Longitudinal Survey on Ticks and Rodents in Central Pennsylvania
Open Access
Author:
Tegge, Kristian
Area of Honors:
Entomology
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Erika T. Machtinger, Thesis Supervisor Robert John Vansaun, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
. I. scapularis tick white-footed mice Chipmunk red-backed vole
Abstract:
With the resurgence of protected forests in the past century, alongside white-tailed deer and white-footed mice to support the parasite, tick-borne disease have grown in concern over the years. In order to understand the spread of disease across a human population, one must understand the underlying parasite and reservoir populations keeping the disease endemic to the region. I. scapularis, the primary vector for many of these diseases tends to feed on white-footed mice; chipmunk and red-backed vole blood feeds just as well. The variance in behavior between juvenile and adults age classes may also change the associated tick burden. Data from 2018-2022 in Center County, Pennsylvania game lands was analyzed. While chipmunks or white-footed mice may lead in burdens in a given year, red-backed voles consistently carried the least. Especially in the last two years, juveniles consistently carried larger burdens over adults. Pennsylvania sits in the middle of Midwest and coastal America with very different tick and hosts populations and this data sheds light what is both an important and often unclear region.
