Browsing by Author "Shifflett, Scarlet A."
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Item Borrelia Burgdorferi Prevalence in Nymphal Ixodes Scapularis Across Delaware(University of Delaware, 2021-05) Shifflett, Scarlet A.We performed a PCR protocol on 111 Ixodes scapularis nymphal ticks to identify Borrelia burgdorferi infections. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control collected tick samples throughout New Castle, Kent, and Sussex County in the state of Delaware with the goal of calculating B. burgdorferi prevalence at each collection site. We found that the state of Delaware has an overall 27.03% prevalence of B. burgdorferi in I. scapularis ticks. I. scapularis is the main vector for B. burgdorferi in the northeastern United States and so sampling its population is crucial to gain a better understanding of the ecology of the bacterium. The PCR we used targeted the variable outer surface protein C locus. Future sequencing of this PCR amplicon will allow us to distinguish specific B. burgdorferi genotypes. Some B. burgdorferi genotypes appear more likely to infect humans than others. Identifying genotypes known to cause infection in humans may lead to us more accurately assesses the human risk of Lyme disease in Delaware.Item Diversity and host specificity of Borrelia burgdorferi’s outer surface protein C (ospC) alleles in synanthropic mammals, with a notable ospC allele U absence from mixed infections(Infection and Immunity, 2023-12-15) Shifflett, Scarlet A.; Ferreira, Francisco C.; González, Julia; Toledo, Alvaro; Fonseca, Dina M.; Ellis, Vincenzo A.Interactions among pathogen genotypes that vary in host specificity may affect overall transmission dynamics in multi-host systems. Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterium that causes Lyme disease, is typically transmitted among wildlife by Ixodes ticks. Despite the existence of many alleles of B. burgdorferi’s sensu stricto outer surface protein C (ospC) gene, most human infections are caused by a small number of ospC alleles [“human infectious alleles” (HIAs)], suggesting variation in host specificity associated with ospC. To characterize the wildlife host association of B. burgdorferi’s ospC alleles, we used metagenomics to sequence ospC alleles from 68 infected individuals belonging to eight mammalian species trapped at three sites in suburban New Brunswick, New Jersey (USA). We found that multiple allele (“mixed”) infections were common. HIAs were most common in mice (Peromyscus spp.) and only one HIA was detected at a site where mice were rarely captured. ospC allele U was exclusively found in chipmunks (Tamias striatus), and although a significant number of different alleles were observed in chipmunks, including HIAs, allele U never co-occurred with other alleles in mixed infections. Our results suggest that allele U may be excluding other alleles, thereby reducing the capacity of chipmunks to act as reservoirs for HIAs.Item Records of fleas (Siphonaptera) from Delaware(Journal of Medical Entomology, 2024-05-17) Kennedy, Ashley C.; Winter, Wil S.; Gardner, Alfred L.; Woodman, Neal; Shifflett, Scarlet A.; Redus, Sierra; Newcomer, Jeffrey R.; Eckerlin, Ralph P.We present an annotated checklist of fleas (Siphonaptera) known to occur in the state of Delaware based on an examination of Siphonaptera collections at the University of Delaware and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, as well as new specimens of fleas we collected from wildlife, other hosts, and tick flags. We review published records and compile them herein with our new records, which include 3 species previously unreported from Delaware. With these additions, there are now 18 flea species from 19 avian and mammalian hosts documented from Delaware.