Identifying Small Mammal Hosts of Vermont Tick-Borne Pathogens
Collet-Callahan, Sydney
Collet-Callahan, Sydney
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Abstract
Tick-borne diseases are rising globally due to climatic and ecological change. Vermont currently ranks second nationally for Lyme disease infections per capita, although historically it was tick-free due to its northerly latitude (DeCesare et al., 2024). Small mammals serve as reservoir hosts for many of these tick-borne pathogens including Borrelia burgdorferi, Babesia microti, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the causative agents of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis (Ostfeld et al., 2014). Surveying reservoir hosts for pathogens is critical for understanding the risk of potential pathogen spillover into humans and domestic animals including dogs and horses. In turn, quantifying the prevalence of pathogens in reservoir small mammals is necessary for guiding the development of targeted disease prevention strategies (Plowright et al., 2019). In this project, I screened a diverse selection of small mammal species collected across Vermont and New Hampshire for Borrelia burgdorferi, Babesia microti, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum using the column-based DNA extraction method and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). My project is a collaboration between the interns in the UVM Natural History Collection, who prepared the tissue samples used for DNA extraction, and the UVM Biology Department.
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Date
1/1/2026
Student Status
Senior (Graduating in 2026)
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Poster
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Biological Science
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College of Arts and Sciences
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Life Science