Grappling with vector-borne disease across North America and the Globe
With nearly 500,000 new cases per year, Lyme disease is only the starting point for our research
Our research interests cover dozens of pathogens spread by arachnids and insects.
Changing the surveillance paradigm
Measuring the risk of Zoonoses requires novel approaches to surveillance: approaches that center on the humans affected most by vector-borne diseases. The core of this work since 2006 has been the TickReport testing service, which offers qPCR pathogen testing to the public. Individuals can use these results to gauge their risk of pathogen exposure from a tick bite, but the anonymized data from that tick also goes into our nationwide tick surveillance database.
Real results
Science isn’t just a product, it’s a process of accumulating information (data) under exacting standards. Unlike private diagnostic companies or even many health agencies, we make the data we’re gathering freely available to the public. And when we occasionally write reports on our findings, we put these reports through the rigors of peer review to ensure that what you read is not just our opinion, but represents the best understanding rooted in evidence.
