Publications 

Coombe M, Iwasawa S, Byers KA, Prystajecky N, Hsiao W, Patrick DM, Himsworth CG. 2021. A systematic review and narrative synthesis of environmental samples used for the surveillance of avian influenza viruses in wild waterbirds. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 57(1): DOI: 10.7589/JWD-D-20-00082

Byers KA, Booker TR, Combs M, Himsworth CG, Munshi-South J, Patrick DM, Whitlock MC. 2021. Using genetic relatedness to understand heterogeneous distributions of urban rat-associated pathogens. Evolutionary Applications 14(1): 198-209. DOI: 10.1111/eva.13049

Himsworth CG, Byers KA, Whelan T, Bai Y, Kosoy MY. 2020. Flea presence and abundance are not strong predictors of Bartonella tribocorum in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) from an under-served neighbourhood of Vancouver, Canada. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2020.2665 

Himsworth CG, Byers KA, Fernando C, Speerin L, Lee MJ, Hill JE. 2020. When the sum of the parts tells you more than the whole: The advantage of using metagenomics to characterize Bartonella spp. infections in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and their fleas. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 7: 584724. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.584724.

Byers KA, Proctor HC. 2020. Morphology of genitalia and non-genitalic contact structures in Trouessartia spp. feather mites (Astigmata: Analgoidea: Trouessartiidae): Is there evidence of correlated evolution between the sexes? Canadian Journal of Zoology 98(2): 815-826. DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2019-0291

Byers KA, Murray MH, Himsworth CG. 2020. One Health: Systems for managing wildlife, humans, and the environment. The Wildlife Professional pp. 33 – 37.

Murray MH, Fidino M, Fyffe R, Byers K, Pettengill JB, Magle S, Rios MJ, Ortinau N, Santymire R. 2020. City sanitation and socioeconomics predict rat zoonotic infection across diverse neighbourhoods. Zoonoses and Public Health 67(6): 673-683. DOI: 10.1111/zph.12748

Lee MJ, Byers KA, Donovan CM, Patrick DM, Himsworth CG. 2020. Leptospira spp. and urban rats: Is carriage a function of the urban environment? Journal of Wildlife Diseases DOI: 10.7589/2019-09-233

Murray MH, Sánchez CA, Becker DJ, Byers KA, Worsley-Tonks KEL, Craft ME. City sicker? A meta-analysis of wildlife health and urbanization. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment Advance Online: DOI: 10.1002/fee.2126.

Combs M, Byers KA, Himsworth CG, Munshi-South J. 2019. Harnessing population genetics for pest management: Theory and application for urban rats. Human-Wildlife Interactions 13(2): 250-263.

Byers KA, Lam R, Cox SM, Himsworth CG. 2019. ‘They’re always there’: Resident experiences of living with rats in a disadvantaged urban neighbourhood. BMC Public Health 19:853.

Byers KA, Lee MJ*, Bidulka JJ, Patrick DM, Himsworth CG. Rat in a cage: Trappability of urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus). Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 7:68. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00068

Minter A, Himsworth CG, Byers KA, Childs JE, Ko A, Costa F. 2019. Tails of two cities: Age and wounding are associated with carriage of Leptospira interorgans in Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) in ecologically distinct urban environments. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 7:14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00014 

Byers KA, Lee MJ, Patrick DM, Himsworth CG. 2019. Rats About Town: A systematic review of rat movement in urban ecosystems. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 7:13. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00013.

Lee MJ, Byers KA, Donovan C*, Zabek E, Stephen C. Patrick DM, Himsworth CG. 2018. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in urban Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) populations: Epidemiology and the impacts of kill-trapping. Zoonoses and Public Health 00:1-6. DOI:10.1111/zph.12546

Murray MH, Fyffe R, Fidino M, Byers KA, Rios MJ, Mulligan MP, Magle SB. 2018. Public complaints reflect rat relative abundance across diverse urban neighbourhoods. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 6:189. DOI:10.3389/fevo.2018.00189.

Lam R, Byers KA, Himsworth C. 2018. Beyond zoonosis: The mental health impacts of rat exposure on inner-city residents. Journal of Environmental Health, 84(4):8-12.

Combs M, Byers KA, Ghersi BM, Blum MJ, Caccone A, Costa F, Himsworth CG, Richardson JL, Munshi-South J. 2018. Urban rat races: Spatial population genomics of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) compared across multiple cities. Proceedings of The Royal Society B, 285(180):20180245, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0245

Donovan CM, Lee MJ, Byers KA, Bidulka J, Patrick DM, Himsworth CG. 2018. Leptospira interrogans shedding in urban rat (Rattus spp.) populations -- implications for rat-rat and rat-human transmission. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 54(3): 635-637, DOI:10.7589/2017-08-194.

Lee MJ, Byers KA, Donovan CM, Bidulka J, Stephen C, Patrick D, Himsworth CG. 2018. Culling increases the odds that urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) carry Leptospira interrogans. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 24(2):356-360, DOI:10.3201/eid2402.171371.

Byers KA, Lee MJ, Donovan CM,* Patrick DM, Himsworth CG. 2017. A novel method for affixing Global Positioning System (GPS) tags to urban Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus): Feasibility, health impacts and potential for tracking movement. Journal of Urban Ecology 3(1):1-7, DOI: 10.1093/jue/jux010.

Steiner L, Byers K, Sharp K, Luba M. 2016. Stepping stones in play: Benefits of risk and nature in childhood development. Cutting Edge 2:33-41.

Byers KA, Proctor HC. 2014. Like a glove: Do the dimensions of male adanal suckers and tritonymphal docking papillae correlate in the Proctophyllodidae (Astigmata: Analgoidea)? Acarologia 54: 3-14, DOI:10.1051/acarologia/20142110.

Byers K, Proctor H. 2013. Symbiotic arthropods from the house sparrow (Passer domesticus Linnaeus) from two locations in Alberta, Canada. The Canadian Entomologist 145: 668-673, DOI: 10.4039/tce.2013.45.

Proppe DS, Byers KA, Sturdy CB, St. Clair CC. 2013. Physical condition of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in relation to road disturbance. Canadian Journal of Zoology 91: 842-845, DOI:10.1139/cjz-2013-0081.

Locke SA, Lapierre AR, Byers K, Proctor H, McLaughlin JD, Marcogliese DJ. 2012. Molecular and morphological evidence for the Holarctic distribution of Urogonimus macrostomus (Rudolphi, 1803) Monticelli, 1888 (Digenea: Leucochloridiidae). Journal of Parasitology 98: 880-882, DOI:10.1645/GE-3043.1.

Walter DE, Latonas S, Byers K, Lumley LM. 2014. Almanac of Alberta Oribatida. Part I. Ver. 2.4. The Royal Alberta Museum, Edmonton, AB.