Lorenza Beati

Curator of the U.S. National Tick Collection, Associate Professor Georgia Southern University

  • Statesboro GA

Lorenza Beati's research focuses on the study of the taxonomy, evolutionary relationships, and population genetics of arthropods.

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Spotlight

1 min

Summertime is tick season…and Georgia Southern University has just the expert who can help with your coverage

Ticks…for most the word conjures up fears of Lyme disease, pets getting sick or having to twist those tiny bugs off your dog or yourself after a day in the fields or countryside. But at Georgia Southern University, our experts have taken a certain shine to the usually awful arachnid. In fact, just recently, Jackson Tomlinson, a graduate student in the Department of Biology was rewarded with the discovery of two species of ticks that are entirely new to science. It’s an astounding find and there are more details in the articles attached below. Are you a reporter covering ticks or looking to learn more about them? There are a lot of questions to be asked: What dangers and diseases do they carry? Are ticks regional and how many different species are there? Is there really a tic that makes people allergic to red meat? If you need to get to the bottom of what makes tick…tock – well then let our experts help. Lorenza Beati's research focuses on the study of the taxonomy, evolutionary relationships, and population genetics of arthropods, in particular hard-ticks. She’s also the Curator of the U.S. National Tick Collection. Lorenza is available to speak with media – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.

Lorenza Beati

Biography

Lorenza Beati's research focuses on the study of the taxonomy, evolutionary relationships, and population genetics of arthropods, in particular hard-ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and the New World sand fly genus Lutzomyia (Diptera: Psychodidae). These taxonomic groups include a number of species involved in the transmission of diseases to humans and animals.

She is particularly interested in:
- Developing molecular tools for a finer taxonomic identification of different groups of vector species and for linking immature stages of ticks to the corresponding adult species.
- Reassessing the systematic relationships of vector taxa, by phylogenetic analyses of morphological and molecular characters.
- Using phylogenetic reconstructions to better understand the evolutionary history of these taxa, and the development of specific associations between vectors, hosts, pathogens, environment, and geographic distribution.
Studying the intraspecific genetic structure of arthropod vectors of medical importance.

Areas of Expertise

Hard-Ticks
Ecology of the Swiss Alps
Systematic Biology
Arthropod Diversity
Population Genetics of Arthropods

Accomplishments

Georgia Southern University SPRInG Grant "Pilot Assessment of Murine Typhus in the Southeastern USA". PI M. Eremeeva; CO-PIs L. Durden, L. Beati

2011

Georgia Southern University Faculty Research Seed Award “Genetic diversity of Ixodes trianguliceps, a nidicolous tick which maintains pathogenic microorganisms in nature” CO-PI W. Irby.

2013

REVSYS NSF grant #1026146 - Exploiting a large existing resource for biogeographical and host-parasite data: linking immature and adult amblyommine ticks

2010

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Education

University Aix-Marseille II

Ph.D.

1993

University of Lausanne

M.D.

Medicine

1987

Laboratoires de Parasitologie

D.E.A.

Parasitology

1985

Media Appearances

A museum of blood-sucking nightmares: the US National Tick Collection

CNN  

2017-09-15

Curator Dr. Lorenza Beati, a smiling woman in wire-rimmed glasses and blue jeans, a woman who radiates the same vibe as a kindly, eccentric aunt, welcomes anyone who has daring enough spirit...

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What makes the tick lady tick?

CNN  

2017-08-31

You'll find millions of ticks in the US National Tick Collection: big ticks, small ticks, even some celebrities. The keeper of all of them is Dr. Lorenza Beati...

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How Do Ticks…Tick?

Smithsonian Insider  

2018-02-15

Smithsonian Insider talked to Lorenza Beati, USNTC’s curator, about ticks...

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Articles

Rickettsia parkeri (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) detected in ticks of the Amblyomma maculatum (Acari: Ixodidae) group collected from multiple locations in southern Arizona.

Journal of Medical Entomology

2017

Rickettsia parkeri is an emerging human pathogen transmitted by Amblyomma ticks in predominately tropical and subtropical regions of the western hemisphere. In 2014 and 2015, one confirmed case and one probable case of R. parkeri rickettsiosis were reported from the Pajarita Wilderness Area, a semi-arid mountainous region in southern Arizona. To examine more closely the potential public health risk of R. parkeri in this region, a study was initiated to investigate the pervasiveness of Amblyomma maculatum Koch group ticks in mountainous areas of southern Arizona and to ascertain the infection frequencies of R. parkeri in these ticks. During July 2016, a total of 182 adult ticks were collected and evaluated from the Pajarita Wilderness Area in Santa Cruz County and two additional sites in Cochise and Santa Cruz counties in southern Arizona. DNA of R. parkeri was detected in a total of 44 (24%) of these ticks. DNA of "Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae" and Rickettsia rhipicephali was detected in three (2%) and one (0.5%) of the samples, respectively. These observations corroborate previous collection records and indicate that established populations of A. maculatum group ticks exist in multiple foci in southern Arizona. The high frequency of R. parkeri in these tick populations suggests a public health risk as well as the need to increase education of R. parkeri rickettsiosis for those residing, working in, or visiting this area.

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Contributions to the phylogeny of Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) canisuga, I. (Ph.) kaiseri, I. (Ph.) hexagonus and a simple pictorial key for the identification of their females

Parasites & Vectors

2017

In Europe, hard ticks of the subgenus Pholeoixodes (Ixodidae: Ixodes) are usually associated with burrow-dwelling mammals and terrestrial birds. Reports of Pholeoixodes spp. from carnivores are frequently contradictory, and their identification is not based on key diagnostic characters. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to identify ticks collected from dogs, foxes and badgers in several European countries, and to reassess their systematic status with molecular analyses using two mitochondrial markers.

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Range Expansion and Increasing Borrelia burgdorferi Infection of the Tick Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) in Iowa, 1990-2013.

Journal of Medical Entomology

A passive surveillance program monitored ticks submitted by the public in Iowa from 1990-2013. Submitted ticks were identified to species and life stage, and Ixodes scapularis Say nymphs and adults were tested for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi. An average of 2.6 of Iowa's 99 counties submitted first reports of I. scapularis per year over the surveillance period, indicating expansion of this tick species across the state. The proportion of vector ticks infected by B. burgdorferi increased over time between 1998 and 2013. In 2013, 23.5% of nymphal and adult I. scapularis were infected with B. burgdorferi, the highest proportion of any year. Active surveillance was performed at selected sites from 2007-2009. Ixodes scapularis nymphs collected at these sites were tested for the presence of B. burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and spotted fever group Rickettsia spp. (likely representing Rickettsia buchneri). Nymphs tested were 17.3% positive for B. burgdorferi, 28.9% for A. phagocytophilum, and 67.3% for Rickettsia spp. The results of these surveillance programs indicate an increasing risk of disease transmission by I. scapularis in Iowa ...

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