Our labs and Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) are pursuing a multipronged approach to monitor and investigate tick-borne diseases. For instance, for Lyme Disease, we developed a novel vaccine technology that has shown strong protection in a laboratory preclinical model. In Texas, our scientists are also investigating the biology, evolution and transmission of relapsing fever spirochetes. These bacteria cause a potentially debilitating febrile illness with high morbidity and mortality when left untreated. One of the goals of our work is emerging disease monitoring to understand where and how human exposures occur. Most recently, we produced the first high‑quality, chromosome‑level genome assembly of the soft tick Ornithodoros turicata, enabling unprecedented insight into its biology, development, sex determination and vector-pathogen interactions.
Vaccines
Mechanistic insights into the structure-based design of a CspZ-targeting Lyme disease vaccinet--Brangulis et al.--Nature Communications
Epidemiology
Ticks in Texas with Dr. Sarah Gunter
Pathogenesis
Genome report: whole-genome assembly of the relapsing fever tick Ornithodoros turicata Dugès (Acari: Argasidae)--Tietjen et al.---The Genetics Society of America
Tick-Borne Diseases and Pregnancy: A Narrative Review Evaluating Pregnancy Complications Caused by Tick-Borne Diseases--Curtis et al.--Tropical Medicine & Infectious Disease
Molecular Mechanisms of Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever with Dr. Job Lopez