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All Outputs (14)

Resource competition drives an invasion‐replacement event among shrew species on an island (2023)
Journal Article
Browett, S., Synnott, R., O'Meara, D., Antwis, R., Browett, S., Bown, K., …McDevitt, A. (2023). Resource competition drives an invasion‐replacement event among shrew species on an island. Journal of Animal Ecology, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13855

Invasive mammals are responsible for the majority of native species extinctions on islands. While most of these extinction events will be due to novel interactions between species (e.g. exotic predators and naive prey), it is more unusual to find inc... Read More about Resource competition drives an invasion‐replacement event among shrew species on an island.

Fungal microbiomes are determined by host phylogeny and exhibit widespread associations with the bacterial microbiome (2021)
Journal Article
Harrison, X., McDevitt, A., Dunn, J., Grifftihs, S., Benvenuto, C., Birtles, R., …Antwis, R. (2021). Fungal microbiomes are determined by host phylogeny and exhibit widespread associations with the bacterial microbiome. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1957), 20210552. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.0552

Interactions between hosts and their resident microbial communities are a fundamental component of fitness for both agents. Though recent research has highlighted the importance of interactions between animals and their bacterial communities, compara... Read More about Fungal microbiomes are determined by host phylogeny and exhibit widespread associations with the bacterial microbiome.

First report of Theileria annulata in Nigeria : findings from cattle ticks in Zamfara and Sokoto States (2021)
Journal Article
Mamman, A., Lorusso, V., Adam, B., Dogo, G., Bown, K., & Birtles, R. (2021). First report of Theileria annulata in Nigeria : findings from cattle ticks in Zamfara and Sokoto States. Parasites and Vectors, 14(1), 242. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-04731-4

Background: Ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) represent a significant economic burden to cattle farming in sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria. However, in the northern part of this country, where the largest livestock population resides, little... Read More about First report of Theileria annulata in Nigeria : findings from cattle ticks in Zamfara and Sokoto States.

Determinants of Eimeria and Campylobacter infection dynamics in UK domestic sheep : the role of co-infection (2021)
Journal Article
Al-neama, R., Bown, K., Blake, D., & Birtles, R. (2021). Determinants of Eimeria and Campylobacter infection dynamics in UK domestic sheep : the role of co-infection. Parasitology, 148(5), 623-629. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182021000044

Coccidiosis caused by Eimeria species is a well-recognized disease of livestock. Enteric Eimeria infections are common, but disease usually only manifests when infection intensity is abnormally high. Campylobacter species are important zoonotic enter... Read More about Determinants of Eimeria and Campylobacter infection dynamics in UK domestic sheep : the role of co-infection.

Isolation and partial characterisation of a novel Trypanosoma from the tick Ixodes ricinus (2020)
Journal Article
Luu, L., Bown, K., Palomar, A., Kazimírová, M., & Bell-Sakyi, L. (2020). Isolation and partial characterisation of a novel Trypanosoma from the tick Ixodes ricinus. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 11(5), 101501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101501

Trypanosomes have long been recognised as being amongst the most important protozoan parasites of vertebrates, from both medical and veterinary perspectives. Whilst numerous insect species have been identified as vectors, the role of ticks is less we... Read More about Isolation and partial characterisation of a novel Trypanosoma from the tick Ixodes ricinus.

Study of general practitioner consultations for tick bites at high, medium and low incidence areas for Lyme borreliosis in England and Wales (2020)
Journal Article
Gillingham, E., Hall, J., Birtles, R., Bown, K., Medlock, J., Smith, R., …Pietzsch, M. (2020). Study of general practitioner consultations for tick bites at high, medium and low incidence areas for Lyme borreliosis in England and Wales. Zoonoses and Public Health, 67(5), 591-599. https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.12694

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a tick‐borne disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. In Europe, it is predominately transmitted by the sheep tick, Ixodes ricinus. Compared with other European countries, the United Kingdom (UK) is consider... Read More about Study of general practitioner consultations for tick bites at high, medium and low incidence areas for Lyme borreliosis in England and Wales.

High frequency of infection of lung cancer patients with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii (2019)
Journal Article
Bajnok, J., Tarabulsi, M., Carlin, H., Bown, K., Southworth, T., Dungwa, J., …Hide, G. (2019). High frequency of infection of lung cancer patients with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. ERJ Open Research, 5(2), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00143-2018

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan parasite that can cause a wide range of clinical conditions, including miscarriage and pneumonia. The global prevalence is 30% in humans but varies locally (e.g. UK is typically 10%). The association be... Read More about High frequency of infection of lung cancer patients with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii.

Use of mass-participation outdoor events to assess human exposure to tickborne pathogens (2017)
Journal Article
Hall, J., Alpers, K., Bown, K., Martin, S., & Birtles, R. (2017). Use of mass-participation outdoor events to assess human exposure to tickborne pathogens. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 23(3), 463-467. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2303.161397

Mapping the public health threat of tickborne pathogens requires quantification of not only the density of infected host-seeking ticks but also the rate of human exposure to these ticks. To efficiently sample a high number of persons in a short time,... Read More about Use of mass-participation outdoor events to assess human exposure to tickborne pathogens.

First report of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microtiin rodents in Finland (2014)
Journal Article
Kallio, E., Begon, M., Birtles, R., Bown, K., Koskela, E., Mappes, T., & Watts, P. (2014). First report of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microtiin rodents in Finland. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 14(6), 389-393. https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2013.1383

Tick-borne diseases pose an increasingly important public health problem in Europe. Rodents are the reservoir host for many tick-transmitted pathogens, including Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti, which can cause human granulocytic anapla... Read More about First report of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microtiin rodents in Finland.

Host-parasite biology in the real world : the field voles of Kielder (2014)
Journal Article
Turner, A., Beldomenico, P., Bown, K., Burthe, S., Jackson, J., Lambin, X., & Begon, M. (2014). Host-parasite biology in the real world : the field voles of Kielder. Parasitology, 141(8), 997-1017. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182014000171

Research on the interactions between the field voles (Microtus agrestis) of Kielder Forest and their natural parasites dates back to the 1930s. These early studies were primarily concerned with understanding how parasites shape the characteristic cyc... Read More about Host-parasite biology in the real world : the field voles of Kielder.

Investigating the persistence of tick-borne pathogens via the R0 model (2011)
Journal Article
Harrison, A., Montgomery, W., & Bown, K. (2011). Investigating the persistence of tick-borne pathogens via the R0 model. Parasitology, 138(07), 896-905. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182011000400

In the epidemiology of infectious diseases, the basic reproduction number,R0, has a number of important applications, most notably it can be used to predict whether a pathogen is likely to become established, or persist, in a given area. We used the... Read More about Investigating the persistence of tick-borne pathogens via the R0 model.

The Common Shrew (Sorex araneus): A neglected host of tick-borne infections? (2011)
Journal Article
Bown, K., Lambin, X., Telford, G., Heyder-Bruckner, D., Ogden, N., & Birtles, R. (2011). The Common Shrew (Sorex araneus): A neglected host of tick-borne infections?. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 11(7), 947-953. https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2010.0185

Although the importance of rodents as reservoirs for a number of tick-borne infections is well established, comparatively little is known about the potential role of shrews, despite them occupying similar habitats. To address this, blood and tick s... Read More about The Common Shrew (Sorex araneus): A neglected host of tick-borne infections?.

Delineating anaplasma phagocytophilum ecotypes in coexisting, discrete enzootic cycles (2009)
Journal Article
Bown, K., Lambin, X., Ogden, N., Begon, M., Telford, G., Woldehiwet, Z., & Birtles, R. (2009). Delineating anaplasma phagocytophilum ecotypes in coexisting, discrete enzootic cycles. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 15(12), https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1512.090178

The emerging tick-borne pathogen Anaplasma phagocytophilum is under increasing scrutiny for the existence of subpopulations that are adapted to different natural cycles. Here, we characterized the diversity of A. phagocytophilum genotypes circula... Read More about Delineating anaplasma phagocytophilum ecotypes in coexisting, discrete enzootic cycles.

Relative importance of Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes trianguliceps as vectors for Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti in field vole (Microtus agrestis) populations (2008)
Journal Article
Bown, K., Lambin, X., Telford, G., Ogden, N., Telfer, S., Woldehiwet, Z., & Birtles, R. (2008). Relative importance of Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes trianguliceps as vectors for Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti in field vole (Microtus agrestis) populations. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 74(23), 7118-7125. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00625-08

The importance of Ixodes ricinus in the transmission of tick-borne pathogens is well recognized in the United Kingdom and across Europe. However, the role of coexisting Ixodes species, such as the widely distributed species Ixodes trianguliceps, as... Read More about Relative importance of Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes trianguliceps as vectors for Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti in field vole (Microtus agrestis) populations.