Binghamton Research Days Student Presentations

Ecological, Demographic, and Behavioral Risks for Lyme and other Tick-borne Infections on the Binghamton University Campus

Authors:  Nick Strickland, Jake Jacobsen, Zachary Habert, Jessica Coles, Robert Johnson,  Amanda Roome,  Ralph Garruto

Field of Study: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

Affiliation: Tick-borne Disease Research Center

Mentor: Ralph Garruto, Anthropology

Abstract

As part of our ongoing evaluation of tick-borne disease risk in the Southern Tier of New York, we collected ticks from residential living area walkways and compared ecological, demographic, and behavioral risk patterns in these living areas to those in the Nature Preserve. Ticks were collected by dragging, tested in the laboratory for three common pathogens of the black-legged tick: Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilium, and Babesia Microti. Through observations over an 11 hour day, twice weekly, peoples’ behaviors, clothing risk, and demographic risk patterns were observed in these living areas. Data analysis is currently underway.