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 release: Nova Scotia pharmacists among Canada’s first to prescribe HIV prevention drug with help from Dalhousie pilot study
- Media opportunity: What do you need to make a hit song? Math, according to a Dalhousie University mathematician who created a pop song using fractals, the cantor set and all things mathy
- Media opportunity: Uncovering the link between meltwater and groundwater in mountain regions is a priority for sustainable water management: international research paper
- Media opportunity: Fish biomass faces steep declines by end of century under high‑emissions scenario: FAO report by Dalhousie University, international scientists
- Media Release: Two Dalhousie students selected as McCall MacBain International Fellows
- Media release: Barriers to care ‑ research reveals the experiences of transgender and gender‑diverse people seeking health care
- Media opportunity: Being involved in extracurricular activities really does matter when it comes to 'mattering': Dalhousie University research
- Media opportunity: Podcast by Dalhousie researcher and Halifax photographer looks at barriers to Nova Scotia's coastline, decreasing access to waterfronts and problems with litter, marine debris in public coastal areas
Comments
comments powered by Disqus