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Outputs (39)

Evidence for Bartonella quintana in Lice Collected from the Clothes of Ethiopian Homeless Individuals (2023)
Journal Article
Tufa, T. B., Margos, G., Fingerle, V., Hartberger, C., Poppert, S., Birtles, R. J., …Feldt, T. (in press). Evidence for Bartonella quintana in Lice Collected from the Clothes of Ethiopian Homeless Individuals. Pathogens, 12(11), 1299. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12111299

Human lice, Pediculus humanus, can transmit various pathogens, including Bartonella quintana, Borrelia recurrentis, and Rickettsia prowazekii. Xenosurveillance is an epidemiological approach to assessing human infection risks performed by screening v... Read More about Evidence for Bartonella quintana in Lice Collected from the Clothes of Ethiopian Homeless Individuals.

Genetic characterisation of the Theileria annulata cytochrome b locus and its impact on buparvaquone resistance in bovine (2022)
Journal Article
Ali, Q., Zahid, O., Mhadhbi, M., Jones, B., Darghouth, M., Raynes, G., …Chaudhry, U. (2022). Genetic characterisation of the Theileria annulata cytochrome b locus and its impact on buparvaquone resistance in bovine. International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance, 20, 65-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpddr.2022.08.004

Control of tropical theileriosis, caused by the apicomplexan Theileria annulata, depends on the use of a single drug, buparvaquone, the efficacy of which is compromised by the emergence of resistance. The present study was undertaken to improve under... Read More about Genetic characterisation of the Theileria annulata cytochrome b locus and its impact on buparvaquone resistance in bovine.

Epidemiology, distribution and identification of ticks on livestock in Pakistan (2022)
Journal Article
Khan, S., Ahmed, H., Afzal, M., Khan, M., Birtles, R., & Oliver, J. (2022). Epidemiology, distribution and identification of ticks on livestock in Pakistan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(5), e3024. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19053024

Background: Ticks are ectoparasites that transmit a variety of pathogens that cause many diseases in livestock which can result in skin damage, weight loss, anemia, reduced production of meat and milk, and mortality. Aim: The aim of this study was to... Read More about Epidemiology, distribution and identification of ticks on livestock in Pakistan.

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.

Ticks on wild boar in the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain) are infected with spotted fever group rickettsiae (2021)
Journal Article
Castillo‐Contreras, R., Magen, L., Birtles, R., Varela‐Castro, L., Hall, J., Conejero, C., …López‐Olvera, J. (2021). Ticks on wild boar in the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain) are infected with spotted fever group rickettsiae. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, 69(4), https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.14268

Tick‐borne pathogens (TBPs) constitute an emerging public health concern favoured by multidimensional global changes. Amongst these, increase and spread of wild boar (Sus scrofa) populations are of special concern since this species can act as a rese... Read More about Ticks on wild boar in the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain) are infected with spotted fever group rickettsiae.

Antibiotic resistance profiles and population structure of disease-associated Staphylococcus aureus infecting patients in Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, Western Uganda (2021)
Journal Article
Ackers-Johnson, G., Kibombo, D., Kusiima, B., Nsubuga, M., Kigozi, E., Kajumbula, H., …James, C. (2021). Antibiotic resistance profiles and population structure of disease-associated Staphylococcus aureus infecting patients in Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, Western Uganda. Microbiology, 167(5), 001000. https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.001000

Tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is particularly challenging in low-resource settings such as Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital (FPRRH) in Western Uganda. Specific knowledge of local AMR epidemiology is required to inform evidence-based i... Read More about Antibiotic resistance profiles and population structure of disease-associated Staphylococcus aureus infecting patients in Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, Western Uganda.

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.

Fungal microbiomes are determined by host phylogeny and exhibit widespread associations with the bacterial microbiome (2021)
Other
Harrison, X., McDevitt, A., Dunn, J., Griffiths, S., Benvenuto, C., Birtles, R., …Antwis, R. (2021). Fungal microbiomes are determined by host phylogeny and exhibit widespread associations with the bacterial microbiome

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.

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.

Antibiotic resistance profiles and population structure of disease-associated Staphylococcus aureus infecting patients in Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, Western Uganda (2020)
Journal Article
Goodhead, I., Ackers, H., Birtles, R., & James, C. (2020). Antibiotic resistance profiles and population structure of disease-associated Staphylococcus aureus infecting patients in Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, Western Uganda. bioRxiv, https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.11.20.371203

Tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is particularly challenging in low-resource settings such as Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital (FPRRH) in Western Uganda. Specific knowledge of local AMR epidemiology is required to inform evidence-based i... Read More about Antibiotic resistance profiles and population structure of disease-associated Staphylococcus aureus infecting patients in Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, Western Uganda.

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.

Bartonella clarridgeiae infection in a patient with aortic root abscess and endocarditis (2019)
Journal Article
Logan, J., Hall, J., Chalker, V., O’Connell, B., & Birtles, R. (2019). Bartonella clarridgeiae infection in a patient with aortic root abscess and endocarditis. Access Microbiology, 1(10), https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000064

Introduction. Bartonella species are increasingly recognized as agents of culture-negative endocarditis. However, to date, almost all human cases have been associated with two members of the genus, Bartonella henselae and Bartonella quintana. B. hen... Read More about Bartonella clarridgeiae infection in a patient with aortic root abscess and endocarditis.

Geographical location influences the composition of the gut microbiota in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) at a fine spatial scale. (2019)
Journal Article
Goertz, S., de Menezes, A., Birtles, R., Fenn, J., Lowe, A., MacColl, A., …Taylor, C. (2019). Geographical location influences the composition of the gut microbiota in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) at a fine spatial scale. PLoS ONE, 14(9), e0222501. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222501

The composition of the mammalian gut microbiota can be influenced by a multitude of environmental variables such as diet and infections. Studies investigating the effect of these variables on gut microbiota composition often sample across multiple se... Read More about Geographical location influences the composition of the gut microbiota in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) at a fine spatial scale..

Landscape structure affects the prevalence and distribution of a tick-borne zoonotic pathogen (2018)
Journal Article
Millins, C., Dickinson, E., Isakovic, P., Gilbert, L., Wojciechowska, A., Paterson, V., …Biek, R. (2018). Landscape structure affects the prevalence and distribution of a tick-borne zoonotic pathogen. Parasites and Vectors, 11(2018), 621. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-3200-2

Background Landscape structure can affect pathogen prevalence and persistence with consequences for human and animal health. Few studies have examined how reservoir host species traits may interact with landscape structure to alter pathogen communi... Read More about Landscape structure affects the prevalence and distribution of a tick-borne zoonotic pathogen.

Investigation into the genetic diversity in toll-like receptors 2 and 4 in the European badger Meles meles (2018)
Journal Article
Whiteoak, A., Ideozu, J., Alkathiry, H., Tomlinson, A., Delahay, R., Cowen, S., …Hide, G. (2018). Investigation into the genetic diversity in toll-like receptors 2 and 4 in the European badger Meles meles. Research in Veterinary Science, 119, 228-231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2018.06.020

The Toll-like receptor (TLR) genes are a conserved family of genes central to the innate immune response to pathogen infection. They encode receptor proteins, recognise pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and trigger initial immune respons... Read More about Investigation into the genetic diversity in toll-like receptors 2 and 4 in the European badger Meles meles.

Physiological, but not fitness, effects of two interacting haemoparasitic infections in a wild rodent (2018)
Journal Article
Taylor, C., Wanelik, K., Friberg, I., Lowe, A., Hall, A., Ralli, C., …Bradley, J. (2018). Physiological, but not fitness, effects of two interacting haemoparasitic infections in a wild rodent. International Journal for Parasitology, 48(6), 463-471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2017.11.006

In contrast to the conditions in most laboratory studies, wild animals are routinely challenged by multiple infections at once, and these infections can interact in complex ways. This means that the impact of a parasite on its host’s physiology and f... Read More about Physiological, but not fitness, effects of two interacting haemoparasitic infections in a wild rodent.

A candidate tolerance gene identified in a natural population of field voles (Microtus agrestis) (2017)
Journal Article
Wanelik, K., Begon, M., Birtles, R., Bradley, J., Friberg, I., Jackson, J., …Paterson, S. (2017). A candidate tolerance gene identified in a natural population of field voles (Microtus agrestis). Molecular Ecology, 27(4), 1044-1052. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14476

The animal immune response has hitherto been viewed primarily in the context of resistance only. However, individuals, can also employ a tolerance strategy to maintain good health in the face of on-going infection. To shed light on the genetic and ph... Read More about A candidate tolerance gene identified in a natural population of field voles (Microtus agrestis).

From the animal house to the field : are there consistent individual differences in immunological profile in wild populations of field voles (Microtus agrestis)? (2017)
Journal Article
Arriero, E., Wanelik, K., Birtles, R., Bradley, J., Jackson, J., Paterson, S., & Begon, M. (2017). From the animal house to the field : are there consistent individual differences in immunological profile in wild populations of field voles (Microtus agrestis)?. PLoS ONE, 12(8), e0183450. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183450

Inbred mouse strains, living in simple laboratory environments far removed from nature, have been shown to vary consistently in their immune response. However, wildlife populations are typically outbreeding and face a multiplicity of challenges, para... Read More about From the animal house to the field : are there consistent individual differences in immunological profile in wild populations of field voles (Microtus agrestis)?.

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.

Detection of Hepatozoon felis in Ticks Collected from Free-Ranging Amur Tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), Russian Far East, 2002–12 (2016)
Journal Article
Thomas, L., Seryodkin, I., Goodrich, J., Miquelle, D., Birtles, R., & Lewis, J. (2016). Detection of Hepatozoon felis in Ticks Collected from Free-Ranging Amur Tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), Russian Far East, 2002–12. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 52, 674-676. https://doi.org/10.7589/2015-10-277

We collected 69 ticks from nine, free-ranging Amur tigers ( Panthera tigris altaica) between 2002 and 2011 and investigated them for tick-borne pathogens. DNA was extracted using alkaline digestion and PCR was performed to detect apicomplexan organis... Read More about Detection of Hepatozoon felis in Ticks Collected from Free-Ranging Amur Tigers (Panthera tigris altaica), Russian Far East, 2002–12.

Multilocus sequence typing of pathogenic treponemes isolated from cloven-hoofed animals and comparison to treponemes isolated from humans (2016)
Journal Article
Clegg, S., Carter, S., Birtles, R., Brown, J., Hart, C., & Evans, N. (2016). Multilocus sequence typing of pathogenic treponemes isolated from cloven-hoofed animals and comparison to treponemes isolated from humans. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 82, 4523-4536. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00025-16

Treponema species are implicated in many diseases of humans and animals. Digital dermatitis (DD) treponemes are reported to cause severe lesions in cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, and wild elk, causing substantial global animal welfare issues and economi... Read More about Multilocus sequence typing of pathogenic treponemes isolated from cloven-hoofed animals and comparison to treponemes isolated from humans.

Rodentolepis straminea in an urban population of Apodemus sylvaticus in the UK (2015)
Journal Article
Apodemus sylvaticus in the UK. Journal of Helminthology, 90(4), 476-482. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022149X15000632

The presence of the cyclophyllidean cestode Rodentolepis straminea (Cestoda, Hymenolepididae), was confirmed by molecular DNA analysis from a wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) population inhabiting urban woodland in Salford, Greater Manchester (UK)... Read More about Rodentolepis straminea in an urban population of Apodemus sylvaticus in the UK.

An invasive mammal (the gray squirrel, sciurus carolinensis) commonly hosts diverse and atypical genotypes of the zoonotic pathogen borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato (2015)
Journal Article
Millins, C., Magierecka, A., Gilbert, L., Edoff, A., Brereton, A., Kilbride, E., …Biek, R. (2015). An invasive mammal (the gray squirrel, sciurus carolinensis) commonly hosts diverse and atypical genotypes of the zoonotic pathogen borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 81(13), 4236-4245. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.00109-15

Invasive vertebrate species can act as hosts for endemic pathogens and may alter pathogen community composition and dynamics. For the zoonotic pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the agent of Lyme borreliosis, recent work shows invasive rodent... Read More about An invasive mammal (the gray squirrel, sciurus carolinensis) commonly hosts diverse and atypical genotypes of the zoonotic pathogen borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato.

Oroya fever and verruga peruana: Bartonelloses unique to South America (2014)
Journal Article
Vinetz, J., Minnick, M., Anderson, B., Lima, A., Battisti, J., Lawyer, P., & Birtles, R. (2014). Oroya fever and verruga peruana: Bartonelloses unique to South America. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 8(7), e2919. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0002919

Bartonella bacilliformis is the bacterial agent of Carrión's disease and is presumed to be transmitted between humans by phlebotomine sand flies. Carrión's disease is endemic to high-altitude valleys of the South American Andes, and the first reporte... Read More about Oroya fever and verruga peruana: Bartonelloses unique to South America.

An immunological marker of tolerance to infection in wild rodents (2014)
Journal Article
Jackson, J., Hall, A., Friberg, I., Ralli, C., Lowe, A., Zawadzka, M., …Begon, M. (2014). An immunological marker of tolerance to infection in wild rodents. PLoS Biology, 12(7), e1001901. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001901

Hosts are likely to respond to parasitic infections by a combination of resistance (expulsion of pathogens) and tolerance (active mitigation of pathology). Of these strategies, the basis of tolerance in animal hosts is relatively poorly understood, w... Read More about An immunological marker of tolerance to infection in wild rodents.

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.

Differential inflammatory responses of bovine foot skin fibroblasts and keratinocytes to digital dermatitis treponemes (2014)
Journal Article
Evans, N., Brown, J., Scholey, R., Murray, R., Birtles, R., Hart, C., & Carter, S. (2014). Differential inflammatory responses of bovine foot skin fibroblasts and keratinocytes to digital dermatitis treponemes. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, 161(1-2), 12-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetimm.2014.05.005

Bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) is a serious infectious inflammatory lameness causing pain and suffering to many cattle worldwide and which has severe economic implications. This study set out to investigate relationships between the treponemes consi... Read More about Differential inflammatory responses of bovine foot skin fibroblasts and keratinocytes to digital dermatitis treponemes.

Mycobacterium microti Tuberculosis in its maintenance host, the field vole (Microtus agrestis) : characterization of the disease and possible routes of transmission (2013)
Journal Article
Kipar, A., Burthe, S., Hetzel, U., Rokia, M., Telfer, S., Lambin, X., …Bennett, M. (2014). Mycobacterium microti Tuberculosis in its maintenance host, the field vole (Microtus agrestis) : characterization of the disease and possible routes of transmission. Veterinary Pathology, 51(5), 903-914. https://doi.org/10.1177/0300985813513040

The field vole (Microtus agrestis) is a known maintenance host of Mycobacterium microti. Previous studies have shown that infected animals develop tuberculosis. However, the disease is also known in cats and is sporadically reported from humans and o... Read More about Mycobacterium microti Tuberculosis in its maintenance host, the field vole (Microtus agrestis) : characterization of the disease and possible routes of transmission.

Multi-Locus sequence analysis reveals profound enetic diversity among isolates of the human athogen bartonella bacilliformis (2011)
Journal Article
Picardeau, M., Chaloner, G., Palmira Ventosilla, & Birtles, R. (2011). Multi-Locus sequence analysis reveals profound enetic diversity among isolates of the human athogen bartonella bacilliformis. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 5(7), e1248. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001248

Bartonella bacilliformis is the aetiological agent of human bartonellosis, a potentially life threatening infection of significant public health concern in the Andean region of South America. Human bartonellosis has long been recognised in the regio... Read More about Multi-Locus sequence analysis reveals profound enetic diversity among isolates of the human athogen bartonella bacilliformis.

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?.

Multilocus sequence typing of Bartonella henselae in the United Kingdom indicates that only a few, uncommon sequence types are associated with zoonotic disease (2011)
Journal Article
Chaloner, G., Harrison, T., Coyne, K., Aanensen, D., & Birtles, R. (2011). Multilocus sequence typing of Bartonella henselae in the United Kingdom indicates that only a few, uncommon sequence types are associated with zoonotic disease. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 49(6), 2132-2137. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00275-11

Bartonella henselae is one of the most common zoonotic agents acquired from companion animals (cats) in industrialized countries. Nonetheless, although the prevalence of infections in cats is high, the number of human cases reported is relatively l... Read More about Multilocus sequence typing of Bartonella henselae in the United Kingdom indicates that only a few, uncommon sequence types are associated with zoonotic disease.

Species interactions in a parasite community drive infection risk in a wildlife population (2010)
Journal Article
Telfer, S., Lambin, X., Birtles, R., Beldomenico, P., Burthe, S., Paterson, S., & Begon, M. (2010). Species interactions in a parasite community drive infection risk in a wildlife population. Science, 330(6001), 243-246. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1190333

Most hosts, including humans, are simultaneously or sequentially infected with several parasites. A key question is whether patterns of coinfection arise because infection by one parasite species affects susceptibility to others or because of inher... Read More about Species interactions in a parasite community drive infection risk in a wildlife population.

Mycobacterium microti: More diverse than previously thought (2009)
Journal Article
Smith, N., Crawshaw, T., Parry, J., & Birtles, R. (2009). Mycobacterium microti: More diverse than previously thought. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 47(8), 2551-2559. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.00638-09

Mycobacterium microti is a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex of bacteria. This species was originally identified as a pathogen of small rodents and shrews and was associated with limited diversity and a much reduced spoligotype patter... Read More about Mycobacterium microti: More diverse than previously thought.

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.

Badgers (Meles meles) as reservoirs of vector-borne infections in the UK
Thesis
Gbobaniyi, A. (in press). Badgers (Meles meles) as reservoirs of vector-borne infections in the UK. (Dissertation). University of Salford

In recent years, there has been an increased incidence and changing distribution of a number of vector-borne diseases, and the temperate regions are not an exception. Whilst Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) are known to host a wide range of pathogens,... Read More about Badgers (Meles meles) as reservoirs of vector-borne infections in the UK.

Ecology of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and epidemiology of borrelial infections in Cumbria
Thesis
Hall, J. (in press). Ecology of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and epidemiology of borrelial infections in Cumbria. (Thesis). University of Salford

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) is the causative agent of the tick-borne zoonotic disease Lyme borreliosis (LB), of which around 2-3000 cases are reported annually in the UK. This project took a “One Health” approach to studying Borrelia burgd... Read More about Ecology of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and epidemiology of borrelial infections in Cumbria.