Adaptability of deer ticks back in the limelight

INHS Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiologist Nohra Mateus-Pinilla and her research on lyme diseasevectors were featured in an article in the Danville Commercial News and also discussed in a segment on Chicago Tonight about Science in Illinois.  Deer ticks have been spreading and are now found in 26 Illinois counties.

 

CHAMPAIGN, IL – Mateus-Pinilla’s study at Allerton park showed high numbers of infected individuals in prairie habitats, rather than the typical forest habitat.  Based on the study, it appears that Lyme disease and deer ticks may be more adaptable than previously known.  With regards to the lack of studies on ticks and lyme disease, Mateus-Pinilla said, “There are a lot of unknowns.  It seems like we have very little work on the ground being done.”

Read the whole story at the Illinois Natural History Survey blog.

Lyme disease tick adapts to life on the (fragmented) prairie | By Diana Yates

The Lyme disease tick, seen here in its larval, nymph and adult forms, is advancing across "the prairie state." Photo by Illinois Natural History Survey.
The Lyme disease tick, seen here in its larval, nymph and adult forms, is advancing across “the prairie state.” Photo by Illinois Natural History Survey.

CHAMPAIGN, lL. – A new study offers a detailed look at the status of Lyme disease in Central Illinois and suggests that deer ticks and the Lyme disease bacteria they host are more adaptable to new habitats than previously appreciated.

Read the whole story by the University of Illinois News Bureau here.

Researchers track the secret lives of feral and free-roaming house cats | By Diana Yates

The cats were fitted with radio collars and tracked over two years. Some of the collars also had devices that continuously monitored the cats' every move. This un-owned cat was one of those tracked. Photo courtesy Illinois Natural History Survey.
The cats were fitted with radio collars and tracked over two years. Some of the collars also had devices that continuously monitored the cats’ every move. This un-owned cat was one of those tracked. Photo courtesy Illinois Natural History Survey.

CHAMPAIGN, lL. – Researchers (and some cat-owners) wanted to know: What do feral and free-roaming house cats do when they’re out of sight? A two-year study offers a first look at the daily lives of these feline paupers and princes, whose territories overlap on the urban, suburban, rural and agricultural edges of many towns.

Read the whole story by the University of Illinois News Bureau here.

Cats pass disease to wildlife, even in remote areas | By Diana Yates

Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, left, a wildlife veterinary epidemiologist at the University of Illinois Prairie Research Institute, with graduate student Shannon Fredebaugh, led a study that found that cats spread disease to wildlife even in remote parts of a 1,500-acre natural area. Mateus-Pinilla is a researcher with the Illinois Natural History Survey, one of the surveys in the PRI. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer.
Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, left, a wildlife veterinary epidemiologist at the University of Illinois Prairie Research Institute, with graduate student Shannon Fredebaugh, led a study that found that cats spread disease to wildlife even in remote parts of a 1,500-acre natural area. Mateus-Pinilla is a researcher with the Illinois Natural History Survey, one of the surveys in the PRI. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer.

CHAMPAIGN, lL. – Researchers tracking the spread of Toxoplasma gondii – a parasite that reproduces only in cats but sickens and kills many other animals – have found infected wildlife throughout a 1,500-acre (600-hectare) natural area in central Illinois.

Read the whole story by the University of Illinois News Bureau here.