Ross Boyce, MD, MSc, a member of the Institute and assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology, working with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, North Carolina State University and the Animal Hospital of Boone, found data collected from pet dogs at routine veterinary checkups can be used to approximate the risk of Lyme disease for humans. The study was published in the CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases. First author Peyton Pretsch, MPH, is a doctoral candidate at the Gillings School of Global Public Health.
While the ticks that carry Lyme disease have historically been associated with northeastern states, recent evidence shows that these ticks are expanding their geographic range southward along the Appalachian Mountains. This geographic shift establishes the need for effective prediction and surveillance tools to understand and prevent Lyme disease in humans.
During routine heartworm screenings for dogs, which are also vulnerable to Lyme disease, veterinary clinics collect blood and test for antibodies to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Given that humans and pet dogs would likely have encountered many of the same environmental conditions that would expose them to a tick, this data can be used to estimate the exposure risk of Lyme disease for humans.