Human Risk of Infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme Disease Agent, in Eastern United States

Author Interview:  Maria Ana Diuk-Wasser PhD
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases)
at the Yale School of Medicine.

Read the Press Release and View Map of Lyme Disease Risk

What are the main findings of the study?

This study identifies area of high and low risk of infection with Lyme disease if you walk in a wooded area, based on samples of field ticks and testing for the bacteria in the ticks.

The study also identified areas where Lyme is likely to expand into in the future, based on suitable climate and vegetation.

Were any of the findings unexpected?

It was somewhat surprising to find almost all populations of I. scapularis to be infected with Borrelia burgdorferi.

That is, in areas where there is a significant number of ticks, 1 in 5 (on average) are typically infected.

What should clinicians and patients take away from this study?

The should be especially careful of ticks and aware of Lyme disease in high risk areas.

It doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to get lyme disease in the low risk areas, but they should also consider other possible diagnoses there.

What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of your study?

It’s especially important to monitor those areas where we predict future expansion.

In fact, we are currently observing expansion into some of those zones and these are typically areas along the edge that we identified.

So more studies are needed to update the map.

Reference:

Human Risk of Infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme Disease Agent, in Eastern United States

Maria A. Diuk-Wasser, Anne Gatewood Hoen, Paul Cislo, Robert Brinkerhoff, Sarah A. Hamer, Michelle Rowland, Roberto Cortinas, Gwenaël Vourc’h,Forrest Melton, Graham J. Hickling, Jean I. Tsao, Jonas Bunikis, Alan G. Barbour, Uriel Kitron, Joseph Piesman, and Durland Fish

 Am J Trop Med Hyg 2012 86:320-327; doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2012.11-0395