Michael J. Yabsley
Laboratory Mentor(s) Name(s) and position(s):
Alec Thompson, PhD student in the CVM and USDA NSTP Fellow (and former PREP Scholar)
Patty Torres, PhD student in Warnell and ICON (Integrative Conservation Program)
Raquel Francisco, DVM, PhD student in Warnell
Kayla Garret, PhD student in the CVM and my lab manager
Project title:
My One Health research program addresses both applied and theoretical questions on the epidemiology of wildlife health with an emphasis on pathogens that are zoonotic or important to the health of domestic animals and agriculturally important species. This year we have two options that could be selected by a PREP Scholar:
1) Investigating sarcoptic mange in black bears – an emerging disease of One Health concern.
2) Natural history of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in a changing world – importance of urban greenspaces
Project Description:
The first project is focused on understanding the dramatic increase in the prevalence and distribution of sarcoptic mange in black bears in the eastern United States. This work aims to understand factors related to this emergence. Past studies have determined that the vast majority of mange cases were associated with Sarcoptes scabiei, but some cases were due to related mites in the genera Ursicoptes or Chorioptes. A recently completed molecular study indicated that there are two main lineages of Sarcoptes from bears suggesting that this outbreak is not associated with the emergence of a single pathogenic lineage of mite. During this coming year we will continue our molecular characterization work using mites from new areas and hosts. We will also investigate mite burdens and skin microbiomes to determine if either are correlated with disease outcome. The PREP@UGA Scholar would work on all aspects of this work but can focus on the area of most interest.
The second project is related to ticks and tick-borne pathogens. Ticks can be maintained by numerous hosts that use different habitats. Some hosts are common in suburban and urban areas, which historically have been considered low risk of tick exposure. However, the mosaic of suburban homes mixed with greenspace provide excellent habitats for both ticks and hosts. The PREP@UGA Scholar would be involved in the collection and identification of ticks and testing ticks for selected pathogens. Depending on the student’s interest, they could also be involved with human dimensions aspects of the work which is aimed at understanding people’s knowledge, attitude, and practices related to ticks and their risks.
Skills and techniques learned will include:
1) Investigating sarcoptic mange in black bears – an emerging disease of One Health concern.
- Tissue digestion
- Morphological identification of mites
- Microbiome molecular analyses
- Full mtDNA sequencing through RADseq analyses
- Phylogenetic analyses
- Statistical analyses
- Manuscript preparation
2) Natural history of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in a changing world – importance of urban greenspaces
- Field techniques for collecting ticks
- Morphological identification of ectoparasites
- Molecular analyses (DNA extraction, PCR, Sanger Sequencing)
- Phylogenetic analyses
- Statistical analyses
- Manuscript preparation
Hyperlinks:
General lab studies:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael-Yabsley/research
Specific papers on mange from my lab:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=yabsley%20mange&sort=date&ac=yes
Specific papers on ticks from my lab:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=yabsley+ticks&sort=date&size=50