Stephen Rich Shares Expertise on Ticks and Vector-borne Diseases

Content

An increase in tick populations, especially in the Northeast, has created a significant public health concern. Warmer temperatures and milder winters, caused largely by climate change, have created more favorable conditions for ticks to thrive and expand their range. As a result, the prevalence of tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease and the less common but potentially fatal Powassan virus, is rising. Powassan virus can cause severe neurological damage and has no specific treatment, making prevention and control of tick populations crucial. 

The media has been turning to researchers in the College of Natural Sciences at UMass Amherst—including Stephen Rich, professor in the College of Natural Sciences's Department of Microbiology and director of the New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases—to better understand the implications of ticks and related vector-borne diseases. Below are a few of these conversations:

Ticks and Tick Avoidance 

Rich recently spoke with The Boston Globe about the emerging danger from the Lone Star tick in an article about the recent increase in tick-borne diseases. He argued that warmer winters, a suitable woodland habitat, and the proliferation of deer have caused the Lone Star tick to expand into the Northeast. Humans who are bitten by the Lone Star tick can develop an allergy to red meat. (If you have access to UMass Amherst Libraries, you can read Boston Globe articles through ProQuest.)

On Boston 25 News, Rich argued “the trend is that every year is a tick year," and that ticks still pose a risk even as summer is winding down.

On the subject of dodging ticks and their effects altogether, Men’s Journal, WENY News, and Bug Bite Thing asked Rich to discuss best practices for avoiding the arachnids and how to remove them.

“Where they really like to be is right on the edge of where that grass meets the wooded area. Keep your grass cut, keep the leaves blown because they really like leaf litter.”

— Stephen Rich to WENY News

Powassan Virus

In a recent WBUR article, Rich commented on a case of the rare tick-borne Powassan virus in the town of Sharon, MA, south of Boston. He argued that the number of people who become severely ill from Powassan is very small, but that climate change is playing a role in the spreading of the disease.

"If you get those real warm spells in January, things warm up above 50 degrees...ticks come out and they're active and we know that ticks don't die in the winter."

— Stephen Rich to WBUR

However, Rich's recent research suggests that, fortunately, very few people who get bitten by ticks infected with the Powassan virus end up getting sick. These findings were covered in Technology Networks and Medical Xpress.

“Our findings explain why there may be so few cases of Powassan virus, even as the number of Powassan-positive ticks appears to be increasing.” 

— Stephen Rich in Technology Networks

As Powassan-positive ticks increase in number, the New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, for which Rich serves as director, has developed a new, more accurate method for detecting the Powassan virus in ticks, according to a UMass press release carried by Medical Xpress.

"Powassan has been a growing concern in New England for the past several years and false positives can confound efforts to surveil. The development of sensitive detection methods for diagnostics and surveillance is critical."

— Stephen Rich in Medical Xpress

Content will be added to this article as more CNS researchers share their insights on ticks and related vector-borne diseases.