Karen Shapiro

BS, DVM, MPVM, PhD

kshapiro@uoguelph.ca

Profile

Assistant Research Scientist Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, UC Davis

Research Interests

Areas of research interest include transport and fate of zoonotic pathogens in watersheds and coastal ecosystems; effects of landscape change and climate variability on disease transmission; impacts of water scarcity and impaired quality on human and animal population health, and food safety.

Topics of research projects include:

• Zoonotic infectious diseases
• Waterborne infectious diseases
• Food safety
• Wildlife population health
• Human public health
• Epidemiology

Positions for graduate students are currently being considered. If interested please email me directly and include areas of research interest and current curriculum vitae.

Selected Publications

• Schott, K.G., Krusor, C., Tinker, M.T., Moore, J., Conrad, P.A., Shapiro, K., 2016. Concentration and retention of Toxoplasma gondii surrogates from seawater by red abalone (Haliotis rufescens). Parasitology 143, 1703-1712.
• Shapiro, K., Miller, M.A., Packham, A.E., Aguilar, B., Conrad, P.A., Vanwormer, E., Murray, M.J., 2016. Dual congenital transmission of Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona in a late-term aborted pup from a chronically infected southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis). Parasitology 143, 276-288.
• Michaels, L., Rejmanek, D., Aguilar, B., Conrad, P., Shapiro, K., 2016. California mussels (Mytilus californianus) as sentinels for marine contamination with Sarcocystis neurona. Parasitology 143, 762-769.
• VanWormer, E., Carpenter, T.E., Singh, P., Shapiro, K., Wallender, W.W., Conrad, P.A., Largier, J.L., Maneta, M.P., Mazet, J.A.K., 2016. Coastal development and precipitation drive pathogen flow from land to sea: evidence from a Toxoplasma gondii and felid host system. Scientific Reports 6, 9.
• Shapiro, K., VanWormer, E., Aguilar, B., Conrad, P.A., 2015. Surveillance for Toxoplasma gondii in California mussels (Mytilus californianus) reveals transmission of atypical genotypes from land to sea. Environ Microbiol 17, 4177-4188.
• Krusor, C., Smith, W.A., Tinker, M.T., Silver, M., Conrad, P.A., Shapiro, K., 2015. Concentration and retention of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts by marine snails demonstrate a novel mechanism for transmission of terrestrial zoonotic pathogens in coastal ecosystems. Environmental Microbiology 17, 4527-4537.
• Shapiro, K., C. Krusor, F. Mazzillo, P. A. Conrad, J. L. Largier, J. A. K. Mazet, Silver, M.W., 2014. Aquatic polymers can drive pathogen transmission in coastal ecosystems. Proc. R. Soc. B. 281 20141287.
• Shapiro, K., Miller, M., Mazet, J., 2012. Temporal association between land-based runoff events and California sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) protozoal mortalities. J Wildlife Dis 48, 394-404.
• VanWormer, E., Fritz, H., Shapiro, K., Mazet, J.A., Conrad, P.A., 2013. Molecules to modeling: Toxoplasma gondii oocysts at the human-animal-environment interface. Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases 36, 217-231.
• Shapiro, K., 2012. Climate and coastal habitat change: A recipe for a dirtier ocean. Marine Poll Bull 64, 1079-1080.
• Shapiro, K., Silver, M.W., Largier, J., Conrad, P.A., Mazet, J.A.K., 2012. Association of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts with fresh, estuarine, and marine macroaggregates. Limnol. Oceanogr. 57, 449–456.
• Shapiro, K., Conrad, P.A., Mazet, J.A.K., Wallender, W.W., Miller, W.A., Largier, J.L., 2010. Effect of estuarine wetland degradation on transport of Toxoplasma gondii surrogates from land to sea. Appl Environ Microbiol 76, 6821-6828.

Search PubMed for additional publications by Dr. Shapiro.