Favorite Tick and Why: I prefer Amblyomma americanum, the lone star tick. The reason I like this tick is that we know a lot about its physiology - I consider it the "lab rat" of the tick world. I like that this tick is easy to raise and will feed on almost any host. It has beautiful long mouthparts and like most Amblyomma has some ornamentation on its dorsal cuticle - females have a white/silvery spot on the scutellum and males are decorated around their festoons.

Title: Assistant Professor

Phone: 405-744-2957

Fax: 405-744-6039

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Area of Research Expertise: Physiology and Molecular Biology of Tick Feeding

Teaching: Insect Physiology (Entomology 3044/5044), Advanced Insect Physiology (6100), Applications of Biotechnology to Pest Management (Entomology/Plant Pathology 4923), Applications of Biotechnology to Pest Management (Entomology/Plant Pathology 4923)

Research Interests: Interested in tick proteins that alter host immune responses and in proteins that are changed in infected ticks. Currently, we are developing a white-tailed deer model to study tick feeding and tick-transmitted infections.

Selected Publications:

Jaworski, D.C., C.J. Bowen and N.B. Wasala. 2009. Amblyomma americanum (L): Tick Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Peptide immunization lengthens lone star tick feeding intervals in vivo. Exp Parasitol. 121:384-387.

Bowen, C.J., D.C. Jaworski and N.B. Wasala. 2010. Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) Expression and Protein Localization in Amblyomma americanum L. (Ixodidae). Exp & Appl. Acarol. 50:342-359.

Jaworski, D.C., Z. Zou, C.J. Bowen, R. Madden, N.B. Wasala, Y. Wang, K. Kocan, H. Jiang and J.W. Dillwith. 2010. Pyrosequencing and characterization of immune response genes from the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis (L.). Insect Molecular Biology, 19: 617-630.

Jaworski, D.C., N.B. Wasala, and N.R. Walker. 2010. Evaluation of Aloft LC SC, Aloft LC G, and ARY 0486-02 SC for management of ticks in turfgrass, 2009. Arthropod Management Tests. Vol. 35: G1.

Wasala, N.B. and Jaworski, D.C. 2012. Dermacentor variabilis: Characterization and modeling of macrophage migration inhibitory factor with phylogenetic comparisons to other ticks, insects and parasitic nematodes. Experimental Parasitology, 130: 232-238. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.exppara.2011.12.010

Wasala, N.B., Bowen, C.J., and Jaworski, D.C. In Press. Expression and regulation of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in feeding American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis Say). Experimental and Applied Acarology.

Jaworski, D.C., Bowen, C.J. and Wasala, N.B. In Press. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. A white tailed deer /lone star tick model for studying transmission of Ehrlichia chaffeensis.

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 saliva. J. Ins. Physiol. 41, 369-375.

Sanders, M.L., D.C. Jaworski, J.L. Sanchez, R.F. DeFraites, A.L. Scott, G.E. Glass, S. Raha, B. Ritchie, G.R. Needham and B.S. Schwartz. 1998. Antibody to a cDNA-derived calreticulin protein from Amblyomma americanum is a biomarker of tick exposure in humans. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 59, 279-285.

Jasinskas, A., D.C. Jaworski and A.G. Barbour. 2000. Amblyomma americanum: Specific uptake of immunoglobulins into tick hemolymph during feeding. Experimental Parasitology, 96:213-221.

Jaworski, D.C., A. Jasinskas, C.N. Metz, R. Bucala and A.G. Barbour. 2001. Identification and functional characterization of a homologue of the proinflammatory cytokine Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor in the tick vector, Amblyomma americanum. Insect Molecular Biology, Aug;10(4):323-331.

Jaworski, D.C. 2003. ‘Tick talk’: Current view on protein release from tick salivary cells. Trends in Parasitology, 19:427-429.

Jaworski, D.C. 2005. Gene Expression in Acarines. In: The Biology of Disease Vectors, 2nd Ed. Beatty, B.J. and Marquardt, W.C. Eds. Elsevier Academic Press. pp. 587-599.

Jaworski, D.C. and G.R. Needham. 1996. Calreticulin in Vector Arthropods--The Secreted Calreticulin. In: Calreticulin ed. M. Michalak pp. 171-182. R.G. Landes Company, Austin, TX.

In preparation:

Jaworski, D.C. and C.J. Bowen. Amblyomma americanum: Tick MIF synthetic peptide vaccination significantly impacts tick feeding interval in vivo.

Please visit my personal site at the following link.

http://entoplp.okstate.edu/profiles/jaworski.html