Publications by authors named "Benedict B Pagac"

Routine biosurveillance efforts at the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on 18 June 2019, detected two unusual mosquitos in a CO-baited CDC light trap. Morphological and molecular analysis confirmed the presence of Aedes (Fredwardsius) vittatus (Bigot, 1861) - the first record of the Old World dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever virus vector into the Americas - and provides evidence for its establishment in Cuba. Newly submitted GenBank sequences from Dominican Republic further evidence its establishment in the Caribbean, and a median-joining network analysis using mitochondrial COI gene sequences clearly supports multiple introductions of Ae.

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, a common human-biting tick found throughout the eastern half and along the west coast of the United States, is a vector of multiple bacterial pathogens. Historically, has been considered a primary vector of , the causative agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A total of 883 adult , collected between 2012 and 2017 from various locations in 12 states across the United States, were screened for rickettsial DNA.

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We found that 14.3% (15/105) of Amblyomma maculatum and 3.3% (10/299) of Dermacentor variabilis ticks collected at 3 high-use military training sites in west-central Kentucky and northern Tennessee, USA, were infected with Rickettsia parkeri and Rickettsia montanensis, respectively.

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Aedes japonicus japonicus was collected via gravid trapping in Wisconsin in the summers of 2004 and 2005 at Fort McCoy, Monroe County. Subsequently, in the summer of 2007, Ae. japonicus was captured in a human landing catch in Dane County, Madison, WI.

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Recent outbreaks of mysterious skin lesions on multiple personnel at several military facilities were initially blamed on spiders. Requests were made for pest inspection and control to remedy the situation. Greater scrutiny of the situation led to a hypothesis that instead of spiders, an infectious outbreak of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) should be investigated as the etiology.

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We used geospatial techniques to study the potential impact of 2 exotic mosquitoes, Aedes albopictus and Ochlerotatus japonicus japonicus, on the epidemiology of West Nile virus in Maryland. These 2 species have established populations in Maryland over the past 15 years. Larvae of both mosquito species are found in natural and artificial water-holding cavities and containers, particularly water in tires.

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