Federal grants help pay
for ecology projects,
prevention programs
Research continues
in battle against
Lyme disease
Federal grants help pay
for ecology projects,
prevention programs
By linda denicola
Staff Writer
PHOTOS BY VERONICA YANKOWSKI Dr. Terry Schulze inspects for the presence of ticks after doing a dragging technique to collect them in leaf litter.
Two grants totaling $224,670 for Lyme disease prevention and research will be used to fund ecology projects and prevention programs that will eventually benefit residents state-wide.
Freehold Township Committee members placed the grants in the municipal budget at a recent meeting. The Lyme disease prevention grant was for $132,150 and a 2003 Lyme disease ecology research grant was for $92,520.
"This is the 12th year the township has been the recipient of the research grant. The prevention grant is a little newer," said Margaret Jahn, Freehold Township health officer, who explained that the grants are funded by the federal government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and given to the township by the state Department of Health and Senior Services.
"We perform research on Lyme disease, including tick ecology, which means we are learning about the bugs and their life cycle so that we can better control them. In addition, we are looking at novel tick control strategies like rodent bait boxes," Jahn said.
According to data on tick research, the larval and nymphal stages of the blacklegged tick feed primarily on mammals, especially mice, and birds.
Jahn explained that rodents, like mice, enter into the feeding stations and then brush up against a roller that kills ticks. She added that current studies are going on in some backyards in neighboring Millstone Township.
"Millstone has a good habitat. We began the program there a few years ago after finding that members of the community were interested," the health officer said.
There is also ecology work going on in Mendham Township, Morris County, that includes rabbit bait boxes and deer feeding stations.
Dr. Bob Jordan, a research scientist employed by Freehold Township, and Margaret Jahn, Freehold Township health officer, examine a four-poster deer treatment system used to control adult ticks. Below, Jordan puts out a tick management system.
"We put out a lot of corn. When deer come to feed on the corn they brush their necks against a light insecticide. It doesn’t hurt the deer, or the rodents, in any way, but the ticks do drop off. That program is showing a lot of promise," Jahn said. "We use a class of pesticide called Acaracide that primarily targets spiders and ticks. With Acaracide, they see a 95 percent kill rate, so it’s very effective, but a lot of people don’t want to put pesticides on their property on a regular basis so we are looking at other ways, like using bait boxes."
Jahn said tick technology is available, but people need to be educated about it. There are different strategies for each of the stages in a tick’s life. The stages take place over a two-year period, she said.
"One of our studies looks at the nymph (newborn tick) stage. By killing all of the nymphs before they feed on mice and have the potential of carrying Lyme disease, you will see a reduction in the population after two years."
She said Freehold Township is fortunate to have two experts in the field of tick research, Terry Schulze, a consultant who lives in Monmouth County, and Robert Jordan, a research scientist employed by the township.
"These two gentlemen are very well-known and have published many papers. They are known nationally because they are the lead researchers in tick ecology and interventions," the health officer said.
Jahn ex-plained how Freehold Township’s health department became one of the pivotal departments in this research project.
"We were seen as an area that had a big population of ticks. Twelve years ago, the CDC was looking at public parks and we were interested in having our parks looked at. It kind of started there. Schulze and Jordan do a lot of research in Colts Neck at the Earle Naval Station. That program was expanded," she said.
The Freehold Township Health Department is charged with examining ecological factors such as the deer population, weather conditions and plant communities that affect the distribution and density of ticks in the state.
"We have developed a good relationship with the state and the CDC, so the program has continued," Jahn said, noting that last year the township received more than $250,000 in funding. "It was the biggest award yet. This year’s award is not as much. To date, we have received almost $1.75 million."
Jahn said the research is very interesting. She often goes out with the scientists on the field work and this past spring she went to a conference on the subject. She explained that New Jersey is one of only four states in the United States that receives funding from the CDC for intervention and prevention research. The other three states are New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
There is also an educational component that is primarily done in Mendham, she said.
"Our job is to gather information to determine effective control strategies. The next step will be to get the information out to homeowners and parks. Ultimately we’re hoping to reduce the amount of Lyme disease in the state," she said.
Jahn has been the township’s health officer since January 2001. She has a master’s of public health and has worked in the township since 1988 as a health inspector.
She said that just before becoming the health officer, she worked on the New Jersey Active Surveillance for Lyme Disease program."Instead of waiting for physicians to report cases of Lyme disease, we began approaching physicians. The reporting rate was low, but with active surveillance we have seen an almost tenfold increase in the number of cases.
"I began work on that back in 1995. It continues as part of the prevention grant which also involves several community-based intervention studies. Ecology just looks at ticks, prevention is more community-based.
"We are looking at an effective program that would limit the number of pesticide applications and at the same time reduce the (tick) population. Preliminary data suggests that we are having an impact. If New Jersey receives the next funding cycle, I believe that over the next three years we will have an answer to whether the program is working," she said.
Jahn said most people get Lyme disease in their own backyard, which is what makes the Millstone study so important.
"They are doing applications and researching the effectiveness of these strategies in real-life settings," the health officer said.
She said people who live on properties that border woods should treat a 10-foot perimeter to create a barrier. She cautioned parents to make sure their children are dressed properly, with shirts tucked in and their pants tucked into their socks. She also recommended spraying a little bit of insect repellent on clothing.
Jahn said people need to be educated about the real risks, including the risks associated with the use of pesticides vs. the risk of getting Lyme disease. She added that people who live in wooded environments face the greatest risk and those who live in areas with few trees face little risk. For instance, she said, there is no need to treat soccer fields or homes built on farmland with few trees.