Hello, everyone, I wanted to bring to your attention a great study on Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever being conducted by Eric Green and Dana Green. I met Eric and Dana when they were undergraduates visiting La MICA Biological Station in Panama and I am so proud to see them doing such great work as graduate students.I know there are many great projects that deserve funding, but I definitely can endorse for these students; they are doing great work! For more information or to donate (they have to reach their goal or they get nothing so EVERY dollar really goes help!): https://experiment.com/projects/are-coyotes-contributing-to-the-spread-rocky-mountain-spotted-fever-in-arizona More information about the project:Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a tick-borne bacterial infection that can cause permanent disability or death in humans. In 2003, RMSF moved into Arizona and has become increasingly common since then. The vector and reservoir for RMSF has been narrowed down to the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus). Domesticated dogs are considered sentinels of RMSF and the brown dog tick’s primary host. Large numbers of free-roaming dogs have been implicated in the spread of RMSF on American Indian reservations, where most of the infections occur, but evidence is absent to explain long-range dispersal of this tick species. Coyotes are genetically similar to dogs and have larger home ranges, so we hypothesize that coyotes are contributing to the long-range dispersal of infected ticks. Dr. Julie M. RayFounder and AdministratorLa MICA Biological StationEl Cope-La Pintada. Provincia de Cocle. Republica de Panamawww.lamicapanama.weebly.com
