State-wide surveillance of ticks and testing of tick-borne pathogens in Kentucky

Tick-borne diseases are the second most vectored disease in humans. However, tick and tick-borne disease distribution is not well understood in Kentucky. The three most common tick-borne diseases occurring in the state are Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis, Ehrlichiosis and Lyme disease and all of these illnesses have seen increasing incidence rates not only within Kentucky but also nationwide which may be explained, in part, by the range expansion and increased population densities of their tick vectors—particularly that of Ixodes scapularis in the transmission of Lyme disease. A strong surveillance system is crucial to providing the knowledge necessary to develop a useful understanding of the relationships between ticks and One Health. Working with the Kentucky Department of Public Health, this study aims to conduct a state-wide surveillance of tick distribution at county level and pathogen testing via PCR for detection of Rickettsia rickettsii, Ehlichia chaffeensis and Borrelia burgdorferi. Preliminary data supports the presence of established Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis and Ixodes scaprularis populations infected with Ehclichia chaffeensis, Rickettsia rickettsii and Borrelia burgdorferi, respectively, which furthers that Kentuckians are at risk for these bacterial diseases and calls for the implementation of a largescale surveillance program that this study provides.