# Spatial case-control studies to target the human ecology of tick-borne infections

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST · 2020 · $233,014

## Abstract

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Human infections with Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) the causative agent of Lyme disease, and other tick-borne
pathogens are major and emerging health threats in the United States. The geographic range of tick vectors
is expanding within the US, and new tick species are being introduced including Haemaphysalis longicornis
(the Asian longhorned tick), an invasive species which is a vector for several human infections. While many
state- and local-level jurisdictions have tick surveillance programs, these by necessity cover large
geographic areas leading to increased expense and inefficiency. As a consequence, fundamental aspects of
the epidemiology of tick-borne diseases remain obscure; and no methods currently exist to identify and
target physical locations with highest risk for tick-borne disease transmission. Therefore, the studies
proposed here are directed to understanding key aspects of the connections between human outdoor
activities and tick populations to develop more targeted health surveillance programs. First, we will enroll
both persons with confirmed tick- borne disease and those without, and we will assess risk factors for
infection. We will then capture and compare human mobility patterns in both groups using geographic
position system (GPS) data loggers; these data will be used to identify locations of significant risk. Secondly,
we will perform comprehensive tick surveys at all locations with either high or low risk, and will compare tick
abundance and pathogen prevalence between sites to confirm results from the spatial analysis. Our findings
will dramatically expand our ability to directly and efficiently target surveillance and interventions to address
a critically important public health problem.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10057722
- **Project number:** 1R21AI149176-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
- **Principal Investigator:** Andrew A Lover
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $233,014
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-06-10 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10057722

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10057722, Spatial case-control studies to target the human ecology of tick-borne infections (1R21AI149176-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10057722. Licensed CC0.

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