Publications

Publications: CRISPR-Cas12 Diagnostics & Mosquito Ecology

From a CRISPR design tool anyone can download to the first Texas record of an invasive mosquito: peer-reviewed work on detecting, tracking, and understanding disease vectors.

ResearchGate profile Search PubMed

total citations

h-index

peer-reviewed papers, 2 as first author

Citation counts from OpenAlex, refreshed live.

2022

29 citations

First author · Software

PrimedSherlock: a tool for rapid design of highly specific CRISPR-Cas12 crRNAs

Mann JG, Pitts RJ

BMC Bioinformatics 23:428

CRISPR-Cas assays bring lab-grade specificity to the field, but designing their guide RNAs and isothermal primers takes intensive manual curation. PrimedSherlock automates it, selecting highly specific crRNAs from PrimedRPA primer sets. Guides designed against West Nile, Zika, and all four dengue serotypes detected their targets with minimal off-target noise.

Read paper (open access) Source code PubMed PrimedSherlock guide

Cite this paper

APA

Mann, J. G., & Pitts, R. J. (2022). PrimedSherlock: A tool for rapid design of highly specific CRISPR-Cas12 crRNAs. BMC Bioinformatics, 23(1), 428. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12859-022-04968-5

BibTeX

@article{mann2022primedsherlock,
  author  = {Mann, James G. and Pitts, R. Jason},
  title   = {{PrimedSherlock}: a tool for rapid design of highly specific {CRISPR-Cas12} {crRNAs}},
  journal = {BMC Bioinformatics},
  volume  = {23},
  number  = {1},
  pages   = {428},
  year    = {2022},
  doi     = {10.1186/s12859-022-04968-5}
}

2022

2 citations

New state record

Aedes japonicus japonicus in Nebraska and Texas

Sames WJ, Hamik J, Mann JG, Bast JD, Pitts RJ

Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 38(2):92–95

Documents the continued westward spread of the Asian rock pool mosquito, recording it in eight Nebraska counties and in Bowie County, Texas: the species’ first record in the state, found while surveying surplus military equipment at a Texas Army depot.

Read paper PubMed Plain-language summary: Aedes japonicus in Texas

Cite this paper

APA

Sames, W. J., Hamik, J., Mann, J. G., Bast, J. D., & Pitts, R. J. (2022). Aedes japonicus japonicus in Nebraska and Texas. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 38(2), 92–95. https://doi.org/10.2987/21-7048

BibTeX

@article{sames2022aedes,
  author  = {Sames, William J. and Hamik, Jeff and Mann, James G. and Bast, Joshua D. and Pitts, R. Jason},
  title   = {\textit{Aedes japonicus japonicus} in {Nebraska} and {Texas}},
  journal = {Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association},
  volume  = {38},
  number  = {2},
  pages   = {92--95},
  year    = {2022},
  doi     = {10.2987/21-7048}
}

2021

14 citations

Distribution of Culex coronator in the USA

Sames WJ, Mann JG, Kelly R, Evans CL, Varnado WC, Bosworth AB, Noden BH, Ramberg FB, Riles MT, Killingsworth D, Doyle MS, Pitts RJ

Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 37(1):1–9

A multistate collaboration that added 146 new county records across ten southern states for this potential arbovirus vector. Cx. coronator is now documented in 386 counties in 14 states.

Read paper PubMed Plain-language summary: Culex coronator distribution

Cite this paper

APA

Sames, W. J., Mann, J. G., Kelly, R., Evans, C. L., Varnado, W. C., Bosworth, A. B., Noden, B. H., Ramberg, F. B., Riles, M. T., Killingsworth, D., Doyle, M. S., & Pitts, R. J. (2021). Distribution of Culex coronator in the USA. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 37(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.2987/21-6995.1

BibTeX

@article{sames2021culex,
  author  = {Sames, William J. and Mann, James G. and Kelly, Rosmarie and Evans, Chris L. and Varnado, Wendy C. and Bosworth, Anthony B. and Noden, Bruce H. and Ramberg, Frank B. and Riles, Michael T. and Killingsworth, Daniel and Doyle, Michael S. and Pitts, R. Jason},
  title   = {Distribution of \textit{Culex coronator} in the {USA}},
  journal = {Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association},
  volume  = {37},
  number  = {1},
  pages   = {1--9},
  year    = {2021},
  doi     = {10.2987/21-6995.1}
}

2020

13 citations

First author

Feeding habits of vector mosquitoes in Harris County, TX, 2018

Mann JG, Washington M, Guynup T, Tarrand C, Dewey EM, Fredregill C, Duguma D, Pitts RJ

Journal of Medical Entomology 57(6):1920–1929

Using COI DNA barcoding to identify bloodmeal hosts across urban and semi-urban Houston, we found heavy use of birds, even by the human-biting Aedes aegypti, and evidence of multiple bloodmeals in about half of specimens. Frequent feeding on backyard chickens may dampen West Nile virus transmission locally.

Read paper PubMed Plain-language summary: Houston mosquito feeding habits

Cite this paper

APA

Mann, J. G., Washington, M., Guynup, T., Tarrand, C., Dewey, E. M., Fredregill, C., Duguma, D., & Pitts, R. J. (2020). Feeding habits of vector mosquitoes in Harris County, TX, 2018. Journal of Medical Entomology, 57(6), 1920–1929. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaa117

BibTeX

@article{mann2020feeding,
  author  = {Mann, James G. and Washington, Megan and Guynup, Taylor and Tarrand, Christopher and Dewey, Elizabeth M. and Fredregill, Chris and Duguma, Dagne and Pitts, R. Jason},
  title   = {Feeding Habits of Vector Mosquitoes in {Harris County, TX}, 2018},
  journal = {Journal of Medical Entomology},
  volume  = {57},
  number  = {6},
  pages   = {1920--1929},
  year    = {2020},
  doi     = {10.1093/jme/tjaa117}
}

Presentations & dissertation.

1st place oral paper

Fieldable rapid pathogen detection in vector arthropods

Entomological Society of America, Southwestern Branch · Fort Worth, TX · April 2022

1st place oral talk

Texas Mosquito Control Association

Ph.D. oral presentation competition · December 2021

Ph.D. dissertation · Baylor University · 2022

Developing a fieldable viral detection toolkit and identifying invasive species and bloodmeal preference in Texas mosquitoes

Three threads of mosquito surveillance: what mosquitoes feed on, which species are present where, and how to detect the viruses they carry outside the lab with affordable, portable, accurate CRISPR test strips.