Norman Beatty
M.D./Assistant Professor | University of Florida
Gainesville, FL, UNITED STATES
Dr. Norman Beatty studies neglected tropical diseases, such as Chagas disease, Leishmaniasis, cysticercosis and snake envenomation.
Biography
Dr. Norman Beatty is an assistant professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine and member of the Emerging Pathogens Institute. He focuses on neglected tropical diseases, such as Chagas disease, Leishmaniasis, Cysticercosis, Snake Envenomation, Hansen’s disease (Leprosy), and Vibriosis. His research is centered on Latin American health equity and Chagas disease in the United States and Florida where Dr. Beatty's team is researching the prevalence of Chagas disease among at-risk populations, including those who may be exposed to the kissing bug vector here in the United States. He also studies wildlife and companion animal Trypanosoma cruzi infection in Florida and vector-borne diseases such as tick-borne and mosquito-borne infections, including Ehrlichiosis, Rickettsiosis and Borreliosis.
Areas of Expertise (12)
Borreliosis
Ehrlichiosis
Tick-borne Diseases
Snake Envenomation
Leishmaniasis
Tropical Diseases
Neglected Tropical Diseases
Chagas Disease
Cysticercosis
Kissing Bug
Mosquito-borne Infections
Rickettsiosis
Media Appearances (5)
Researchers found "alarming" amount of flesh-eating bacteria after Ian
Fox 4 News tv
2023-10-31
A new study from researchers at the University of Florida has revealed an alarming amount of flesh-eating bacteria found in parts of the Gulf after Hurricane Ian. The curiosity started from existing research in Virginia, which tested for Vibrio, the bacteria. "Let’s just see what waters in an extreme event does to the water systems in Florida," said Antar Jutla, an associate professor of environmental engineering at UF.
New study points to concerns of dangerous Vibrio bacteria in Florida’s coastal waters following Hurricane Ian
UF News online
2023-10-18
When Hurricane Ian struck Southwest Florida in September 2022, it unleashed a variety of Vibrio bacteria that can cause illness and death in humans, according to a new study published in the journal mBio. The study, conducted in October 2022 by researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Maryland, was based on genome sequencing as well as satellite and environmental data collected off the coast of Lee County, where Hurricane Ian hit directly.
Flesh-eating bacteria may be in Hurricane Idalia flood waters
Fox 13 News tv
2023-09-06
One week after Hurricane Idalia made landfall, medical experts are watching for potential cases of Vibrio vulnificus, bacteria found in brackish waters. "We are keeping our eyes and ears open to these patients coming to our hospital. And if it's anything like Hurricane Ian, we're likely to see cases popping up here in North Florida coming from these coastal regions," Dr. Norman Beatty, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Florida said.
Racing to diagnose Chagas disease, a silent killer in Florida
UF Emerging Pathogens Institute online
2023-07-05
When Norman Beatty first witnessed people sleeping under mosquito nets in rural Arizona, he was stunned. And yet, some residents of remote areas in the U.S., including parts of Florida, use the nets in their homes each night – not to protect against mosquitoes, but kissing bugs, blood-sucking insects that can spread a potentially lethal disease known as Chagas.
Farmworkers Receive Health Screenings & More At Mobile Clinic
Osprey Observer online
2022-02-08
Florida has about 200,000 migrant farmworkers. These essential members of our community often struggle with access to health care. That’s why UF/IFAS Extension and UF Health teamed up with several other organizations to set up a statewide mobile health clinic, which last month came to Wimauma.
Articles (5)
Oral Chagas Disease in Colombia—Confirmed and Suspected Routes of Transmission
Tropical Medicine and Infectious DiseaseNorman L. Beatty, et. al
2024-01-04
Oral transmission of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is one mode of acquisition that can occur among those living or traveling to endemic regions. Increasing awareness of oral transmission is occurring, and some regions are now showing increased frequency via the oral route. Concerns for oral transmission of T. cruzi were first mentioned by Carlos Chagas and then experientially confirmed in 1921 with the oral consumption of blood trypomastigotes and then with triatomine feces in 1933.
Microbiomes of Blood-Feeding Triatomines in the Context of Their Predatory Relatives and the Environment
Microbiology SpectrumHassan Tarabai, et. al
2023-08-17
The importance of gut microbiomes has become generally recognized in vector biology. This study addresses microbiome signatures in North American Triatoma species of public health significance (vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi) linked to their blood-feeding strategy and the natural habitat.
Trypanosoma cruzi infection in mammals in Florida: New insight into the transmission of T. cruzi in the southeastern United States
International Journal for ParasitologyCarson W. Torhorst, et. al
2023-06-25
In Latin America, synanthropic mammalian reservoirs maintain Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasitic protozoan, where they facilitate the transmission of the parasite to humans and other reservoir hosts in peridomestic settings. In the United States, raccoons (Procyon lotor) and Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) are known synanthropic T. cruzi reservoir hosts; however, the role these species have in the peridomestic transmission cycle in the US is not well understood.
Case Report: Chagas Disease in a Traveler Who Developed Esophageal Involvement Decades after Acute Infection
American Journal of Tropical Medicine and HygieneNorman L. Beatty, et. al
2023-01-16
Travelers to Chagas disease endemic regions of Latin America may be at risk for Trypanosoma cruzi infection. We report a 67-year-old woman who screened positive for T. cruzi infection while donating blood. The patient had a history of an unusual febrile illness and marked swelling of the face sustained at age 10 after camping in northern Mexico that led to a 3-week hospitalization without a diagnosis.
Identification of the parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, in multiple tissues of epidemiological significance in the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
PLOS Neglected Tropical DiseasesCarson W. Torhorst, et. al
2022-12-19
Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasitic protozoan, is endemic to the Americas and the causative agent of Chagas disease in humans. In South America, opossums facilitate transmission via infected anal gland secretions in addition to transmission via triatomine vectors. In North America, the Virginia opossum is a reservoir host for the parasite with transmission routes that are not clearly defined.
Social