Spatial Distribution of Lyme disease within the United States
Disciplines
Geographic Information Sciences | Geography
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme disease differs from other common infections due to its difficulty being accurately traced back to an initial encounter. Lyme disease can only be transmitted through the bites from various species of ticks, the ticks are host dependent with a range of hosts from mice, deer, and birds. The hosts grant the ticks of migrating far ranges and inhabiting forest dense areas. With the usage of ArcGIS software, research was conducted to determine migration patterns of ticks and their hosts and cases of lyme disease reported by counties in the United States as well as, specifically the state of Georgia. The methods used offer a perspective of how and why it is difficult to determine the origin of infection in a specified location due to the possibility of infection and report of infection in two separate counties or even states given the disease’s incubation period from anywhere between 3-30 days. Analyses conducted give insight into a rising public health issue utilizing spatial analysis methods.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Geography & Anthropology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Uli Ingram
Spatial Distribution of Lyme disease within the United States
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme disease differs from other common infections due to its difficulty being accurately traced back to an initial encounter. Lyme disease can only be transmitted through the bites from various species of ticks, the ticks are host dependent with a range of hosts from mice, deer, and birds. The hosts grant the ticks of migrating far ranges and inhabiting forest dense areas. With the usage of ArcGIS software, research was conducted to determine migration patterns of ticks and their hosts and cases of lyme disease reported by counties in the United States as well as, specifically the state of Georgia. The methods used offer a perspective of how and why it is difficult to determine the origin of infection in a specified location due to the possibility of infection and report of infection in two separate counties or even states given the disease’s incubation period from anywhere between 3-30 days. Analyses conducted give insight into a rising public health issue utilizing spatial analysis methods.