Research Project: Biology and Management of Dipteran Pests of Livestock and Other Animals

Location: Arthropod-borne Animal Diseases Research

Publications (Clicking on the reprint icon will take you to the publication reprint.)

Unravelling the relationships between midge abundance and incidence, microbial communities, and soil and water Pproperties in a protected natural tallgrass prairie - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Neupane, S., Davis, T.M., Olds, C., Nayduch, D., Mcgregor, B.L. 2025. Unravelling the relationships between midge abundance and incidence, microbial communities, and soil and water Pproperties in a protected natural tallgrass prairie. Parasites & Vectors. 18:146. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-025-06780-5.

Temperature effects on the survival and oviposition of an invasive blow fly Chrysomya rufifacies Macquart (Diptera: Calliphoridae) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Assessing the feasibility, safety, and nutritional quality of using wild-caught pest flies in animal feed - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Van Nest, K., Swistek, S.E., Olmstead, M.L., De La Mota-Peynad, A.M., Ewing, R.D., Brabec, D.L., Mitzel, D.N., Oppert, B.S., Cohnstaedt, L.W., Shults, P.T. 2024. Assessing the feasibility, safety, and nutritional quality of using wild-caught pest flies in animal feed. Journal of Economic Entomology. 117(4): 1280–1288. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toad239.

Bacterial communities of house flies from dairy farms highlight their role as reservoirs, disseminators, and sentinels of microbial rhreats to human and animal health - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Neupane, S., Park, Y., Watson, D., Trout Fryxell, R., Burgess, E.R., Nayduch, D. 2024. Bacterial communities of house flies from dairy farms highlight their role as reservoirs, disseminators, and sentinels of microbial rhreats to human and animal health. Insects. 15(9). Article 730. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15090730.

otb: an Automated HiC/HiFi Pipeline Assembles the Prosapia bicincta Genome - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Molik, D.C., Stahlke, A., Sharma, S.P., Corpuz, R.L., Kauwe, A.N., Schrader, J.E., Mason, C.J., Sim, S.B., Geib, S.M. 2024. otb: an Automated HiC/HiFi Pipeline Assembles the Prosapia bicincta Genome. Genes, Genomes, and Genomics. 14(7). https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkae129.

Culicoides midge abundance across years: Modeling inter-annual variation for an avian feeder and a candidate vector of hemorrhagic diseases in farmed wildlife - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Benn, J.S., Orange, J.P., Gomez, J., Dinh, E.T., McGregor, B.L., Blosser, E., Burkett-Cadena, N.D., Wisely, S.M., Blackburn, J.K. 2024. Culicoides midge abundance across years: Modeling inter-annual variation for an avian feeder and a candidate vector of hemorrhagic diseases in farmed wildlife. Viruses. 16(5). Article 766. https://doi.org/10.3390/v16050766.

Expression of defensin genes across house fly (Musca domestica) life history gives insight into immune system subfunctionalization - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Asgari, D., Purvis, T.J., Pickens, V., Saski, C., Meisel, R.P., Nayduch, D. 2024. Expression of defensin genes across house fly (Musca domestica) life history gives insight into immune system subfunctionalization. Genome. https://doi.org/10.1139/gen-2024-0016.

Defensins of the stable fly have developmental-specific regulation and evolve at different rates - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Asgari, D., Nayduch, D., Meisel, R. 2024. Defensins of the stable fly have developmental-specific regulation and evolve at different rates. Integrative & Comparative Biology. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icae015.

A photographic key to the adult female biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogondiae: Culicoides) of Florida, USA - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Blosser, E.M., McGregor, B.L., Burkett-Cadena, N.D. 2024. A photographic key to the adult female biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogondiae: Culicoides) of Florida, USA. Zootaxa. 5433(2):151-182. https://doi.org/10.11646/ZOOTAXA.5433.2.1.

FAIR Header Reference genome: A TRUSTworthy standard - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Wright, A., Wilkinson, M.D., Mungall, C., Cain, S., Richards, S., Sternberg, P., Provin, E., Jacobs, J.L., Geib, S.M., Raciti, D., Yook, K., Stein, L., Molik, D.C. 2024. FAIR Header Reference genome: A TRUSTworthy standard. Briefings in Bioinformatics. 25(3). Article bbae122. https://doi.org/10.1093/bib/bbae122.

Behavioral and biological effects of arbovirus infection on culicoides sonorensis - (Abstract Only)

Evaluation of potential reference genes in the biting midge Culicoides sonorensis for real-time quantitative PCR analyses - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Osborne, C., Cooper, A., Hall, B., Bird, E., Nayduch, D., Silver, K. 2023. Evaluation of potential reference genes in the biting midge Culicoides sonorensis for real-time quantitative PCR analyses. Scientific Reports. 13. Article 16729. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43750-2.

Bacterial communities and prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes carried within house flies (Diptera: Muscidae) associated with beef and dairy cattle farms - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Neupane, S., Talley, J., Taylor, D.B., Nayduch, D. 2023. Bacterial communities and prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes carried within house flies (Diptera: Muscidae) associated with beef and dairy cattle farms. Journal of Medical Entomology. Article tjad112. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjad112.

Host associations of Culicoides biting midges in northeastern Kansas, USA - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
McGregor, B.L., Lewis, A. 2023. Host associations of Culicoides biting midges in northeastern Kansas, USA. Animals. 13(15): 2504. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13152504.

Multidrug resistant bacteria carried by house flies from Kansas cattle operations: implications for animal health, food safety and surveillance - (Abstract Only)

Arbovirus modification of midge behavior and considerations for vector surveillance and management - (Abstract Only)

House flies are underappreciated yet important reservoirs and vectors of microbial threats to animal and human health - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Nayduch, D., Neupane, S., Pickens, V., Purvis, T.J., Olds, C. 2023. House flies are underappreciated yet important reservoirs and vectors of microbial threats to animal and human health. Microorganisms. 11(3). Article 583. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11030583.

Habitat type and host grazing regimen influence the soil microbial diversity and communities within potential biting midge larval habitats - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Neupane, S., Davis, T.M., Nayduch, D., McGregor, B.L. 2023. Habitat type and host grazing regimen influence the soil microbial diversity and communities within potential biting midge larval habitats. Environmental Microbiome. 18(1):5-21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-022-00456-8.

Life history metrics for Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae) and Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are not impacted by artificial feeding on defibrinated versus EDTA-treated blood - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Swanson, D.A., McGregor, B.L. 2022. Life history metrics for Culex tarsalis (Diptera: Culicidae) and Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are not impacted by artificial feeding on defibrinated versus EDTA-treated blood. Journal of Medical Entomology. 60(1):224-227. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjac171.

Sex-specific feeding behavior of adult house flies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Neupane, S., Hall, B., Brooke, G.M., Nayduch, D. 2022. Sex-specific feeding behavior of adult house flies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae). Journal of Medical Entomology. 60(1):7-13. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjac161.

Identification of constitutively-expressed immune effectors in the house fly (Musca domestica L.) and the transcription factors that regulate them - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Asgari, D., Saski, C.A., Meisel, R.P., Nayduch, D. 2022. Identification of constitutively-expressed immune effectors in the house fly (Musca domestica L.) and the transcription factors that regulate them. Insect Molecular Biology. 31(6):782-797. https://doi.org/10.1111/imb.12804.

A review of the vector status of North American Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) for bluetongue virus, epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus, and other arboviruses of concern - (Review Article)
McGregor, B.L., Shults, P.T., McDermott, E.G. 2022. A review of the vector status of North American Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) for bluetongue virus, epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus, and other arboviruses of concern. Current Tropical Medicine Reports. eVol 9:130–139 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s40475-022-00263-8.

Effects of habitat and sampling time on bacterial community composition and diversity in the gut of the female house fly, Musca domestica Linnaeus (Diptera:Muscidae) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Neupane, S., Nayduch, D. 2022. Effects of habitat and sampling time on bacterial community composition and diversity in the gut of the female house fly, Musca domestica Linnaeus (Diptera:Muscidae). Medical and Veterinary Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1111/mve.12581.

House fly larval grazing alters dairy cattle manure microbial communities - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Neupane, S., Saski, C.A., Nayduch, D. 2021. House fly larval grazing alters dairy cattle manure microbial communities. BMC Microbiology. 21:1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-021-02418-5.

A windowed correlation based feature selection method to improve time series prediction of dengue fever cases - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Ferdousi, T., Cohnstaedt, L.W., Scoglio, C. 2021. A windowed correlation based feature selection method to improve time series prediction of dengue fever cases. IEEE Access. 9:141210-141222. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3120309.

The effect of fluctuating incubation temperatures on West Nile virus infection in Culex mosquitoes - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
McGregor, B.L., Kenney, J.L., Connelly, C. 2021. The effect of fluctuating incubation temperatures on West Nile virus infection in Culex mosquitoes. Viruses. 13(9):1822. https://doi.org/10.3390/v13091822.

Host-environment interplay shapes fungal diversity in mosquitoes - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Response of phosphine-resistant and -susceptible Lasioderma serricorne adults to different light spectra - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Baliota, G.V., Athanassiou, C.G., Cohnstaedt, L.W. 2021. Response of phosphine-resistant and -susceptible Lasioderma serricorne adults to different light spectra. Journal of Stored Products Research. 92:101808. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jspr.2021.101808.

Continuing the role of the citizen scientist: larval and pupal collections for National Mosquito Distribution Surveys - (Peer Reviewed Journal)

Mechanical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by house flies - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Balaraman, V., Drolet, B.S., Mitzel, D.N., Wilson, W.C., Owens, J.L., Gaultiero, N.N., Meekins, D.A., Bold, D., Trujillo, J.D., Noronha, L.E., Richt, J.A., Nayduch, D. 2021. Mechanical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by house flies. Parasites & Vectors. 14:214. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-04703-8.

Infection, dissemination, and transmission potential of North American Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex tarsalis, and Culicoides sonorensis for Oropouche virus - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
McGregor, B.L., Connelly, C., Kenney, J.L. 2021. Infection, dissemination, and transmission potential of North American Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex tarsalis, and Culicoides sonorensis for Oropouche virus. Viruses. 113(2):226. https://doi.org/10.3390/v13020226.

Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) communities differ between a game preserve and nearby natural areas in northern Florida - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
McGregor, B.L., Blackburn, J.K., Wisely, S.M., Burkett-Cadena, N.D. 2021. Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) communities differ between a game preserve and nearby natural areas in northern Florida. Journal of Medical Entomology. 58(1):450-457. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaa152.

Comparison of the effect of insecticides on bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) and mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus) by standard mosquito research methods - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
McGregor, B.L., Giordano, B.V., Runkel, A.E., Nigg, H.N., Nigg, H., Burkett-Cadena, N.D. 2020. Comparison of the effect of insecticides on bumble bees (Bombus impatiens) and mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus) by standard mosquito research methods. Journal of Economic Entomology. 114(1):24-32. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaa282.

Effect of bluetongue virus infection on blood meal feeding behavior in female Culicoides sonorensis - (Abstract Only)

Communities of Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) differ between a big game preserve and nearby natural areas in Florida - (Other)

Short-term and long-term modeling of the COVID-19 epidemic in the Hubei Province - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Yang, Q., Yi, C., Vajdi, A., Cohnstaedt, L.W., Wu, H., Guo, X., Scoglio, C. 2020. Short-term and long-term modeling of the COVID-19 epidemic in the Hubei Province. Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy. 5:563-574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idm.2020.08.001.

Cantaloupe facilitates Salmonella Typhimurium survival within and transmission among adult house flies (Musca domestica L.) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Thomson, J.L., Cernicchiaro, N., Zurek, L., Nayduch, D. 2021. Cantaloupe facilitates Salmonella Typhimurium survival within and transmission among adult house flies (Musca domestica L.). Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. 18(1):49-55. https://doi.org/10.1089/fpd.2020.2818.

A review of the control of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in the continental United States - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
McGregor, B.L., Connelly, C. 2021. A review of the control of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in the continental United States. Journal of Medical Entomology. 58(1):10-25. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaa157.

Environmental and sex effects on bacterial carriage by adult house flies (Musca domestica L.) - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Neupane, S., White, K., Thomson, J.L., Zurek, L., Nayduch, D. 2020. Environmental and sex effects on bacterial carriage by adult house flies (Musca domestica L.). Insects. 11:401. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11070401.

Fungus among us! The potential for biting midge control - (Trade Journal)

Highlights of mosquito and vector biology and control in Latin America - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Cohnstaedt, L.W., Alfonso Parra, C. 2019. Highlights of mosquito and vector biology and control in Latin America. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association. 35:40-46.