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Feng K, Bendiwhobel Ushie B, Zhang H, Li S, Deng F, Wang H, Ning YJ. Pathogenesis and virulence of Heartland virus. Virulence 2024; 15:2348252. [PMID: 38712703 PMCID: PMC11085952 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2024.2348252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Heartland virus (HRTV), an emerging tick-borne pathogenic bunyavirus, has been a concern since 2012, with an increasing incidence, expanding geographical distribution, and high pathogenicity in the United States. Infection from HRTV results in fever, thrombocytopenia, and leucopenia in humans, and in some cases, symptoms can progress to severe outcomes, including haemorrhagic disease, multi-organ failure, and even death. Currently, no vaccines or antiviral drugs are available for treatment of the HRTV disease. Moreover, little is known about HRTV-host interactions, viral replication mechanisms, pathogenesis and virulence, further hampering the development of vaccines and antiviral interventions. Here, we aimed to provide a brief review of HRTV epidemiology, molecular biology, pathogenesis and virulence on the basis of published article data to better understand this virus and provide clues for further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan Feng
- Hubei Jiangxia Laboratory, Wuhan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and National Virus Resource Center, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety and Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Benjamin Bendiwhobel Ushie
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and National Virus Resource Center, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haiyan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and National Virus Resource Center, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety and Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Shu Li
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Guangzhou Women & Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fei Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and National Virus Resource Center, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety and Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Hualin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and National Virus Resource Center, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety and Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yun-Jia Ning
- Hubei Jiangxia Laboratory, Wuhan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Virology and National Virus Resource Center, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
- Key Laboratory of Virology and Biosafety and Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
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Fausett E, Kirstein OD, Bellman S, Long A, Roeske I, Cheng C, Piantadosi A, Anderson TK, Vazquez-Prokopec GM. Surveillance and detection of Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) in protected areas from Georgia, USA. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2024:tjae051. [PMID: 38691675 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjae051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
The invasion of the Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, into the United States poses a significant ecological, veterinarian, and public health threat. We conducted a comprehensive tick survey using standard tick flagging protocol for collection over 3 field seasons, March-August, and 56 surveyed sites to identify the presence of H. longicornis in the native ecosystem and prove its establishment according to USDA criteria. Of the total 56 state parks and wildlife management areas (WMA) surveyed, only one was found to be invaded by H. longicornis; detection of H. longicornis occurred at Buck Shoals Wildlife Management area in White County, GA. This site is maintained by the state of Georgia, has no agricultural animals present, and hosts a large white-tailed deer population. After the initial detection of H. longicornis in 2022, an additional field season occurred in 2023, where H. longicornis was confirmed as established based on USDA criteria. The increase in H. longicornis populations from 2021 to 2023 at Buck Shoals WMA points to the rapid spread of this tick within the environment. Our findings provide evidence of the rapid establishment of H. longicornis in the southern edge of suitability for this tick and within the native ecosystem beyond farmlands and private land.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor Fausett
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Oscar D Kirstein
- Entomology and Parasitology Laboratory, Ministry of Health Israel, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Stephanie Bellman
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Audrey Long
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Isabella Roeske
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Chun Cheng
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Anne Piantadosi
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Tavis K Anderson
- Virus and Prion Research Unit, National Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Ames, IA, USA
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Bellman S, Fausett E, Aeschleman L, Long A, Roeske I, Pilchik J, Piantadosi A, Vazquez-Prokopec G. Mapping the distribution of Amblyomma americanum in Georgia, USA. Parasit Vectors 2024; 17:62. [PMID: 38342907 PMCID: PMC10860309 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06142-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Amblyomma americanum, the lone star tick, is an aggressive questing species that harbors several pathogens dangerous to humans in the United States. The Southeast in particular has large numbers of this tick due to the combined suitable climate and habitats throughout the region. No studies have estimated the underlying distribution of the lone star tick across the state of Georgia, a state where it is the dominant species encountered. METHODS Ticks were collected by flagging 198 transects of 750 m2 at 43 state parks and wildlife management areas across the state from March to July of 2022. A suite of climate, landscape, and wildlife variables were assembled, and a logistic regression model was used to assess the association between these environmental factors and the presence of lone star ticks and to predict the distribution of these ticks across the state. RESULTS A total of 59/198 (30%) transects sampled contained adult or nymph A. americanum, with the majority of transects containing these ticks (54/59, 91.5%) in forested habitats. The presence of A. americanum was associated with elevation, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) on January 1, isothermality, temperature seasonality, and precipitation in the wettest quarter. Vast regions of central, eastern, and southern coastal Georgia (57% of the state) were categorized as suitable habitat for the lone star tick. CONCLUSIONS This study describes the distribution of the lone star tick across the state of Georgia at a finer scale than the current county-level information available. It identifies specific variables associated with tick presence and provides a map that can be used to target areas for tick prevention messaging and awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Bellman
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ellie Fausett
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Leah Aeschleman
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Audrey Long
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Isabella Roeske
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Josie Pilchik
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Anne Piantadosi
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Dupuis AP, Lange RE, Ciota AT. Emerging tickborne viruses vectored by Amblyomma americanum (Ixodida: Ixodidae): Heartland and Bourbon viruses. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2023; 60:1183-1196. [PMID: 37862097 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjad060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Heartland (HRTV) and Bourbon (BRBV) viruses are newly identified tick-borne viruses, isolated from serious clinical cases in 2009 and 2014, respectively. Both viruses originated in the lower Midwest United States near the border of Missouri and Kansas, cause similar disease manifestations, and are presumably vectored by the same tick species, Amblyomma americanum Linnaeus (Ixodida: Ixodidae). In this article, we provide a current review of HRTV and BRBV, including the virology, epidemiology, and ecology of the viruses with an emphasis on the tick vector. We touch on current challenges of vector control and surveillance, and we discuss future directions in the study of these emergent pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan P Dupuis
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Griffin Laboratory, 5668 State Farm Road, Slingerlands, NY 12159, USA
| | - Rachel E Lange
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Griffin Laboratory, 5668 State Farm Road, Slingerlands, NY 12159, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York University at Albany, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA
| | - Alexander T Ciota
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Griffin Laboratory, 5668 State Farm Road, Slingerlands, NY 12159, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York University at Albany, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA
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Reynolds ES, Wooldridge JT, Stevenson HL, Thangamani S. The Lone Star tick, Amblyomma americanum, salivary factors exacerbate the clinical outcome of Heartland virus disease in a small animal model. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13304. [PMID: 37587216 PMCID: PMC10432400 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40397-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Heartland virus was first isolated in 2009 from two patients in Missouri and is transmitted by the Lone Star tick, Amblyomma americanum. To understand disease transmission and pathogenesis, it is necessary to develop an animal model which utilizes the natural route of transmission and manifests in a manner similar to documented human cases. Herein we describe our investigations on identifying A129 mice as the most appropriate small animal model for HRTV pathogenesis that mimics human clinical outcomes. We further investigated the impact of tick saliva in enhancing pathogen transmission and clinical outcomes. Our investigations revealed an increase in viral load in the groups of mice that received both virus and tick salivary gland extract (SGE). Spleens of all infected mice showed extramedullary hematopoiesis (EH), depleted white pulp, and absence of germinal centers. This observation mimics the splenomegaly observed in natural human cases. In the group that received both HRTV and tick SGE, the clinical outcome of HRTV infection was exacerbated compared to HRTV only infection. EH scores and the presence of viral antigens in spleen were higher in mice that received both HRTV and tick SGE. In conclusion, we have developed a small animal model that mimics natural human infection and also demonstrated the impact of tick salivary factors in exacerbating the HRTV infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin S Reynolds
- SUNY Center for Vector-Borne Diseases, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
- Institute for Global Health and Translational Sciences, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - Jacob T Wooldridge
- Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Heather L Stevenson
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Saravanan Thangamani
- SUNY Center for Vector-Borne Diseases, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
- Institute for Global Health and Translational Sciences, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
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Liu S, Kannan S, Meeks M, Sanchez S, Girone KW, Broyhill JC, Martines RB, Bernick J, Flammia L, Murphy J, Hills SL, Burkhalter KL, Laven JJ, Gaines D, Hoffmann CJ. Fatal Case of Heartland Virus Disease Acquired in the Mid-Atlantic Region, United States. Emerg Infect Dis 2023; 29:992-996. [PMID: 36821867 PMCID: PMC10124632 DOI: 10.3201/eid2905.221488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Heartland virus (HRTV) disease is an emerging tickborne illness in the midwestern and southern United States. We describe a reported fatal case of HRTV infection in the Maryland and Virginia region, states not widely recognized to have human HRTV disease cases. The range of HRTV could be expanding in the United States.
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Reynolds ES, Wooldridge JT, Stevenson H, Thangamani S. The Lone Star Tick, Amblyomma americanum, salivary factors exacerbate the clinical outcome of Heartland virus disease in a small animal model. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2828801. [PMID: 37163121 PMCID: PMC10168474 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2828801/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Heartland virus was first isolated in 2009 from two patients in Missouri and is transmitted by the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum. To understand disease transmission and pathogenesis, it is necessary to develop an animal model that utilizes the natural transmission route and manifests in a manner similar to documented human cases. Herein we describe our investigations on identifying A129 mice as the most appropriate small animal model for HRTV pathogenesis that mimics human clinical outcomes. We further investigated the impact of tick saliva in enhancing pathogen transmission and clinical outcomes. Our investigations revealed an increase in viral load in the groups of mice that received both virus and tick salivary gland extract (SGE). Spleens of all infected mice showed extramedullary hematopoiesis (EH), depleted white pulp, and absence of germinal centers. This observation mimics the splenomegaly observed in natural human cases. In the group that received both HRTV and tick SGE, the clinical outcome of HRTV infection was exacerbated compared to HRTV-only infection. EH scores and viral antigens in the spleen were higher in mice that received both HRTV and tick SGE. In conclusion, we have developed a small animal model that mimics natural human infection and also demonstrated the impact to tick salivary factors in exacerbating the HRTV infection.
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Wood RR, Roberts RW, Kerr SM, Wasden M, Hammer TG, McCreadie JW, Rayner JO. Tick-Borne Pathogens Associated with Medically Important Ticks in Alabama: A Four-Year Survey. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2023; 23:57-62. [PMID: 36576967 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2022.0038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) represent a significant threat to human health in the United States. Based on reported cases of notifiable TBDs to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the state of Alabama is no exception, yet previously there has been no active surveillance program in place to comprehensively assess the presence and prevalence of tick vectors and their associated TBD pathogens in Alabama. Here we summarize initial findings from a 4-year survey to address this unmet need. Materials and Methods: Beginning in 2018 and proceeding through 2021, ticks were collected throughout the state of Alabama and pooled before being screened for a panel of TBD pathogens known to circulate in the United States. Results: Consistent with previously reported cases, TBD pathogens associated with anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and spotted fever rickettsiosis were detected in ticks of Alabama. Causative agents for tularemia and Lyme disease were not detected despite previously reported human disease cases. There was also no evidence of Heartland virus despite recent reports of the virus being detected in ticks in Northwestern counties. Conclusions: While these results serve to provide some insights into TBD pathogens associated with ticks in Alabama, they also raise many questions that highlight the need for additional studies and continued surveillance to fully understand the TBD threat to human health in Alabama.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Ryan Wood
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA
| | - Rosemary W Roberts
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA
| | - Skyler M Kerr
- Biology Department, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA
| | - Madeline Wasden
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA
| | - Thelma G Hammer
- Biology Department, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA
| | - John W McCreadie
- Biology Department, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA
| | - Jonathan O Rayner
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, USA
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Fares M, Brennan B. Virus-host interactions during tick-borne bunyavirus infection. Curr Opin Virol 2022; 57:101278. [PMID: 36375406 DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2022.101278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The Bunyavirales order is the largest grouping of RNA viruses, comprising emerging and re-emerging human, plant and animal pathogens. Bunyaviruses have a global distribution and many members of the order are transmitted by arthropods. They have evolved a plethora of mechanisms to manipulate the regulatory processes of the infected cell to facilitate their own replicative cycle, in hosts of disparate phylogenies. Interest in virus-vector interactions is growing rapidly. However, current understanding of tick-borne bunyavirus cellular interaction is heavily biased to studies conducted in mammalian systems. In this short review, we summarise current understandings of how tick-borne bunyaviruses utilise major cellular pathways (innate immunity, apoptosis and RNAi responses) in mammalian or tick cells to facilitate virus replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mazigh Fares
- Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow G61 1QH, Scotland, UK
| | - Benjamin Brennan
- Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow G61 1QH, Scotland, UK.
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Kerr SM, Rayner JO, Wood RR, McCreadie J. Statewide survey of medically important ticks on white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman, in Alabama, U.S.A. JOURNAL OF VECTOR ECOLOGY : JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR VECTOR ECOLOGY 2022; 47:210-216. [PMID: 36314676 DOI: 10.52707/1081-1710-47.2.210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A statewide survey of the tick fauna found on deer, using harvested deer heads as the sample unit, was conducted during the Alabama hunting seasons of 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. Four species of ticks: Ixodes scapularis (n= 936, % of catch 69.1%), Amblyomma americanum (315, 23.2%), Dermacentor albipictus (97, 7.1%), and Amblyomma maculatum (6, 0.4%) were taken from 151 deer heads harvested from 21 deer processing centers (n = 4-17 heads/processor). A total of 87.7% (prevalence) of deer heads had one or more ticks. We used two standard numerical descriptors of tick numbers, abundance, and relative abundance. No significant stepwise regressions (p > 0.05) were found between tick abundance (all ticks, I. scapularis, A. americanum) and the predictor variables of latitude, deer density, season, and year. In addition, the correlation between the abundance of I. scapularis and A. americanum was not significant (p > 0.5). In contrast, the relative abundance of both I. scapularis and A. americanum showed a significant (P < 0.05) relationship with latitude, with the relative abundance of I. scapularis increasing on deer with increased latitude and A. americanum showing the opposite pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Skyler M Kerr
- University of South Alabama, Biology Department, Life Sciences Building, Mobile, AL 36688
| | - Jonathan O Rayner
- University of South Alabama, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, Mobile, AL 36688
| | - R Ryan Wood
- University of South Alabama, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, Mobile, AL 36688
| | - John McCreadie
- University of South Alabama, Biology Department, Life Sciences Building, Mobile, AL 36688,
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