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The OSU acarology program traces its origin to the acarology group headed by George W. Wharton at Duke University in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. It consists of three main branches, the Acarology Summer Program, the Physiology and Extension Laboratory (Dr. Glen Needham), and the Acarology Collection (Dr. Hans Klompen).
The Acarology Summer Program offers 1-, 2- or 3- week workshops focussed on identification of various groups of mite and ticks. Currently it is the longest running, and best known, program of its kind in the world. It provides advanced students and practicing biologists from all over the world with the latest information on problems related to ticks and mites.
Dr. Needham’s group works on control measures for house dust mites and uses the tools of molecular biology to characterize the genes associated with the secretion of tick salivary gland proteins. They also work with scientists in apiculture to provide sound management techniques for controlling mites that infest bee colonies, and the Ohio Department of Health on studies of vector-borne diseases, such as Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and a variety of other arthropod-related medical topics.
Dr. Klompen’s group does collection based research on mite systematics, specifically on basal Parasitiformes, centered around the Ohio State Acarology Laboratory (OSAL) collection. Other projects include molecular systematics of Parasitiformes and Parasitengona.
-MITE NEWS-
07.07.07: OSU miteSite 2.0 launches
09.01.09: Parasitiformes online
© 2007 OSU Acarology
