Risk Assessment and Management Solutions for Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases (RAMS-AID) is a Colorado State University "umbrella program" aiming to support prediction and prevention of arthropod–borne and other infectious diseases of national and global importance. The program is led by Dr. Lars Eisen and Dr. Barry J. Beaty of Colorado State University's Arthropod–borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory (AIDL).

RAMS-AID contact:
Lars Eisen, Ph. D.
E-mail: lars.eisen@colostate.edu
Phone: 970 491 8386

RAMS-AID focuses on:

Prediction of spatial and temporal vector exposure and disease risk

Perspectives on risk maps and models for vector-borne diseases
Eisen, R.J., and L. Eisen. 2008. Spatial modeling of human risk of exposure to vector-borne pathogens based on epidemiological versus arthropod vector data. Journal of Medical Entomology 45: 181-192.

Eisen, L., and R.J. Eisen. 2007. Need for improved methods to collect and present spatial epidemiologic data for vectorborne diseases. Emerging Infectious Diseases 13: 1816-1820.


Tick-borne diseases
Eisen, L. 2008. Climate change and tick-borne diseases: A research field in need of long-term empirical field studies. International Journal of Medical Microbiology 298 (Supplement 1): 12-18.

Eisen, R.J., P.S. Mead, A.M. Meyer, L.E. Pfaff, K.K. Bradley, and L. Eisen. 2008. Ecoepidemiology of tularemia in the south-central United States. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 78: 586-594.

Eisen, L., L.A. Ibarra-Juarez, R.J. Eisen, and J. Piesman. 2008. Indicators for elevated risk of human exposure to host-seeking adults of the Rocky Mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni) in Colorado. Journal of Vector Ecology 33: 117-128.

Eisen, L., A.M. Meyer, and R.J. Eisen. 2007. Climate-based model predicting acarological risk of encountering the human-biting adult life stage of Dermacentor andersoni (Acari: Ixodidae), in a key habitat type in Colorado. Journal of Medical Entomology 44: 694-704.

Eisen, L. 2007. Seasonal pattern of host-seeking activity by the human-biting adult life stage of the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni (Acari: Ixodidae). Journal of Medical Entomology 44: 359-366.

Eisen, R.J., R.S. Lane, C.L. Fritz, and L. Eisen. 2006. Spatial patterns of Lyme disease risk in California based on disease incidence data and modeling of vector-tick exposure. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 75: 669-676.

Eisen, R.J., L. Eisen, and R.S. Lane. 2006. Predicting density of Ixodes pacificus nymphs in dense woodlands in Mendocino County, California, based on geographical information systems and remote sensing versus field-derived data. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 74: 632-640.

Mosquito-borne diseases
Winters, A.M., R.J. Eisen, S. Lozano-Fuentes, W.J. Pape, C.G. Moore, and L. Eisen. 2008. Predictive spatial models for risk of West Nile virus exposure in eastern and western Colorado. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 79: In Press.

Winters, A.M., B.G. Bolling, B.J. Beaty, C.D. Blair, R.J. Eisen, A.M. Meyer, W.J. Pape, C.G. Moore, and L. Eisen. 2008. Combining mosquito vector and human disease data for improved assessment of West Nile virus disease risk. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 78: 654-665.

Eisen, L., B.G. Bolling, C.D. Blair, B.J. Beaty, and C.G. Moore. 2008. Mosquito species richness, composition and abundance along habitat-climate-elevation gradients in the northern Colorado Front Range. Journal of Medical Entomology 45: 800-811.

Multi-disease approaches
Eisen, R.J., G.E. Glass, L. Eisen, J. Cheek, R.E. Enscore, P. Ettestad, and K.L. Gage. 2007. A spatial model of shared risk for plague and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the southwestern United States. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 77: 999-1004.

Development and delivery of decision support systems for infectious diseases
Lozano-Fuentes, S., D. Elizondo-Quiroga, J.A. Farfan-Ale, M.A. Loroño-Pino, J. Garcia-Rejon, S. Gomez- Carro, V. Lira-Zumbardo, R. Najera-Vazquez, I. Fernandez-Salas, J. Calderon-Martinez, M. Dominguez- Galera, P. Mis-Avila, M. Coleman, N. Morris, C.G. Moore, B.J. Beaty, and L. Eisen. 2008. Use of Google Earth to strengthen public health capacity and facilitate management of vector-borne diseases in resource-poor environments. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 86: In Press.

Eisen, L., and B.J. Beaty. 2008. Innovative decision support and vector control approaches to control dengue. In Institute of Medicine report on "Vector-Borne Diseases - Understanding the Environmental, Human Health, & Ecological Connections", pp 150-161. The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.

Piesman, J., and L. Eisen. 2008. Prevention of tick-borne diseases. Annual Review of Entomology 53: 323-343.

Web-based delivery of risk maps and research findings of public interest
See examples for Rocky Mountain wood ticks, West Nile virus disease and dengue on this website