Arthropod-borne diseases are responsible for enormous amounts of morbidity and mortality world-wide. Research in my laboratory is focused on genetic diversity within, and the genetic structuring of, arthropod and arthropod-borne pathogen populations. This research helps identify which arthropod populations may be important for disease transmission and which pathogen populations may be responsible for causing disease. The genetic information gathered in these studies also aids in the understanding of the evolution and genetic constraints of these vector-pathogen systems and may provide insight into how these cycles of disease may be disrupted. Current research activities in the laboratory are focused on malaria in West and Southern Africa, and Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases in the Eastern United States.

Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, vector biology, entomology, population genetics, arthropod genetics, Lyme Disease, malaria, West Nile Virus, biodiversity, tick, mosquito, Rickettsia

(Selected from the last 5 years)

Norris, LC, CM Fornadel, F Pineda and DE Norris.  Evidence for multiple human feeding within a single gonotrophic cycle by Anopheles arabiensis. (in press)

Gardner-Santana, LC, DE. Norris, CM Fornadel, ER Hinson, SL Klein and GE Glass. 2009. Commensal ecology, urban landscapes, and their influence on the genetic characteristics of city-dwelling Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus). Mol Ecol. in press

Morgenstern, K, G Baljer, DE Norris, P Kraiczy, C Hanssen-Hübner and K-P Hunfeld. 2009. In vitro susceptibility of Borrelia spielmanii against antimicrobial agents commonly used for the treatment of Lyme disease. Antimicrob Agents Chemo. 53: 1281-1284.

Koekemoer, LL, EA Misiani, RH Hunt, RJ Kent, DE Norris and M Coetzee. 2009. Cryptic species within Anopheles longipalpis from southern Africa and phylogenetic comparison with members of the An. funestus group. Bull Entomol Res. 99: 41-49.

Fornadel, CM, and DE Norris. 2008. Increased endophily by the malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis in Southern Zambia and identification of digested blood meals. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 79: 876-880.

Swanson, KI, and DE Norris. 2008. Presence of multiple variants of Borrelia burgdorferi in the natural reservoir Peromyscus leucopus throughout a transmission season. Vector-Borne Zoon Dis. 8: 397-405.

Swanson, KI, and DE Norris. 2007. Co-circulating microorganisms in questing Ixodes scapularis nymphs in Maryland. J Vector Ecol. 32: 243-251.

DiMenna, MA, R Bueno Jr, RR Parmenter, DE Norris, JM Sheyka, JL Molina, EM LaBeau, ES Hatton, CM Roberts and GE Glass. 2007. Urban habitat evaluation for West Nile Virus surveillance in mosquitoes in Albuquerque, New Mexico. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 23: 153-160.

Kent, RJ, S Mharakurwa and DE Norris. 2007. Spatial and temporal genetic structure of Anopheles arabiensis in Southern Zambia over consecutive wet and drought years. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 77: 316-323.

Kent, RJ, S Mharakurwa, H Hamapumbu and DE Norris. 2007. Recognition of a novel melanotic mutant in a field population of Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus Say in Southern Zambia. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 23: 71-75.

Swanson, KI, and DE Norris. 2006. Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi DNA from lizards in southern Maryland. Vector-Borne Zoon. Dis. 7: 42-49.

Kent, RJ, P Thuma, S Mharakurwa and DE Norris. 2007. Seasonality, blood feeding behavior and transmission of Plasmodium falciparum by Anopheles arabiensis following an extended drought in Southern Zambia. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 76: 267-274.

Kent, RJ, LC Harrington and DE Norris. 2007. Genetic differences between Culex pipiens f. molestus and Culex pipiens pipiens in New York. J Med Entomol. 44: 50-59.

Anderson, JM, T Shields, KI Swanson, TR Schwartz, GE Glass and DE Norris. 2006. Mammal diversity and infectious prevalence in the maintenance of enzootic Lyme disease along the Western Coastal Plains of Maryland. Vector-Borne Zoon Dis. 6: 411-422.

Kent, RJ, M Coetzee, S Mharakurwa and DE Norris. 2006. Feeding and indoor resting behaviour of the mosquito Anopheles longipalpis in an area of hyperendemic malaria transmission in southern Zambia. Med Vet Entomol. 20: 1-5.

Anderson, JM, and DE Norris. 2006. Genetic diversity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto from Peromyscus leucopus, the primary reservoir and vector of Lyme disease in a moderately endemic region of southern Maryland. Appl Environ Microbiol. 72: 5331-5341.

DiMenna, MA, R Bueno Jr, RR Parmenter, DE Norris, JM Sheyka, JL Molina, EM LaBeau, ES Hatton and GE Glass. 2006. The emergence of West Nile Virus in mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) communities of the New Mexico Rio Grande Valley. J Med Entomol. 43: 594-599.

DiMenna, MA, R Bueno Jr, RR Parmenter, DE Norris, JM Sheyka, JL Molina, EM LaBeau, ES Hatton and GE Glass. 2006. A comparison of mosquito trapping method efficacy for West Nile virus surveillance in New Mexico. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 22: 246-253.

Shone, SM, GE Glass and DE Norris. 2006. Targeted trapping for mosquito vectors in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland. J Med Entomol. 43: 151-158.

Kent, RJ, and DE Norris. 2005. Identification of mammalian blood meals in mosquitoes by a multiplexed polymerase chain reaction targeting cytochrome b. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 73: 336-342.

Bosio, CF, LC Harrington, J Jones, R Sithiprasasna, DE Norris and TW Scott. 2005. Genetic structure of Aedes aegypti populations in Thailand using mtDNA. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 72: 434-442.

Alghaferi, MY, JM Anderson, J Park, PG Auwaerter, JN Aucott, DE Norris and JS Dumler. 2005. Borrelia burgdorferi ospC heterogeneity among human and murine isolates from a defined region of Northern Maryland and Southern Pennsylvania: lack of correlation with invasive and non-invasive genotypes. J Clin Microbiol. 43: 1879-1884.

Anderson, JM, NC Ammerman and DE Norris. 2004. Molecular differentiation of Metastriate tick immatures. Vector-Borne Zoon Dis. 4: 334-342.

Kent, RJ, AJ West and DE Norris. 2004. Molecular differentiation of colonized human malaria vectors by 28S rDNA polymorphisms. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 71: 514-517.

Ammerman, NC, KI Swanson, JM Anderson, TR Schwartz, EC Seaberg, GE Glass and DE Norris. 2004. Spotted-Fever Group Rickettsia in Dermacentor variabilis, Maryland. Emerg Infect Dis. 10: 1478-1481.

Norris, DE. 2004. Mosquito-borne diseases as a consequence of land use change. Ecohealth. 1: 19-24.

Shone, SM, PN Ferrao, CR Lesser, GE Glass and DE Norris. 2003. Evaluation of carbon dioxide and 1-octen-3-ol baited CDC Fay-Prince traps to collect Aedes albopictus. J Am Mosq Control Assoc. 19: 445-447.

Norris, DE. 2002. Genetic markers for the study of anopheline vectors of human malaria. Int J Parasitol. 32: 1607-1615.