Grantee Research Project Results

2024 Progress Report: Climate Change Impacts on Tick-Borne Diseases: Exploring Tick Phenology, Pathogen Prevalence, and Host Associations for Targeted Management Strategies

EPA Grant Number: EM840652
Title: 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 Period Covered by this Report: October 1, 2023 through September 30,2024
Project Amount: $2,021,000
RFA: Congressionally Directed Spending (2023)
Research Category: Urban Air Toxics , Endocrine Disruptors , Ecology Research

Objective:

The overarching goal is to investigate the impact of climate change on the ecology of blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) and associated pathogens, with a focus on diapause mechanisms, phenology shifts, and wildlife host associations. By examining genetic drivers of tick diapause, optimizing blood-meal analysis protocols, and assessing climatic influences on tick activity patterns, this research aims to inform safer, more effective tick management strategies.

Progress Summary:

During the initial phase, we refined protocols for blood-meal analysis using next-generation sequencing and established experimental frameworks to assess diapause induction and termination under varying photoperiods and temperatures. Preliminary findings confirmed differential gene and protein expression in winter-acclimated ticks, which may prove critical for developing novel, non-pesticide control methods. We also initiated spatial analyses linking climate variables to tick submissions and pathogen prevalence, laying the groundwork for improved disease risk predictions.

Future Activities:

We will continue to refine and scale blood-meal analyses while expanding our diapause experiments to encompass additional environmental conditions. Field collections will increase across Maine’s climate zones, with particular attention to microclimates that may support overwintering tick activity. Further statistical models will be developed to link tick phenology and pathogen dynamics more closely with human disease incidence. Our outreach activities will include distributing tick removal kits and factsheets to stakeholders and continuing to present at local and regional venues to raise awareness of tick-borne disease risks.

Supplemental Keywords:

Ticks, vector-borne diseases, Ixodes scapularis, phenology, climate change adaptation, host-pathogen dynamics, next-generation sequencing, public health, vector ecology