Education
- B.A. Biology (Pre-veterinary) Augustana College 1990
- M.S. Veterinary Microbiology (Parasitology) University of Missouri–Columbia 1993
- Ph.D. Molecular Microbiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Washington University School of Medicine 2000
Courses taught at UWO
- Bio 354/554 Parasitology (dowload syllabus doc | pdf)
- Bio 230 Biology of Animals (dowload syllabus doc | pdf)
- Bio 108 Nonmajors Biology (Honors) doc | pdf
- Bio 105 Biological Concepts: Unity
Courses taught elsewhere
- Genetics
- Cell Structure and Function
- Introduction to Molecular Biology
- Microbiology Laboratory
- Nonmajors Biology
Research Interests
(students of all levels of experience welcome to participate)
1. Mosquito infectivity determinants in Brugia malayi.
Our lab has federal funding to identify genes that are expressed in this filarial nematode that make it infective for the mosquito host. Brugia malayi causes lymphatic filariasis in millions of people in tropical regions of the world. Our hopes are to identify molecular targets that will break the cycle of transmission between people and mosquitoes.
2. Prevalence of Neospora caninum in Wisconsin ruminants
Neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite that is a major cause
of abortion in cattle, and results in significant losses to the dairy
industry. This parasite apparently uses a dog-ruminant life cycle, and
has been found in white-tailed deer populations in other states. We plan
on screening Wisconsin white-tailed deer for exposure to this parasite
to determine if they act as a reservoir for this disease agent.
3. Prevalence of tickborne disease in Wisconsin
Tickborne diseases like Lyme disease and Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis
(HGE) abound in NW Wisconsin, and evidence suggests that the deer ticks
that spread them are coming past the Wisconsin River and into central
Wisconsin. My students and I have collected deer blood and ticks from
the central part of the state and are using molecular methods to determine
the prevalence of the organism that causes HGE in these ‘reservoirs’.
Publications
- Todd Anderson, Amanda DeJardin, Daniel K. Howe, J. P. Dubey, Michelle L Michalski. 2007. Veterinary Parasitology 145: 152-155. Neospora caninum antibodies detected in Midwestern white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) by Western Blot and ELISA.
Michalski M, Rosenfield C, Erickson M, Selle R, Bates K, Essar D, Massung R. 2006. Anaplasma phagocytophilum in central and western Wisconsin: a molecular survey.
Parasitol. Res. 99(6):694-699.
Dana K. Vaughan, Aaron R. Gruber, Michelle L. Michalski, Jeffrey Seidling, and Sarah Schlink.. 2006. Capture, Care, and Captive Breeding of 13-lined Ground Squirrels, Spermophilus tridecemlineatus. Lab Anim (NY). 35(4):33-40. - Marley SE, Michalski ML, Corwin RM and Van Schoyck M. 1993. Fecal Shedding of Toxocara canis and Ancylostoma caninum eggs by dogs receiving commerical anthelmintics. Canine Practice (18)2: 7-12.
- Ismail MM, Jayakody RL, Weil GJ, Nirmalan N, Jayasinghe KSA, Abeyewichrema W, de Silva C, Rezvi Shoriff MH, Rajaratnam H, Amarasakera N, Michalski M, and Dissanaike AS. 1998. Efficacy of single dose combinations of albendazole, ivermectin and diethylcarbamazine in the treatment of bancroftian filariasis. Trans. Royal Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. 92: 94-97.
- Michalski ML and Weil GJ. 1999. Gender-specific gene expression in Brugia malayi. Mol. Biochem. Parasit. 104:247-257.
- Michalski ML. 1999. Parasite BLAST searches: Using parasite genome databases to streamline your results. Am. Assoc. Vet. Parasit. Newsletter 21(1).
- Michalski ML, Monsey J, Cistola DP and Weil GJ. 2002. An embryo-associated fatty acid-binding protein in the filarial nematode Brugia malayi. Mol. Biochem. Parasit. 124:1-10.