image: This is the cover of Rick Ostfeld's upcoming book on Lyme disease ecology, to be published by Oxford University Press on Nov. 10, 2010. view more
Credit: Oxford University Press
Millbrook, N.Y. – Lyme disease affects the lives of millions of people worldwide. It is the most common tick-borne illness in the United States; some 20,000 cases are reported annually, and tens of thousands more go undetected. While citizens are becoming more educated about how to avoid tick bites, there is very little public discussion about the environmental conditions that encourage the spread of Lyme disease.
Dr. Richard S. Ostfeld of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies has studied the ecology of tick-borne diseases for more than twenty years. His new book, Lyme Disease: The Ecology of a Complex System, presents an assessment of this emerging disease as well as the factors that contribute to its expanding range. Ostfeld argues that an overly simplistic view of Lyme disease ecology and risk has caused us to focus on the wrong culprit—deer.
Instead, Ostfeld's long-term research shows that white-footed mice are the critical hosts for black-legged ticks, which carry and spread the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. White-footed mice thrive in the small woodlots found throughout cities and suburbs, and their populations explode following heavy years of acorn production. Superabundant mouse populations allow more ticks to survive and lead to predictable spikes in human Lyme disease exposure.
By challenging the dogma surrounding this disease, Ostfeld corrects misunderstandings about the dynamics of Lyme disease transmission. He identifies risk factors and recommends steps that can prevent Lyme disease from continuing to expand and increase in intensity. Furthermore, he turns our attention to land-use planning and the ways in which biodiversity loss increases disease risk.
Ostfeld's book covers:
- The importance of looking at human infectious disease as an ecological system
- Why intact forests with a diversity of vertebrates (opossum, squirrel, fox, etc.) are vital to human and ecological health
- Why Lyme disease is an excellent model system for understanding other infectious diseases that are transmitted from non-human animals to humans, such as SARS and West Nile virus
- Links between landscape management and human health
Ostfeld is Senior Scientist and Animal Ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York. His research has been featured in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, Newsweek, Time, NPR, and BBC News.
Lyme Disease: The Ecology of a Complex System, published by Oxford University Press, will be available for $39.95 on November 10th, 2010. Intended for an audience of professional and student ecologists, epidemiologists, and other health scientists, it is written in an informal style accessible to non-scientists interested in human health and conservation.
The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is a private, not-for-profit environmental research and education organization in Millbrook, N.Y. For more than twenty-five years, Cary Institute scientists have been investigating the complex interactions that govern the natural world. Their objective findings lead to more effective policy decisions and increased environmental literacy. Focal areas include air and water pollution, climate change, invasive species, and the ecological dimensions of infectious disease. Learn more at www.caryinstitute.org