feeding ectoparasite. Four congenic lines of chickens, differing only at the MHC, were comparatively infested with a cosmopolitan ectoparasite of birds—northern fowl mite (NFM)—which is also a serious pest species of poultry. Mite infestations were monitored over time and mite densities (weekly and maximum) were compared among lines. Chickens with the MHC haplotype B21 were relatively resistant to NFM, compared with birds in the B15 congenic line ( P
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MHC haplotype involvement in avian resistance to an ectoparasite.
Immunogenetics, 2008Co-Authors: Jeb P. Owen, Mary E. Delany, Bradley A. MullensAbstract:Research on immune function in evolutionary ecology has frequently focused on avian Ectoparasites (e.g., mites and lice). However, host immunogenetics involved with bird resistance to Ectoparasites has not been determined. The critical role of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in adaptive immunity and high genetic variation found within the MHC make this gene complex useful for exploring the immunogenetic basis for bird resistance to Ectoparasites. The objective of this study was to determine if the avian MHC influenced resistance to a blood-feeding ectoparasite. Four congenic lines of chickens, differing only at the MHC, were comparatively infested with a cosmopolitan ectoparasite of birds—northern fowl mite (NFM)—which is also a serious pest species of poultry. Mite infestations were monitored over time and mite densities (weekly and maximum) were compared among lines. Chickens with the MHC haplotype B21 were relatively resistant to NFM, compared with birds in the B15 congenic line (P < 0.02). To test for similar effects in an outbred genetic background, a separate experiment was performed with 107 commercial chickens (white leghorn, W-36 strain) infested with NFM. Hens were genotyped using a MHC microsatellite marker (LEI0258) and associations between MHC haplotype and NFM density were tested. The highest peak NFM populations occurred more often on hens with the B15 haplotype versus the B21 haplotype (P = 0.012), which supported the results of the congenic study. These data indicate the avian MHC influences ectoparasite resistance, which is relevant to disease ecology and avian–ectoparasite interaction.
Jeb P. Owen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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MHC haplotype involvement in avian resistance to an ectoparasite
Immunogenetics, 2008Co-Authors: Jeb P. Owen, Mary E. Delany, Bradley A. MullensAbstract:Research on immune function in evolutionary ecology has frequently focused on avian Ectoparasites (e.g., mites and lice). However, host immunogenetics involved with bird resistance to Ectoparasites has not been determined. The critical role of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in adaptive immunity and high genetic variation found within the MHC make this gene complex useful for exploring the immunogenetic basis for bird resistance to Ectoparasites. The objective of this study was to determine if the avian MHC influenced resistance to a blood-feeding ectoparasite. Four congenic lines of chickens, differing only at the MHC, were comparatively infested with a cosmopolitan ectoparasite of birds—northern fowl mite (NFM)—which is also a serious pest species of poultry. Mite infestations were monitored over time and mite densities (weekly and maximum) were compared among lines. Chickens with the MHC haplotype B21 were relatively resistant to NFM, compared with birds in the B15 congenic line ( P
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MHC haplotype involvement in avian resistance to an ectoparasite.
Immunogenetics, 2008Co-Authors: Jeb P. Owen, Mary E. Delany, Bradley A. MullensAbstract:Research on immune function in evolutionary ecology has frequently focused on avian Ectoparasites (e.g., mites and lice). However, host immunogenetics involved with bird resistance to Ectoparasites has not been determined. The critical role of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in adaptive immunity and high genetic variation found within the MHC make this gene complex useful for exploring the immunogenetic basis for bird resistance to Ectoparasites. The objective of this study was to determine if the avian MHC influenced resistance to a blood-feeding ectoparasite. Four congenic lines of chickens, differing only at the MHC, were comparatively infested with a cosmopolitan ectoparasite of birds—northern fowl mite (NFM)—which is also a serious pest species of poultry. Mite infestations were monitored over time and mite densities (weekly and maximum) were compared among lines. Chickens with the MHC haplotype B21 were relatively resistant to NFM, compared with birds in the B15 congenic line (P < 0.02). To test for similar effects in an outbred genetic background, a separate experiment was performed with 107 commercial chickens (white leghorn, W-36 strain) infested with NFM. Hens were genotyped using a MHC microsatellite marker (LEI0258) and associations between MHC haplotype and NFM density were tested. The highest peak NFM populations occurred more often on hens with the B15 haplotype versus the B21 haplotype (P = 0.012), which supported the results of the congenic study. These data indicate the avian MHC influences ectoparasite resistance, which is relevant to disease ecology and avian–ectoparasite interaction.
Mary E. Delany - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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MHC haplotype involvement in avian resistance to an ectoparasite
Immunogenetics, 2008Co-Authors: Jeb P. Owen, Mary E. Delany, Bradley A. MullensAbstract:Research on immune function in evolutionary ecology has frequently focused on avian Ectoparasites (e.g., mites and lice). However, host immunogenetics involved with bird resistance to Ectoparasites has not been determined. The critical role of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in adaptive immunity and high genetic variation found within the MHC make this gene complex useful for exploring the immunogenetic basis for bird resistance to Ectoparasites. The objective of this study was to determine if the avian MHC influenced resistance to a blood-feeding ectoparasite. Four congenic lines of chickens, differing only at the MHC, were comparatively infested with a cosmopolitan ectoparasite of birds—northern fowl mite (NFM)—which is also a serious pest species of poultry. Mite infestations were monitored over time and mite densities (weekly and maximum) were compared among lines. Chickens with the MHC haplotype B21 were relatively resistant to NFM, compared with birds in the B15 congenic line ( P
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MHC haplotype involvement in avian resistance to an ectoparasite.
Immunogenetics, 2008Co-Authors: Jeb P. Owen, Mary E. Delany, Bradley A. MullensAbstract:Research on immune function in evolutionary ecology has frequently focused on avian Ectoparasites (e.g., mites and lice). However, host immunogenetics involved with bird resistance to Ectoparasites has not been determined. The critical role of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in adaptive immunity and high genetic variation found within the MHC make this gene complex useful for exploring the immunogenetic basis for bird resistance to Ectoparasites. The objective of this study was to determine if the avian MHC influenced resistance to a blood-feeding ectoparasite. Four congenic lines of chickens, differing only at the MHC, were comparatively infested with a cosmopolitan ectoparasite of birds—northern fowl mite (NFM)—which is also a serious pest species of poultry. Mite infestations were monitored over time and mite densities (weekly and maximum) were compared among lines. Chickens with the MHC haplotype B21 were relatively resistant to NFM, compared with birds in the B15 congenic line (P < 0.02). To test for similar effects in an outbred genetic background, a separate experiment was performed with 107 commercial chickens (white leghorn, W-36 strain) infested with NFM. Hens were genotyped using a MHC microsatellite marker (LEI0258) and associations between MHC haplotype and NFM density were tested. The highest peak NFM populations occurred more often on hens with the B15 haplotype versus the B21 haplotype (P = 0.012), which supported the results of the congenic study. These data indicate the avian MHC influences ectoparasite resistance, which is relevant to disease ecology and avian–ectoparasite interaction.
Bambi Ferree - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Ectoparasites of free-ranging pumas and jaguars in the Paraguayan Chaco
Veterinary Parasitology, 2006Co-Authors: Lance A Durden, Mark W Cunningham, Rocky Mcbride, Bambi FerreeAbstract:Ectoparasites were collected from seven puma (Puma concolor) and seven jaguar (Panthera onca) live-captures (each representing six different animals) in the Paraguayan Chaco from 2002 to 2004. The same five species of Ectoparasites were recovered from both host species: the flea, Pulex simulans (total on both hosts combined = 30♂, 49♀), and the ticks, Amblyomma cajennense (1♂, 4♀, 46 nymphs, 241 larvae), Amblyomma parvum (42♂, 25♀), Amblyomma tigrinum (1♂, 7♀, 34 larvae) and Amblyomma triste (4♂). There were no statistical differences between the prevalences (percent of hosts infested) for any of these ectoparasite species between the two host species, and only P. simulans showed a significantly higher mean intensity (mean no. of each ectoparasite species per infested host) on one of the host species (jaguar). Clearly, these two large carnivores share similar ectoparasite faunas in the Paraguayan Chaco. However, both carnivores occupy large geographical distributions in the New World and this study, combined with the few previous studies, suggests that their ectoparasite faunas differ slightly in different parts of their respective ranges.
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Ectoparasites of free-ranging pumas and jaguars in the Paraguayan Chaco.
Veterinary parasitology, 2006Co-Authors: Lance A Durden, Mark W Cunningham, Rocky Mcbride, Bambi FerreeAbstract:Ectoparasites were collected from seven puma (Puma concolor) and seven jaguar (Panthera onca) live-captures (each representing six different animals) in the Paraguayan Chaco from 2002 to 2004. The same five species of Ectoparasites were recovered from both host species: the flea, Pulex simulans (total on both hosts combined=30 male, 49 female), and the ticks, Amblyomma cajennense (1 male, 4 female, 46 nymphs, 241 larvae), Amblyomma parvum (42 male, 25 female), Amblyomma tigrinum (1 male, 7 female, 34 larvae) and Amblyomma triste (4 male). There were no statistical differences between the prevalences (percent of hosts infested) for any of these ectoparasite species between the two host species, and only P. simulans showed a significantly higher mean intensity (mean no. of each ectoparasite species per infested host) on one of the host species (jaguar). Clearly, these two large carnivores share similar ectoparasite faunas in the Paraguayan Chaco. However, both carnivores occupy large geographical distributions in the New World and this study, combined with the few previous studies, suggests that their ectoparasite faunas differ slightly in different parts of their respective ranges.
Maria V. Orlova - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Patterns of Abundance and Host Specificity of Bat Ectoparasites in the Central Balkans.
Journal of Medical Entomology, 2017Co-Authors: Jelena Burazerović, Maria V. Orlova, M Obradović, Duško Ćirović, Snežana TomanovićAbstract:Bats are hosts to a number of Ectoparasites-acarines (ticks, chiggers, other mites), bat flies, and fleas. Bat Ectoparasites might have significant ecological and public health importance as they may be potential vectors of zoonotic agents. It is important to identify their distribution, diversity, and host-parasite associations. Bat Ectoparasites in the central Balkans have been largely understudied. The present research was conducted in 45 localities at the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. In total, 1,143 individuals of 18 species of bats have been examined for the presence and abundance of ectoparasite species during 3 yr of research. In total, 21 ectoparasite species have been identified: three species of ticks, seven species of mites (including one species of chigger), eight species of bat flies, and three species of fleas. In total, 80 host-parasite associations have been identified. The largest number of Ectoparasites parasitized primarily only one host species. The highest total number of hosts was identified for ectoparasite species Ixodes vespertilionis Koch, Nycteribia schmidlii Schiner, and Spinturnix myoti Kolenati. The spinturnicid mite Spinturnix psi Kolenati was the most abundant ectoparasite species and together with Penicilidia dufouri Westwood the most widely distributed species of bat ectoparasite, being present at 21 localities in the central Balkans. The presented data include the first systematic records of patterns of prevalence, mean intensity, mean abundance, and host specificity for bat Ectoparasites in the central Balkans.
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Ecology of Bats, Their Ectoparasites, and Associated Pathogens on Saint Kitts Island
Journal of Medical Entomology, 2016Co-Authors: Will K. Reeves, Maria V. Orlova, Jason D. Beck, Jennifer L. Daly, Kristi Pippin, Floyd Revan, Amanda D. LoftisAbstract:Ectoparasites of bats and bat-associated pathogens are poorly studied in the Lesser Antilles Islands. We report on an 11-mo field study on Saint Kitts Island of bat populations, their associated Ectoparasites, and pathogens. We report on five ectoparasite species, including four Streblidae (Diptera) and a Spinturnicidae (Acari). Several genotypes of unnamed Bartonella were isolated from bats and Ectoparasites. Microfilaria of an undetermined Litomosoides spp. were detected in blood from Artibeus jamaicensis Leach (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) (and associated Ectoparasites: Trichobius intermedius Peterson and Hurka (Diptera: Streblidae) and Periglischrus iheringi Oudemans (Acari: Spinturnicidae)). In addition, an Ehrlichia sp. and Rickettsia africae were detected in the blood of several bat species. Our study is one of the first surveys of ectoparasite-borne pathogens in wild mammals from St. Kitts.
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Ectoparasite associations of bats from Urals (Russia)
Hystrix-italian Journal of Mammalogy, 2010Co-Authors: Maria V. OrlovaAbstract:New data on bat Ectoparasites from the Middle and Northern Urals are re- ported. Twenty species, belonging to 8 families of insects and mites were found on six bat species: Myotis dasycneme, M. daubentonii, M. brandtii, Eptesicus nilsonii, Vespertilio murinus, Plecotus auritus. All ectoparasite species are usual for Northern Eurasia.
