EMERGING TICK-BORNE DISEASES
OVERVIEW
Ticks are the most notorious vectors of human and animal diseases in the United States. In recent years, a new arbovirus, Heartland virus (HRTV), has been reported in the Midwestern and Southern US states, causing severe human disease and fatal cases. Knowledge about the viral enzootic cycle is very limited. The Prokopec Lab is currently studying the ecology of HRTV transmission in Georgia via field surveys of ticks and small mammals.
FUNDING
United States Department of Agriculture
Invasion ecology and genomics of emerging tick-borne arboviruses: predicting niche expansion of heartland virus following the invasion of Asian Longhorned ticks in the U.S.
Emory University Research Council (URC)
The Ecology and Transmission of Lone Star Tick-Associated Emerging Arbovirus in Georgia
The goal of this project is to conduct an exhaustive sampling of ticks in Georgia, with the purpose pf detecting and characterizing Heartland virus transmission dynamics.