Publications by authors named "K Loftin"
Lake Mattamuskeet, the largest lake in North Carolina, USA, has undergone decades-long eutrophication causing reduced water quality and promoting cyanobacterial blooms that may produce toxins. It is therefore necessary to evaluate the cyanobacterial diversity of the lake and their toxigenic potential. We present draft genomes of Microcystis, Pelatocladus, Raphidiopsis, and Umezakia strains isolated from Lake Mattamuskeet.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPanola Mountain Ehrlichia (PME) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen, transmitted by Amblyomma americanum ticks in the southeastern United States. It is closely related to Ehrlichia ruminantium, the causative agent of heartwater disease. Heartwater disease is an often-fatal illness of ruminant livestock present in Africa and the Caribbean.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study investigates cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) in Lake Okeechobee, analyzing microbial communities through extensive sequencing data from a year of samples collected during bloom seasons.
- Findings suggest distinct ecological zones with varying physical and chemical properties lead to "hotspots" for blooms, with microbial interactions playing a crucial role in bloom resilience and severity, particularly regarding nutrient utilization and defense mechanisms.
- The research highlights the diversity of cyanobacterial communities and introduces novel species, emphasizing the importance of understanding microbial ecosystems in managing and predicting the occurrence of these harmful algal blooms.
Economic losses from insect herbivory in agroecosystems has driven the development of integrated pest management strategies that reduce pest incidence and damage; however, traditional chemicals-based control is either being complemented or substituted with sustainable and integrated methods. Major sustainable pest management strategies revolve around improving host plant resistance, and one of these traits of interest is Brown midrib (BMR). Originally developed to increase nutritional value and ease of digestion for animal agriculture, BMR is a recessive plant gene usually found in annual grasses, including sorghum and sorghum-sudangrass hybrids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBovine anaplasmosis, caused by Anaplasma marginale, is widespread in cattle in the southeast United States. The pathogen is biologically transmitted by Dermacentor spp. ticks, and mechanically transmitted by biting flies and via fomites.
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