FRIDAY PAPER PRESENTATIONS

* Denotes pupil Presentation

** Denotes In Progres pupil Presentation

Section I: Biological Sciences

IC - 318

Mark s Davis and Terry D. Schwaner, Presiding

1:00 CANINE DISTEMPER VIRUS IN SOUTHWEST GEORGIA RACCOONS**, Krista A. Cox* and J Mitchell Lockhart, Biology Department, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA, 31698 A member of the family Paramyxouiridae, canine distemper virus (CDV) causes canine distemper, a significant viral disease in raccoons and fur animals, producing morbidity and mortality in unvaccinated populations worldwide. Although dogs are the greatest in quantity commonly affected species, CDV is also seen in raccoons, foxe ferret and minks. Comparatively, canine distemper is now rare in many industrialized countries owed to vaccination. Transmission of the virus appears via an aerosol-droplet route, direct contact, or possibly contact with contaminated percepts Approximately 365 raccoons from 2003 and 2004 were obtained from three southwest Georgia plantations as part of an ongoing USDA - Wildlife Services bobwhite-quail predator cast Of the 365 samples, 116 (318%) proofed positive for CDV by indirect immunoflourescent assay utilizing commerical antigen coated slides. Comparisons of seasonal, entertainer sex, and host age data will be evaluated. These data prompt considerable levels of canine distemper virus are near in southwest Georgia.

1:15 TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI IN SOUTHWEST GEORGIA OPOSSUMS** Jessica L Gillis* and J Mitchell Lockhart, Biology Department, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA, 31698 Trypanosoma cruzi is a protozoan parasite causing a disease that affects many in Central and southerly America, but only few in the United States. The disease is transmitted through triatomine insects of the Reduviidae family. T cruzi is predicted to have possession of numerous mammalian hosts such as raccoons, coyote opossum deer and dogs. above 1,000 opossums were acquired from three Southwest Georgia plantations as a accrue of an ongoing USDA - Wildlife Services bobwhite-quail predator throw out DNA isolations were performed upon frozen opossum heart tissue and samples were examined for the neighborhood of T. cruzi via polymerase chain reaction. Approximately 20% have ordealed positive for T. cruzi as of the submission date. Seasonal, entertainer sex, and host age data will also be analyzed. These be deriveds suggest that there are significant horizontals of this parasite in southwest Georgia opossum populations.

1:30 TRYPANOSOMA CRUZI IN SOUTHWEST GEORGIA RACCOONS**, Berrien Waters* and J Mitchell Lockhart, Biology Department, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, Georgia, 31698 Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasite known to cause Chagas' disease, has been notion to occupy several mammalian entertainers including canines, opossums, and raccoons. Although greatest in quantity cases of Chagas' disease are base in Central and South America, the theory that T cruzi utilizes entertainers that live in the United States readyed the urge to determine the prevalence of the parasite in these animals. More than 200 raccoons were obtained from three isolated regions in southern Georgia and north Florida as part of a USDA-Wildlife Services bobwhite quail predator removal application of mind DNA from frozen raccoon heart samples was trialed for the presence of T cruzi using polymerase chain reaction. For 2004 42 of 210 samples (200%) have experimented positive. These data will be compared with data mustered in 2003 and will be analyzed using various natural history variables. Collectively, data from these 2 years advise that there are considerable horizontals of T. cruzi in wildlife populations in these locations.

1:45 DETECTION OF THE CAUSATIVE AGENTS OF LYME DISEASE, EHRLICHIOSIS, AND STARI IN INDIVIDUAL SOUTHERN BLACK-LEGGED TICKS assembleed FROM WHITE-TAILED DEER OF THE PIEDMONT NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE** Joshua EHis*, Melissa Harrison, Jackie Delash, Brian Sparks, verdant Berry Starnes, IV and Alan F Smith. Department of Biology, Mercer University, Macon, GA 31207 above 1000 adult and nymphal ticks were gathered from the carcasses of freshly harvested, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at the check station during sum of two units prescribed hunts (Oct. 21-23 and Nov. 4-6 2004) in the Piedmont National Wildlife security (Jones Co. and Jasper Co GA). Southern black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) comprised the overwhelming majority of the tick species, although solitary star ticks (Amblyomma americanum) were well showed (~10%). Maintained individually at -20 ?°C total genomic DNA was extracted from single specimens and aliquots provided templates for the PCR-generation of agarose-gel-electrophoretic identifiable amplicons. Primers were designed from specific gene successions as follows: a 378-bp Borrelia spp FLA-1 gene fragment; a 459-bp Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) rOmpA gene fragment; a 247-bp Ehrlichia spp 16 rRNA gene fragment; and a 900-bp Ixodes spp nuclear ribosomal gene cluster fragment (ITS2). The rOmpA and FLA-1 amplicons allowed us to distinguish between the sum of two units ixodid-borne borreliae since OmpA is absent in B lonestari. The neighborhood of the Ixodes-specific amplicon serv as an added direction and confirmed the quality of the genomic extraction. The identity of the PCR produces was confirmed by sequencing of the agarose gel-purified amplicons. Faculty Research and disclosure Grants from the College of Liberal Arts, Mercer University provided funding for this project