Category: Wildlife Disease Ecology

Interactions between native, exotic and invasive species can have strong implications for interspecies pathogen transmission events.  Gaining a better understanding of the interactions among and within these groups is imperative to defining the risks of interspecies pathogen transmission which may lead to emergence of pathogens and vectors in geographic locations and species not previously recognized.

Climate, especially temperature and precipitation can have dramatic impacts on disease vectors including reproduction, survival, and biting rate, as well as influencing the survival and development rates of the pathogens that they carry.  Characterizing the effects of climate and drought on vector-borne disease transmission is essential to informing the spread, emergence and maintenance of vector-borne…

Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) occupy most counties in Texas and move across the landscape with ease, providing an ideal opportunity for the movement of vectors and pathogens. The objective of this research is to quantify the involvement of invasive feral swine in the movement of vectors and disease-causing pathogens in the South Texas Plains and the…

We aim to investigate the role of native and exotic wildlife species in the spread of cattle fever ticks (Rhipicephalus microplus and R. annulatus) and the potential reemergence of bovine babesiosis in the US.  White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and Nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus) have been implicated in the movement of cattle fever ticks Rhipicephalus spp. in South Texas, but…