Grantee Research Project Results
Climate Change Impacts on Tick-Borne Diseases: Exploring Tick Phenology, Pathogen Prevalence, and Host Associations for Targeted Management Strategies
EPA Grant Number: EM840652Title: Climate Change Impacts on Tick-Borne Diseases: Exploring Tick Phenology, Pathogen Prevalence, and Host Associations for Targeted Management Strategies
Investigators: Dill, Griffin
Institution: University of Maine
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2027
Project Amount: $2,021,000
RFA: Congressionally Directed Spending (2023)
Research Category: Urban Air Toxics , Endocrine Disruptors , Ecology Research
Description:
This multifaceted project aims to investigate the impact of climate change on tick seasonality and phenology while providing insight into the wildlife host associations of the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis).
Objective:
The project consists of three research components focused on assessing the effects of weather and climate on tick phenology and pathogen prevalence, understanding the genetic drivers of tick diapause, and optimizing tick blood-meal analysis to identify host associations and pathogen reservoirs. Specifically, we will test the hypotheses that weather and climate factors influence spatial and interannual variation in blacklegged tick phenology and that the distribution and activity of blacklegged ticks and the seasonality of pathogen transmission are predictive of the spatial-temporal pattern of human cases of tick-borne disease. We additionally hypothesize that genes, proteins, and hormones are differentially expressed during diapause and the identification of these molecular cues will provide targets for disrupting diapause; that wildlife hosts infecting and sustaining blacklegged ticks differ between climate and habitat gradients.
Approach:
To address these objectives and hypotheses, we will leverage existing passive surveillance data and new field data to analyze the spatial and interannual variation in tick phenology, investigate seasonal variation in pathogen infection rates, and examine the connection between tick distribution, pathogen transmission, and human cases of tick-borne diseases. We will expose I. scapularis ticks to different photoperiods and temperature conditions to investigate diapause induction and then conduct gene expression, protein profiling, and hormone analysis to identify critical regulators of diapause. We will optimize a novel tick blood-meal analysis method and examine wildlife host associations, pathogen prevalence, and landscape/climate variables using this new molecular technique.
Expected Results:
We anticipate the study will enhance our understanding of the effects of weather and climate on the ecology of blacklegged ticks and tick-borne pathogens, leading to improved risk assessment and management strategies. By identifying the spatial-temporal patterns of tick activity and pathogen transmission, the project will aid in predicting human cases of tick-borne diseases. It will provide insights into the molecular and hormonal mechanisms underlying diapause in I. scapularis ticks, offering potential targets for disrupting diapause and developing tick control strategies. The optimization of tick blood-meal analysis will enable a better understanding of host associations, pathogen prevalence, and the impact of landscape and climate variables on blacklegged tick ecology, facilitating targeted intervention measures for tick-borne disease prevention and control.
Supplemental Keywords:
vector, zoonotic disease, ecology, northeast, New England, MaineRelevant Websites:
Progress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.