Professor’s tick and mosquito research aims to reduce occurrence of disease in humans

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Three people outdoors by a creek, holding nets and smiling; two standing and one wearing sunglasses in the foreground.
From left, Dr. Adrian Vasquez with Mercer University students Andy Yin and Bryce Williams after a day in the field collecting aquatic organisms. Photo by Dr. Adrian Vasquez

A Mercer University professor is working to reduce incidence of tick- and mosquito-borne illnesses through his ongoing research and public education.

Dr. Adrian Vasquez, assistant professor of biology, has been intrigued by mosquitoes since he was a child growing up in Belize, where the insect is prevalent. 

“I have always found animals and nature to be fascinating,” he said. “I would have lots of cultures of fish in my parent’s house, and I would harvest mosquito larvae to feed my fish. I was already doing research as a child.”

Dr. Vasquez, whose work spans across the fields of physiology, molecular biology and ecology, studied aquatic organisms including water mites as part of his Ph.D. research at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. As a 2022-2023 Fulbright U.S. Scholar, he conducted biodiversity research related to vector-borne diseases — which include diseases transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes — in Belize. 

Upon joining the faculty at Mercer in 2023, he began to look into the current challenges related to ticks and mosquitos in Georgia. Ticks are of particular concern because their numbers have been on the rise, but specific details about them in Georgia are limited, Dr. Vasquez said.

He spent this past summer conducting tick research through an internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Since then, Dr. Vasquez and three of his students have been studying the diversity and abundance of ticks in habitats around Macon-Bibb County. 

Their research is supported by the Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases and the Georgia Department of Public Health and contains a public education component. Dr. Vasquez said he is also grateful to Dr. Alan Smith, professor emeritus of biology, who provided him with invaluable information on conducting tick research in the area and allowed him to use his equipment.

Senior Bryce Williams, a biology and Spanish major, said her research with Dr. Vasquez in the fall focused on looking for Lone Star and Gulf Coast ticks at local parks, particularly Carolyn Crayton Park. She was surprised to find ticks on the edge of this urban park. She collected samples, extracted DNA and tested for the presence of disease. 

“It’s a ‘One Health’ approach of looking at the different factors of what causes disease. This is one part, environmental,” she said. “I’m more interested in the health side of things because I’m a pre-med student. It’s very cool to get both of our insights into this research.”

Dr. Vasquez said they found many ticks in some areas of the county but didn’t see any signs to warn people about them. So he, Williams and Dr. Jeremy Rae, visiting lecturer of biology, obtained signage from the CDC with tick safety information and installed several on trails in the Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. They are working with Macon-Bibb County Parks and Recreation to place signs in other areas as well. 

“We’re hoping that they will take the precautions and that we get a reduction in tick-borne illnesses,” said Dr. Rae, who is also a contributing writer/editor for Dr. Vasquez’s research. “If people heed the signs, we should see a decrease in tick bites.”

The signs inform people they are in an area with ticks and list precautions they can take, such as wearing repellant, checking for ticks, and showering soon after being outdoors. Dr. Vasquez also recommended wearing clothing that makes it easier to spot ticks, avoiding trails that are overgrown, checking pets for ticks, and making sure pets are up-to-date on tick-prevention medicines. 

Dr. Vasquez hopes the trail signs will help people make better decisions. 

“The main thing you want to do is avoid getting bit,” he said. “If you change your behavior just a little bit, it might make a big impact on your exposure to the ticks. That’s the goal right now, apart from learning about the phenology (life cycle and patterns) of the ticks.”

Public education campaigns like this show students the whole cycle of science, from learning a concept in a textbook to collecting data in the field, analyzing data in the lab, and transmitting that information to the public. 

“That’s really a direct benefit to human health and to the community. That’s making an immediate difference, an immediate impact,” Dr. Vasquez said. 

His research also extends to mosquitoes. He has mosquito-collecting devices on campus, which will help identify species in the area. West Nile virus has been on the rise in Georgia, including six confirmed cases in Atlanta this summer, according to the Fulton County Board of Health. 

Mercer student Kayla Tran examining a tick under a microscope, with the image displayed on a monitor.
Student Kayla Tran conducts taxonomy on ticks collected in Macon. Photo by Dr. Adrian Vasquez

Not all ticks and mosquitoes carry diseases, but certain species spread bacteria, viruses or parasites when they bite, which leads to illness in humans, Dr. Vasquez said. That’s why it’s vital to know what species are in an area and stay up-to-date on new species and illnesses.

Two emerging vector-borne diseases are alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne illness that causes an allergy to red meat, and Oropouche virus, which causes flu-like symptoms and is spread by mosquitoes and small flies. Central and South America are experiencing an outbreak of Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral infection. Dr. Vasquez learned about some of the latest developments and delivered lectures on biocontrol of mosquitoes and chemical control of mosquitoes while attending the Puerto Rican Vector Control Unit Annual Conference in October.

“All these insects that cause disease are exploding in population, and that equates to more disease exposure to humans,” he said. “We have this cycle occurring. These insects love the heat, and they need water to procreate, and that’s what’s going on all over the world now. We have these extreme weather events.”

Dr. Vasquez said it’s important for students to be informed on how conditions around the planet are changing, and research and study abroad experiences help do that. A team of students traveled to Belize for Mercer On Mission this past summer and will return in 2025, and the biology department has offered a one-week study abroad experience in Belize. Dr. Vasquez hopes to see Belize students visit Mercer in the future. 

“Even though we may not see certain changes at Mercer, we know it is occurring out there,” he said. “We’re going to need more people trained in the future, not only as medical doctors but also as entomologists and scientists who are able to tell what the different vectors are and the species. There are more and more emerging diseases.”

Scientists can develop warning systems, so early interventions can be put in place when vector-borne diseases begin to spread, and their research is key to cures and treatments, Dr. Vasquez said. 

 

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