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Biomedical subjects

J Goddard

Publications and source records attributed to J Goddard.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Ecological studies of adult Ixodes scapularis in central Mississippi: questing activity in relation to time of year, vegetation type, and meteorologic conditions.

Adult Ixodes scapularis Say were collected weekly during two fall-winter-spring seasons from 1989 to 1991 to assess their temporal and spatial distribution as well as the effects of several meteorologic parameters on questing activity. Collections were made in three 0.4-ha sites in central Mississippi by flagging vegetation with a white flannel cloth. Adult I. scapularis were collected from 25 October through 11 April during the 1989-1990 season and 24 October-1 April in the 1990-1991 season. Peak I. scapularis questing activity occurred on 5 February and 4 February during the two seasons, respectively. Ticks were collected most often at approximately 20 degrees C but seven were collected on a day when the temperature was 6.9 degrees C. Ticks were clustered within the study sites and not evenly distributed. Most I. scapularis were collected from Ligustrum sinense and Chasmanthium sessiliflorum at a height of 31-40 cm. Statistical analyses of the meteorologic factors that affect questing activity are presented and discussed.

Animals

Impact of a severe tick infestation at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas on volant scorpion military training.

Over 950 students attending Volant Scorpion training during March-August 1988 reported the number and impact of tick bites and the personal protective measures used during their training at Little Rock Air Force Base. In some classes, as many as 50% of the students reported 10 or more tick bites. Approximately one third of all students said that ticks had a significant or very significant impact on duty performance. The use of a repellent applied to clothing had no significant effect on the number of tick bites received.

Adult

Focus of human parasitism by the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae).

Throughout most of its range, the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille), prefers dogs as a host, but human bites occasionally occur in the Mediterranean region and Central America; historically, this species has rarely bitten humans in the United States. A focus of 15 human bite cases by this tick is reported from four Air Force bases located within 200 miles of each other in north central Texas and southwestern Oklahoma. The sudden appearance of numerous documented bite cases indicates that either the species is becoming more anthropophilic in this area or than an introduction of a more human adapted population of R. sanguineus has occurred. The species is a known reservoir and vector of Ehrlichia canis, the causative agent of canine ehrlichiosis in dogs. The presence of an anthropophilic strain of R. sanguineus in the United States may lead to increased exposure to E. canis and thus an increase in the incidence of human ehrlichiosis.

Adult