Identification and Analysis of Pathogens in Pennsylvania Ixodes scapularis

Matthew Baresh, Isabella Pontrelli, and Erin DiSandro

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Edwards

What is the broader impact of your summer research? That is, why should the world care about your work?

Our research aimed to give a deeper understanding to the prevalence of Lyme’s Disease and other tick-born illnesses across the Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania to bring awareness of its presence and guide further research. One part of the “little why” was collecting ticks at various sites in the Lehigh Valley and running qPCR to analyze their strain of Anaplasma. Differentiating between the deer and human strain of this disease displays the increasing trend of human strain in ticks, which directly affects our population’s health and safety.

What has summer research taught you about yourself and the field that you researched and/or studied?

This summer has taught me my love for a balance between work in the field and work in the lab. I learned that I need that hands-on aspect to balance out the more stationary work being done in labs. It also made me discover my love for research and the questions that can be answered through it! This summer has taught me a lot about the process of collecting ticks and also the process of qPCR in real-life examples. Before doing this research, I had no clue how ticks were collected for research, and I now have a deeper understanding of the process of qPCR and how to operate the machine as well!

What advice would you give to students considering a future research opportunity similar to the one you participated in?

Do it! Even if it is not in a specific discipline that you want to pursue, participating in research opens so many doors for you. You also gain a new appreciation for your topic that you will take with you for the rest of your life.