Ep. 235 – Why Tick Bites are Summer’s Biggest Health Problem

Tick bites can transmit far more than Lyme disease. In this episode, Saravanan Thangamani, PhD, SUNY Empire Innovation Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at SUNY Upstate Medical University and Director of the SUNY Center for Vector-Borne Diseases, explains why coinfections are common, with roughly one in three ticks carrying the Lyme disease agent and five to ten percent of those also carrying additional pathogens like anaplasma, babesia, or Powassan virus. He breaks down how the deer and mouse life cycle spreads ticks, why pets are "tick magnets," why the old 24-to-48-hour transmission window is outdated advice, and how tick testing can give clinicians critical extra information. He also covers the expanding range of the lone star tick, alpha-gal syndrome, and where Lyme vaccine development currently stands.

About the Guest:
Saravanan Thangamani, PhDSUNY Empire Innovation Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, SUNY Upstate Medical UniversityDirector, SUNY Center for Vector-Borne Diseases and Vector Biocontainment Laboratories
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Instagram: @upstate_tick_lab
X: @NY_Ticks
Facebook: UpstateTickLab

Resources Mentioned:
Upstate Tick Lab — Research, Education & Public Health
TickMAP — Interactive Tick & Tick-Borne Disease Surveillance
Upstate Tick Testing Laboratory — National Tick Testing & Surveillance Program
Thangamani Laboratory — Powassan Virus & Vector-Borne Disease Research

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