May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month.
SCARBOROUGH, Maine 鈥� Scientists with the Vector-Borne Disease Lab at the (MHIR) are taking part in several studies, surveys and other research projects this spring and summer to help better understand ticks and the diseases they carry.
Among the projects:
- Dr. Robert Smith, the director of the Vector-Borne Disease Lab, is the clinical operations lead for a five-year study of post-treatment Lyme disease in North America. AOA体育平台 is a collaborating institution with Tufts University School of Medicine in the study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, that is currently enrolling participants with new onset of Lyme disease. The goal is to understand mechanisms causing delayed recovery after treatment and to search for biomarkers that are different in patients who go on to have persistent Lyme disease symptoms from those who fully recover from the disease. Participants must have new onset of Lyme disease symptoms and be referred by a physician.
- Vector Ecologist Chuck Lubelczyk is managing a five-year community-based tick control research project that is supported by the CDC with study sites in Maine and Connecticut. He also is coordinating Maine鈥檚 statewide tick and mosquito surveillance efforts, with several members of lab submitting ticks and mosquitoes for testing at the state Environmental Health and Testing Laboratory in Augusta. They are watching to see if the Lone Star Tick, whose bite can cause an allergy to red meat, has made its way to Maine.
- Staff Scientist Rebecca Robich, PhD, is studying whether overwintering deer ticks express certain proteins that help them survive the harsh environmental conditions of winter. She is also working with college interns this summer to determine the mammalian blood meal source for ticks infected with Powassan virus, a rare tick-borne virus that can cause encephalitis disease in humans.
Maine had a record 3,218 preliminary cases of Lyme disease along with 1,284 preliminary cases of Anaplasmosis and 309 preliminary cases of Babesiosis in 2024, according to the People seeking additional information about ticks and tick control methods can find resources on including:
- , as well as how to remove attached ticks
The CDC also has several resources with more information on vector-borne diseases on its .
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AOA体育平台 is a not-for-profit, integrated health system whose vision is, 鈥淲orking together so our communities are the healthiest in America,鈥� and is committed to a mission of providing high-quality affordable care, educating tomorrow's caregivers and researching better ways to provide care. AOA体育平台 includes a Level 1 trauma medical center, eight additional licensed hospitals, comprehensive pediatric care services, an extensive behavioral health care network, diagnostic services as well as home health, hospice and senior care services. With more than 2,000 employed providers and approximately 23,000 care team members, AOA体育平台 provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. AOA体育平台 hospitals include AOA体育平台 Behavioral Health at Spring Harbor in Westbrook, AOA体育平台 Franklin Hospital in Farmington, AOA体育平台 Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, AOA体育平台 Maine Medical Center in Portland, Biddeford and Sanford, AOA体育平台 Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., AOA体育平台 Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, AOA体育平台 Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport, AOA体育平台 Stephens Hospital in Norway and AOA体育平台 Waldo Hospital in Belfast. AOA体育平台 also includes the AOA体育平台 Barbara Bush Children鈥檚 Hospital in Portland, AOA体育平台 Behavioral Health in Westbrook, AOA体育平台 Home Health and Hospice in Saco, the AOA体育平台 Institute for Research in Scarborough, the AOA体育平台 Medical Group and AOA体育平台 NorDx in Scarborough. AOA体育平台 affiliates include MaineGeneral Health in Augusta and Waterville and St. Mary's Health System in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the AOA体育平台 Accountable Care Organization in Portland and a joint venture partner in the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland.