Gottdenker – Research Experiences for Undergraduates in the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease

Associations between biotic and abiotic factors and Chagas disease vector abundance in palm trees across different habitat types

18DecemberAndrea Silletti2018 ProjectsGottdenker, Quantitative

Jason Soriano, a freshman from University of California Berkeley, worked with Dr. Nicole Gottdenker and Christina Varian to investigate the factors influencing the abundance of an important disease vector. Abstract: In the Americas, an estimated 8 million people are infected with Chagas disease, a tropical, vector-borne infectious disease that can be life threatening if not

Pathogen co-infection patterns within domestic dogs in rural environments

20DecemberAndrea Silletti2017 ProjectsEmpirical, Gottdenker

Djion Holness, a student from the University of Connecticut, worked with Amaka Nina Ananaba in the lab of Dr. Nicole Gottdenker to examine pathogen co-infection in dogs. Abstract: Pathogens can interact with each other within a host, which can influence patterns of co-infection in populations by complex interactions within the host’s immune system, such as

Kissing Bug (R. pallescens) Population Structure in Panamanian Rural Landscapes

15AugustAndrea Silletti2016 ProjectsGottdenker, Quantitative

Anaija Hardmon, a Biology major from Spelman College, worked in the lab of Dr. Nicole Gottdenker to describe the population structure of an important disease vector. Abstract: Describing the population structure of zoonotic disease vectors includes understanding their life history strategies and population dynamics, as well as the development of vector-borne diseases, and control strategies

Surviving in Isolation: Are the Chilean Patagonia South American fur seals doomed to succumb to parasitic infections?

22DecemberAndrea Silletti2016 ProjectsEmpirical, Gottdenker

Kennesaw State University Biology Major Victoria Mendiola, worked in the lab of Dr. Nicole Gottdenker to study hookworm infectioun in South American fur seals. Abstract: Hookworm infection is endemic in many otaiird species and can cause up to 70 % pup mortality in some populations (Lyons 2001, Seguel in press). South American fur seal (SAFS)

Identifying Chagas Disease Reservoirs with PCR and Next-generation DNA Sequencing

20DecemberAndrea Silletti2014 ProjectsEmpirical, Glenn, Gottdenker

For this project, students Nicolas Means from Oklahoma State University and Darlisha Owens from Grambling State University, teamed up with Dr. Travis Glenn in the Department of Environmental Health Science and Dr. Nicole Gottdenker in Veterinary Medicine to use next-generation DNA sequencing to identify disease reservoirs. Nicolas J. Means1, Darlisha Owens2, Troy Kieran3, Travis C.

Modeling Chagas disease vector infection prevalence: incorporating life history characteristics and community composition

9OctoberAndrea Silletti2013 ProjectsGottdenker, Quantitative, Wildlife

Authors: Carolina Cabrera, Nicole L. Gottdenker Abstract Multihost vector-borne pathogens play an important role in human and veterinary public health worldwide, and understanding factors that drive their transmission is critical to the development of vector-borne disease prevention and control. Two potentially important drivers of multihost vector-born pathogen transmission are 1) the community composition of reservoir