Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with North Atlantic Coast CESU Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

US Geological Survey is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU Partner for research on the effects of continued deer reductions on tick and tick-borne pathogens in U.S. National Parks. Vector-borne illnesses are a growing public health concern in the United States, acting as both an occupational and recreational hazard. Ticks, specifically, carry pathogens that cause human illnesses including Lyme disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, anaplasmosis, and tularemia, among others. The CDC found that reported cases of tickborne bacterial and protozoan illness had increased from >22,000 cases in 2004 to >48,000 in 2016, with Lyme disease accounting for 82% of all cases. The number of actual Lyme disease cases is estimated to be ~329,000 annually. Deer play an important role in the blacklegged tick life cycle, which is the primary vector of the Lyme disease pathogen, Borrelia burgdorferi. Deer management may have important ecological consequences for tick reproduction and subsequent tick density. Deer reduction has been shown to have a range of effects, from reducing tick density to no effect on tick density but amplification of questing (host-seeking) behavior. Further, deer reductions for purposes of vegetation restoration may promote growth of small mammal communities, such as mice, voles, and shrews, all of which are good Lyme disease pathogen reservoirs. Deer population reduction may have varying effects over time and across different ecological regions. The CESU Partner will assist with continued data collection efforts at several National Parks, disease diagnostics, and data analyses.