Media Releases and Opportunities
» Go to news mainMedia opportunity: Dalhousie University researchers find that female ticks carrying Lyme disease are better able to withstand winter's frigid temperatures, raising the possibility of an accelerated population increase in summer
Winter used to offer a reprieve from the irritation and potential health risks associated with certain species of ticks -- the leggy arachnids that are tough to kill and can carry a host of diseases.
Sub-zero temperatures were thought to reduce their survival rates, tamp down their numbers and limit their northern ranges.
New research out of Dalhousie University shows, however, that female Ixodes scapularis ticks -- more commonly known as deer ticks -- infected with the pathogen that causes Lyme disease are more likely to survive the winter than uninfected female ticks.
Shelley Adamo, a professor in Dal's Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, and her colleagues collected ticks on Nova Scotia's south shore and monitored their overwintering abilities in forests and dune grasses from 2018 to 2021. They found that infected ticks had greater survival rates compared to uninfected ticks for three consecutive winters, raising questions as to whether the presence of the pathogen makes them able to tolerate the cold.
Dr. Adamo, whose findings are published in Insect Science, is available to discuss the results and how these ticks' ability to survive winters could increase their population and expand their range farther north.
-30-
Media contact:
Alison Auld
Senior Research Reporter
Communications, Marketing and Creative Services
Dalhousie University
Cell: 1-902-220-0491
Email: alison.auld@dal.ca
Recent News
- Media opportunity: Dalhousie University researchers find alternative to tape used in commercial batteries that prolongs battery life and decreases self‑discharge by up to 70 per cent
- Media Release: Dalhousie University and Halifax Regional Municipality launch joint task force on response planning for unsanctioned street gatherings
- Media opportunity: Dalhousie University professor selected to join inaugural team tasked with boosting equity in STEM in the Atlantic region
- Media opportunity: How do whales and dolphins make decisions? Do they follow a leader or decide as a group? Dalhousie University researcher looks into it and finds unexpected results
- Media opportunity: Canada has more family physicians per person than ever before, but increasingly complex patient care is making it harder to access primary care: Dalhousie University study
- Media opportunity: Atmospheric scientists discover sea salt particles in blowing snow play a significant role in creating clouds linked to increased warming in the Arctic
- Media opportunity: Unique multi‑university research project aims to stem the harms of technology‑facilitated sexual violence for teens in Canada
- Media opportunity: Whales have learned to identify fishing vessels as the food trucks of the sea, according to Dalhousie University research that also revealed their dietary preferences
Comments
comments powered by Disqus