Daily Bulldog reports on student’s research on spread of ticks, diseases
Daily Bulldog published a University of Maine news release about research being conducted by Susan Elias, a doctoral student at UMaine’s Climate Change Institute. Elias is studying deer ticks and their spread across Maine. “Maine in 2014 had the highest incidence of Lyme disease of all the states in the country,” Elias said. The Midcoast and islands were hardest hit, she said, adding, “We’ve got to get this figured out.” She uses data sets and software that simultaneously take into account variables and indicate the relative importance of each. In addition to milder winters and sufficient moisture during summers, other factors that affect the spread of ticks and the diseases they carry include deforestation/reforestation, landscaping practices and deer management, according to Elias.