ClimaTickNet: Mapping the Spatial and Temporal Networks of Climatic Factors Influencing Ixodid Tick Abundance and Tick-Borne Pathogens in the Western Ghats, India

Chiranjay Mukhopadhyay of the Manipal Institute of Virology in India will perform a two-year longitudinal study in the Western Ghats region of India, focusing on sentinel surveillance of tick-borne pathogens and their transmission dynamics. This mountain range region is known for its high biological diversity, and they will sample across 12 sites representing diverse ecological habitats where people and wild and domestic animals interact most frequently. They will collect host-seeking ixodid ticks, screen them for eight tick-borne pathogen groups, and perform whole-genome sequencing for the pathogens identified. Corresponding weather data will be collected from the Indian Meteorological Department. They will combine this longitudinal data to develop statistical models that predict the spatial and temporal transmission of tick-borne pathogens and the corresponding disease risk, which will guide public health interventions.