The effect of habitat on the number of western black-legged and Pacific coast adult ticks at a regional park in the California Bay Area
Marin Academy Research Collaborative - Samantha Poblano
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Image credit: Steve Ellingson/Shutterstock
Image credit: https://www.napamosquito.org/ticks
Project
Project
The San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District (SMCMVCD) is concerned that their standard tick surveillance methods may not be adequately capturing tick population variation, speculating that they may be biased towards ticks that live on lizards/birds, missing ticks that live on mammals such as woodrats. This biased collection could present numerous issues in their ability to track ticks and predict the spread of tick-borne illness, particularly because there may be genetic differentiation between ticks living on different hosts. I am planning to conduct studies comparing various tick-collection techniques specifically at woodrat nests. This will entail going into the field to test various tick-collection methods, and then comparing the data across techniques to count the number of ticks I collected based on each tick-collection method. Also, I will gather ticks from the same species but different hosts to investigate genetic variation and the ways in which they may contribute to the rise of tick-borne diseases. My hope is to acquire an understanding of whether genetic variations within the same tick species contribute to the emergence and spread of tick-borne diseases. As well as, determine the most effective tick-collection method, contributing valuable insights to the scientific community on optimal research practices for tick collection.
Mentor
Mentor
Dr. Tara Roth is currently a Vector Ecologist at the San Mateo County Mosquito & Vector Control District. She has a B.S. in Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity from the University of California Davis, an M.S. in Ecology and Systematics from San Francisco State University, and a P.D. from the University of California Davis in Integrative Pathobiology with a designated emphasis in Biology of Vector-Borne Diseases. Before joining the San Mateo Vector Control District, Tara's research primarily centered on tularemia ecology and epidemiology in the California Central Valley. Her expertise also extends to tick and flea-borne diseases such as Lyme borreliosis, Rickettsia felis, rocky mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, and tularemia. She has more than 10 years of experience working in epidemiology, ecology, and molecular biology and has an ongoing interest in Vector-Borne diseases in California.
Image Credit: San Mateo County Mosquito & Vector Control District
General Info 🤸
Reproduction and Dispersal
Reproduction and Dispersal
I. scapularis larvae attach to vegetation, then latch onto small mammals after hatching (Nabbout et al., 2023). Infected mammals carry B. burgdorferi and can transmit it to feeding ticks. Larva-infected nymphs can also transmit the bacterium. Nymphs can acquire it by feeding on infected mammals. After their second meal, nymphs become adults (Nabbout et al., 2023). Adult females feed on larger mammals, mate, and eventually die after egg-laying. However, infected adult females struggle to find hosts capable of transmitting B. burgdorferi, disrupting the bacterium's life cycle. Large mammals cannot pass B. burgdorferi to ticks, but the bacteria interact physiologically with their host (Nabbout et al., 2023). However, this is true for certain tick species, as some don't follow this reproduction cycle.
Image Credit: Indiana Department of Health - Stages of the Blacklegged Tick
Image Credit: Global Lyme Alliance - Example of common Lyme Disease symptoms
Awareness
Awareness
Revised tick-borne disease (TBD) diagnosis and improved public health communication are essential to reduce Lyme disease cases and other TBDs. Misdiagnoses are common because tick-bites go unnoticed due to histamine-reducing molecules, hindering immune responses. Testing for such tick-borne diseases has been done, and even with these methods, some diseases are not detected due to a lack of antibody production (Maxwell et al., 2022). Also, similar symptoms may be confused with other tick-borne diseases or asymptomatic symptoms can occur (Maxwell et al., 2022). Augmented public health knowledge, additional knowledge on different tick-borne symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment access are some approaches to resolving health gaps in tick-borne diseases.
Importance
Importance
To comprehend the diversity of tick populations, studying landscape diversity and human epidemiology is essential (Salkeld et al., 2021). Lyme disease continues to be endemic, affecting millions, with tick populations expanding on the west coast. As climate change continues to be an issue, tick population and activity will rise which will result in more cases of Lyme disease (Salkeld et al., 2021). Ongoing efforts include revising tick-bite prevention methods and promoting tick-borne awareness among healthcare providers and the general public (Salkeld et al., 2021). Additionally, two Lyme disease vaccines are in development, with hopes the future accessibility to the general public.
Image Credit: Medical News Today
Note: Lyme disease is the current most studied tick-borne disease, resulting in a better understanding of this disease than others. Certain info could be applied to some tick-borne diseases, however, each illness has its own distinctive info.
More info to come!
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