Glen R. Needham

GLEN R. NEEDHAM, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

• e-mail: Needham.1@osu.edu
• s-mail: Acarology Laboratory, Department of Entomology, The Ohio State University, 1735 Neil Ave., Columbus OH 43210
• phone: (614) 688-3026
• fax: (614) 292-9758

• Web Sites:
  • http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~acarolog/summer.htm
    
  • http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~acarolog/acar-hp.htm
    
  • http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~acarolog/dedicate.htm

TICKS: Ticks have received most of my attention since I began doing basic research on salivary glands. Since 1978 I have worked on tick-host interactions by using tools of molecular biology (expression libraries and DNA sequencing) to characterize salivary gland-produced proteins that are secreted into the host during early days of feeding. The concepts we seek to understand are at the cellular, organ, whole organism and host-parasite interaction levels. Off-host survival of ticks has also captured my interest. One student is studying how ticks over winter. Our water-balance physiology studies of ticks (see citation below) are inspired by the efforts of G.W. Wharton (deceased) who was director of the Acarology Laboratory for many years and one of the founding fathers of American acarology. I am also interested in promoting public health issues that relate to ticks (Lyme disease & Rocky Mt. spotted fever) and this has revolved around safe and effective removal of ticks from the host (see Stewart et al. 1998). Collaborations on tick ecology and repellent evaluation are currently underway with Dr. Leon Fourie at Orange Free State University in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

HONEY BEE MITES: Mites of honey bees have become a problem in the U.S. since 1984 and I have assisted with education of beekeepers while doing basic and applied research on bee mites with an aim towards safe and effective control. An Annual Review of Entomology article appears in the year 2000 volume (see below). The bee-mite research is being concluded with this report.

HOUSE DUST MITES: We launched a clinical trial to evaluate a pesticide for control of house dust mites in the homes of asthmatics here in Columbus. This experiment follows patient symptoms while monitoring mite populations and allergen levels. Future studies are planned to evaluate a pest management strategy using a thorough cleaning followed by application and an acaricide and antimicrobial (molds) and other cleaning maintenance procedures while following asthma patient symptoms. This work is in collaboration with Dr. Don McNeil & Emmett Glass in the OSU Department of Internal Medicine and Dr. Frank Eidelman of the Cleveland Clinic in Florida. An article on dust mites and asthma is found on the internet at the address given below in the paper by Glass, Needham and McNeil (1998).

Master's Students
Andrea Borton, 1999
Emmett Glass, 1997
Tom Pannabecker, 1982
Terry Miele, 1981

Undergraduate Student Research
Susan Crist
Jessica Lapasia
Matt Brunelle
Rob Claydon

Postdoctoral trainees
Dr. Nour Sherif, April 1- December, 1986 (Fulbright Scholar)
Dr. Mahmoud El-Seify, (American Peace Fellowship)
Dr. Magdy Fahmy, (American Peace Fellowship)
Dr. Mohamed Aggour, Jan. - June, 1992 (National Ag. Research Project)
Dr. Mohamed Askalany, Jan. - June, 1992 (National Ag. Research Project)
Dr. Thoraya El-Assly, Sept. 1992-May 1993 (National Ag. Research Project)
Dr. Deborah Jaworski, May - June, 1994 (NIH)
Dr. Don Yehling, June 1, 1995 - June, 1997 (Dust Mite Industry Projects)
Dr. Diana Sammataro, 1995 - 1998 (BARD, now at Penn. State U.)

Visiting Scholar (Aug. 1997-March 1999): Bu Zhaoyi

TICKS:

• Needham, G.R. and P.D. Teel. 1991. Off-host physiological ecology of ixodid ticks. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 36:659-681.
• Jaworski, D.C., F.A. Simmen, W. Lamoreaux, L.B. Coons, M.T. Muller and G.R. Needham. 1995. A secreted calreticulin protein in ixodid tick (Amblyomma americanum) saliva. J. Insect Physiol. 41:369-375.
• Needham, G.R. , D.C. Jaworski, C.-P. Chen and R.E. Lee. 1996. Coldhardiness of lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae). J. Med. Entomol. 33: 706-710.
• Strey, O.F., P.D. Teel, M. T. Longnecker and G.R. Needham. 1996. Survival and water-balance characteristics of unfed adult Cayenne ticks Amblyomma cajennense (Acari: Ixodidae). J. Med. Entomol. 33: 63-73.
• Burks, C.S., R.L. Stewart, Jr., G.R. Needham and R.E. Lee, Jr. 1996. Spontaneous freezing, direct chilling injury and inoculative freezing in Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis. Physiol. Entomol. 21: 44-50.
• Yoder, J.A., M.A. Selim and G.R. Needham. 1997. Influence of feeding, molting and relative humidity on cuticular wax deposition and integumental permeability by an ixodid tick. J. Insect Physiol. 43: 547-557.
• Bowman, A.S., L.B. Coons, G.R. Needham and J.R. Sauer. 1997. Tick saliva: Recent advances and implications for vector competence. Med. Vet. Entomol. 11: 277-285.
• Stewart, R.L., S.P. Tammariello, L. Fielden and G.R. Needham. 1998. Feeding success of exposed overwintering laboratory strains of Amblyomma americanum and Dermacentor variabilis during winter in Ohio. Intl. J. Acarol. 24: 81-85.
• Stewart, R.L., W. Burgdorfer and G.R. Needham. 1998. Evaluation of three commercial tick removal tools. Wilderness and Environmental Med. 9: 137-42.
• Sigal, M.D., J.A. Yoder and G.R. Needham. 1999. Palp-splaying behavior and a specific mouthpart site associated with active water vapor uptake in Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae). J. Med. Entomol.. 36: 365-69.
• Borton, A.R. and G.R. Needham. 2000. Novel use of laser Doppler imager shows host responses to tick feeding. J. Med. Entomol. (in press)
• Lamoreaux, W., G.R. Needham and L.B. Coons. 2000. Evidence that dilation of isolated tick salivary gland ducts is mediated by nitric oxide. J. Insect Physiol. (in press)

• Sammataro, D., S. Cobey, B.H. Smith and G.R. Needham. 1994. Controlling tracheal mites (Acari: Tarsomemidae) in honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) with vegetable oil. J. Econ. Entomol. 87: 910-16. (Cover article)
• Sammataro, D. and G.R. Needham. 1996. Host-seeking behavior of tracheal mites (Acari: Tarsonemidae) on honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Exp. Applied Acarology.20: 121-36.
• Sammataro, D. and G.R. Needham. 1996. Developing an integrated pest management (IPM) scheme for managing parasitic bee mites. Amer. Bee J. 136: 440-443
• Bruce, W.A., G.R. Needham and W.J.E. Potts. 1997. Effects of temperature and water vapor activity on water loss by Varroa jacobsoni (Acari: Varroidae). Amer. Bee J. 137:461-63.
• Sammataro, D. G. Degrandi-Hoffman, G. Needham and G. Wardell. 1998. Some volatile plant oils as potential control agents for varroa mites (Acari: Varroidae) in honey bee colonies (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Amer. Bee J. 138: 681-85.
• Yoder, J.A., D. Sammataro, J.A. Peterson, G.R. Needham and W.A. Bruce. 1999. Water requirements of adult females of the honey bee parasitic mite, Varroa jacobsoni (Acari: Varroidae). Intl. J. Acarology (in press).
• Sammataro, D., U. Gerson and G.R. Needham. 2000. Parasitic mites of honey bees: life history, implications and impact. Annu. Rev. Entomol. 45: (in press).

• Glass, E.V., J.A. Yoder and G.R. Needham. 1997. Clustering reduces water loss by adult American house dust mites Dermatophagoides farinae Hughes (Acari: Pyroglyphidae). Exp. Applied Acarology. 22: 31-37.
• Glass, E.V., G.R. Needham and D.L. McNeil. 1998. Asthma and the challenges of house dust mite management. Medscape Respiratory Care 2(6)
  http://www.medscape.com/medscape/respiratorycare/journal/1998/v02.n06/mrc3062.mcne/mrc3062.mcne.01.html

• Needham, G.R., R.E. Page, M. Delfinado-Baker and C.E. Bowman (eds.). 1988. Africanized Honey Bees and Bee Mites. Ellis Horwood Ltd., Chichester.
• Mitchell, R.D., D.J. Horn, G.R. Needham and C.W. Welbourn. 1997. Acarology IX: Proceedings of the International Congress. Ohio Biological Survey, Columbus, OH, 718 pp.
• Needham, G.R., R.D. Mitchell, D.J. Horn and C. Welbourn. 1999. Acarology IX: Symposia. Ohio Biological Survey, Columbus, OH.
• Crist, S.C., R.L. Stewart, J.P. Rinehart and G.R. Needham. 1999. Surveillance for Toxoplasma gondii in the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Ohio. Ohio J. Science. 99: (in press). (cover article)

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