2020
Naturally Acquired Resistance to Ixodes scapularis Elicits Partial Immunity against Other Tick Vectors in a Laboratory Host
Lynn GE, Diktas H, DePonte K, Fikrig E. Naturally Acquired Resistance to Ixodes scapularis Elicits Partial Immunity against Other Tick Vectors in a Laboratory Host. American Journal Of Tropical Medicine And Hygiene 2020, 104: 175-183. PMID: 33258439, PMCID: PMC7790098, DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0776.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAnimalsArachnid VectorsDisease SusceptibilityGuinea PigsIxodesLaboratory Animal ScienceTick InfestationsConceptsTick speciesTick vectorEngorgement weightHost resistanceMultiple tick speciesAnti-tick vaccinesImportant tick speciesImportant tick vectorAbility of ticksTransmission of pathogensTick resistanceTick challengeTick attachmentTick salivaTicksForm of immunityLaboratory hostPrimary speciesEconomic productionGuinea pig modelNorth AmericaSpeciesPartial immunityPathogensHost
2014
Systems Immunology Reveals Markers of Susceptibility to West Nile Virus Infection
Qian F, Goel G, Meng H, Wang X, You F, Devine L, Raddassi K, Garcia MN, Murray KO, Bolen CR, Gaujoux R, Shen-Orr SS, Hafler D, Fikrig E, Xavier R, Kleinstein SH, Montgomery RR. Systems Immunology Reveals Markers of Susceptibility to West Nile Virus Infection. MSphere 2014, 22: 6-16. PMID: 25355795, PMCID: PMC4278927, DOI: 10.1128/cvi.00508-14.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWest Nile virus infectionVirus infectionMyeloid dendritic cellsMarker of susceptibilityPotential therapeutic strategySeverity of infectionSevere neurological diseaseOlder patientsAcute infectionDendritic cellsCXCL10 expressionDetectable yearsImmunity-related genesStratified cohortWNV infectionTherapeutic strategiesPathogenic mechanismsAnimal studiesNeurological diseasesDisease severityVivo infectionPredictive signatureInfectionProminent alterationsPrimary cellsImmune Markers Associated with Host Susceptibility to Infection with West Nile Virus
Qian F, Thakar J, Yuan X, Nolan M, Murray KO, Lee WT, Wong SJ, Meng H, Fikrig E, Kleinstein SH, Montgomery RR. Immune Markers Associated with Host Susceptibility to Infection with West Nile Virus. Viral Immunology 2014, 27: 39-47. PMID: 24605787, PMCID: PMC3949440, DOI: 10.1089/vim.2013.0074.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWest Nile virusSevere infectionsImmune markersIL-4IL-4 levelsSerum cytokine levelsSerum IL-4Nile virusSignificant risk factorsImmune system statusPeripheral blood cellsSevere neurological diseaseCytokine levelsAntibody levelsImmune statusRisk factorsHealthy subjectsStratified cohortWNV infectionNeurological diseasesInfectionAltered expression levelsBlood cellsAltered gene expression patternsHost susceptibility
2010
Infectivity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato is unaltered in C3-deficient mice
van Burgel ND, Balmus NC, Fikrig E, van Dam AP. Infectivity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato is unaltered in C3-deficient mice. Ticks And Tick-borne Diseases 2010, 2: 20-26. PMID: 21771533, DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2010.10.003.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWT miceAbsence of C3B. burgdorferiB. afzeliiQuantitative PCRDifferent Borrelia speciesC3 knockout miceC3-deficient miceComplement-deficient miceWild-type miceB. afzelii infectionBorrelia burgdorferi sensu latoHuman complementInflammation scoreBurgdorferi sensu latoB. bavariensisAfzelii infectionBorrelia speciesKnockout miceMiceHeart tissueWeeksB. gariniiBurgdorferiSignificant differences
2009
Toll-like Receptor 7 Mitigates Lethal West Nile Encephalitis via Interleukin 23-Dependent Immune Cell Infiltration and Homing
Town T, Bai F, Wang T, Kaplan AT, Qian F, Montgomery RR, Anderson JF, Flavell RA, Fikrig E. Toll-like Receptor 7 Mitigates Lethal West Nile Encephalitis via Interleukin 23-Dependent Immune Cell Infiltration and Homing. Immunity 2009, 30: 242-253. PMID: 19200759, PMCID: PMC2707901, DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2008.11.012.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsToll-like receptor 7West Nile virusReceptor 7WNV infectionImmune cell infiltrationLethal WNV infectionMyeloid differentiation factorIL-23 p19IL-23 responsesIL-12 p40West Nile encephalitisIL-12 p35Infected target cellsHost defense mechanismsRNA flavivirusInnate cytokinesWNV encephalitisInterleukin-12Cell infiltrationImmune cellsTarget organsVariable severityMiceTarget cellsTissue concentrations
2007
ASC/PYCARD and Caspase-1 Regulate the IL-18/IFN-γ Axis during Anaplasma phagocytophilum Infection
Pedra JH, Sutterwala FS, Sukumaran B, Ogura Y, Qian F, Montgomery RR, Flavell RA, Fikrig E. ASC/PYCARD and Caspase-1 Regulate the IL-18/IFN-γ Axis during Anaplasma phagocytophilum Infection. The Journal Of Immunology 2007, 179: 4783-4791. PMID: 17878377, DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.179.7.4783.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAmino Acid MotifsAnaplasmaAnaplasmosisAnimalsApoptosis Regulatory ProteinsCalcium-Binding ProteinsCaspase 1Disease SusceptibilityEnzyme ActivationHL-60 CellsHumansInterferon-gammaInterleukin-18Killer Cells, NaturalMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMice, KnockoutPhagocytosisSignal TransductionTh1 CellsT-Lymphocytes, RegulatoryConceptsA. phagocytophilum infectionIFN-gamma productionCaspase-1Phagocytophilum infectionIFN-gammaA. phagocytophilumIFN-gamma levelsNOD-like receptor pathwayIL-18 secretionIFN-gamma-mediated controlCentral adaptor moleculeAnaplasma phagocytophilum infectionVitro restimulationIL-18Peripheral bloodControl animalsReceptor pathwayASC deficiencyInfectionObligate intracellular pathogensIntracellular pathogensAnaplasma phagocytophilumPhagocytophilumAdaptor moleculeCritical role
2004
Interferon-γ deficiency reveals that 129Sv mice are inherently more susceptible to Anaplasma phagocytophilum than C57BL/6 mice
Wang T, Akkoyunlu M, Banerjee R, Fikrig E. Interferon-γ deficiency reveals that 129Sv mice are inherently more susceptible to Anaplasma phagocytophilum than C57BL/6 mice. Pathogens And Disease 2004, 42: 299-305. PMID: 15477043, DOI: 10.1016/j.femsim.2004.06.001.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
1998
Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis in the Laboratory Mouse
Hodzic E, IJdo J, Feng S, Katavolos P, Sun W, Maretzki C, Fish D, Fikrig E, Telford S, Barthold S. Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis in the Laboratory Mouse. The Journal Of Infectious Diseases 1998, 177: 737-745. PMID: 9498456, DOI: 10.1086/514236.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsHuman granulocytic ehrlichiosisMouse passageGranulocytic ehrlichiosisHL-60 cell culturesPeripheral bloodC3H miceLate infectionEarly infectionCell culturesDay 17Day 5Blood smearsNormal valuesDay 24Polymerase chain reaction amplificationHGE agentChain reaction amplificationSpleen smearsMiceInfectionInfectivity assaysBloodLaboratory miceSmearsReaction amplification