[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/EW-05-16-12-Lyme-Disease.mp3|titles=EW 05-16-12 Lyme Disease]
The northeastern U.S. should prepare for a surge in Lyme disease this spring. And we can blame fluctuations in acorns and mouse populations, not the mild winter. So reports Rick Ostfeld, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.
What do acorns have to do with illness? Acorn crops vary from year-to-year, with boom-and-bust cycles influencing the winter survival and breeding success of white-footed mice. These small mammals pack a one-two punch: they are preferred hosts for black-legged ticks and they are effective at transmitting the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.
For more than two decades, Ostfeld and colleagues have been investigating connections among acorns, mouse populations, and Lyme disease risk. In 2010, acorn crops were the heaviest ever recorded at their research site. And in 2011, mouse populations peaked. The scarcity of acorns last fall set up a perfect storm.
“We expect a lot of those larval ticks survive this winter very well and many of them got infected. So the prediction is that we see very large abundances of infected nymphal ticks. And the nymph stage is the one responsible for transmitting most cases of Lyme – the vast majority.”
When enjoying the outdoors this spring be cautious. Larval ticks that fed on 2011’s abundant mouse population will soon be looking for a springtime meal. Small as poppy seeds, these tiny ticks are very effective at transmitting Lyme to people.
Unlike mice, who can be infected with Lyme with minimal cost, left undiagnosed in humans, Lyme disease can cause chronic fatigue, joint pain, and neurological problems.
Web Extra
Rick Ostfeld, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, offers some advice to outdoors adventurers this summer…
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ostfeld_web_extra.mp3|titles=ostfeld_web_extra]Photo, taken on May 4, 2009 using a Nikon D300, courtesy of Jerry Kirkhart via Flickr.