NEWVEC Publications
Read the published articles written by NEWVEC researchers dating back to 2022.
This study developed a highly sensitive triplex real-time PCR assay for detecting Powassan virus (POWV) and its lineage II (deer tick virus) in Ixodes scapularis ticks, incorporating an RNA internal control to improve result accuracy and reduce false negatives. Field testing in Massachusetts revealed higher POWV infection rates than previously reported, particularly on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard, underscoring the growing public health threat posed by this emerging tick-borne virus.
Bourbon Virus Transmission, New York, USA
This study showcases researchers confirming active transmission of Bourbon virus (BRBV) in Suffolk County, New York, through detection of BRBV RNA in Amblyomma americanum (lone star ticks) and high seroprevalence in white-tailed deer. These findings emphasize the need for tick surveillance and clinician awareness of BRBV beyond its previously known range in the Midwest.
Could Treating Deer with a Pill that Kills Ticks on Dogs Eliminate Lyme Disease from Humans?
Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne illness in the US, is transmitted by Ixodes scapularis, which can also carry other pathogens. New approaches, including using isoxazoline drugs like lotilaner, are being explored for preventing tick feeding in both humans and white-tailed deer. If proven safe and effective, oral administration of such drugs to deer could disrupt tick reproduction cycles and significantly reduce tick populations, potentially decreasing the incidence of multiple tick-borne diseases in humans.
Detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum DNA in Deer Keds: Massachusetts, USA
This study found that while deer keds in Massachusetts frequently carry Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the strain is likely not pathogenic to humans, suggesting minimal transmission risk. However, their host-specific feeding behavior makes deer keds potentially valuable for monitoring deer-associated pathogens, though further research is needed to assess their human health and wildlife health impacts.
Reported in this study is the first detection of Ehrlichia muris eauclairensis (EME) in ticks and in mice in Massachusetts, suggesting the pathogen’s range extends beyond the Midwest to the northeastern US. Despite low prevalence, these findings indicate local transmission and call for increased surveillance and consideration of EME as a possible cause of ehrlichiosis in New England.
This study tested whether Borrelia burgdorferi lineages associated with human invasiveness are more resistant to human complement-mediated killing and found no correlation between serum resistance and invasiveness. Additionally, human serum from different individuals showed similar borreliacidal activity, suggesting that other factors, such as OspC variation or linked genetic elements, are more likely responsible for the differential infectivity of B. burgdorferi lineages in humans.
It is discovered that by increasing rabbit serum concentration in BSK-II medium, this study successfully induced GuaB inhibitor activity against B. burgdorferi in culture for the first time, establishing a more physiologically relevant model for testing potential Lyme disease treatments before animal trials. This approach provides a practical screening method for developing targeted inhibitors while reducing reliance on preliminary animal testing.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of (E)-oct-2-enal, a natural compound from donkey sebum, as a repellent against adult Ixodes scapularis ticks, comparing it to DEET. Both repellents significantly reduced tick movement and showed strong longevity. These findings highlight the potential of (E)-oct-2-enal for future development in tick control and personal protection products.
Found in this study is a strong correlation between passive tick testing data and human cases of anaplasmosis and babesiosis in Massachusetts from 2015 to 2021, highlighting the value of passive surveillance in tracking tick-borne diseases. It emphasizes the need for integrative surveillance approaches to better understand human-tick interactions and improve public health interventions.
This paper demonstrates the authors discovered that nootkatone, a natural compound from sources like grapefruit oil, effectively repels and kills blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) at low concentrations, while showing weaker effects on American dog ticks and lone star ticks at the same concentration. These findings suggest nootkatone has strong potential as a dual-action repellent and acaricide, especially against blacklegged ticks, warranting further research in real-world settings.
Lactate Dehydrogenase Inhibitors Suppress Borrelia burgdorferi Growth In Vitro
This study explores the potential of targeting Borrelia burgdorferi—the bacterium that causes Lyme disease—through inhibition of its essential enzyme, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), using commercially available inhibitors. Among those tested, gossypol and oxamate significantly suppressed bacterial growth in vitro, suggesting that LDH inhibition could be a promising new avenue for Lyme disease treatment with minimal side effects, especially if future efforts focus on optimizing BbLDH-specific inhibitors.
Passive Surveillance of Human-Biting Ixodes scapularis Ticks in Massachusetts from 2015–2019
The analysis of over 13,000 human-biting Ixodes scapularis ticks submitted in Massachusetts from 2015–2019 revealed significant infection rates with tick-borne pathogens and showed that higher education levels were associated with increased tick submissions. These findings underscore the importance of passive surveillance in tracking disease risk and highlight the need to consider socioeconomic factors to improve data representativeness and public health outreach.
Powassan virus, a rare but serious tick-borne pathogen, has seen a fourfold increase in US cases over the past decade linked to expanding tick populations. Despite low infection rates in ticks (0.29%), passive surveillance data suggests there are thousands of potential human exposures each year, though most bites do not lead to reported illness, which highlights gaps in understanding transmission and disease severity.
The article tells how the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi rapidly expands into new regions, showing that although newly colonized areas initially exhibit low genetic diversity due to founder effects, they quickly accumulate diverse lineages through ongoing migration. This rapid expansion, driven by environmental changes and facilitated by host movement, has significant public health implications, particularly as invasive lineages associated with severe human infection are often among the first to establish in new areas.
The article discusses how the study tracked the rapid spread of lone star ticks on Martha’s Vineyard, finding they now dominate residential areas while blacklegged ticks persist in wooded habitats, increasing the risk of tick-borne diseases. Both species coexist due to high deer populations, with lone star ticks pose greater exposure risks due to their aggressive behavior and higher fecundity.
This research assessed tick populations and tick-borne pathogens along public trails in Nantucket, Massachusetts, from 2020 to 2022, revealing that blacklegged ticks were common in moist woodlands, while lone star ticks were prevalent on nearby Tuckernuck Island. These findings provide a valuable foundation for future observation and demonstrate that local tick monitoring can be conducted by small field crews or trained citizen scientists, though pathogen testing requires more resources.
There is growing interest in testing human-biting ticks for pathogens to assess exposure risk and aid in diagnosing tick-borne diseases, though this practice faces challenges due to variable quality and lack of standardization. While tick testing holds promise for improving early risk assessment and clinical outcomes, future research, quality control, and integration into diagnostic protocols are needed to fully realize its potential and address the rising burden of tick-borne illnesses.
White-Tailed Deer Serum Kills the Lyme Disease Spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi
Demonstrated in the article is a study that the white-tailed deer serum is capable of killing multiple genetically distinct strains of Borrelia burgdorferi, supporting the idea that the deer are reservoir-incompetent hosts for Lyme disease. The borreliacidal effect is likely driven by components of the innate immune system and may help explain why white-tailed deer do not contribute to the transmission of this pathogen.