Spatial Trends of Tick-Borne Diseases, Climate, and Geography in the United States: Identifying Clusters of States via Network Analysis

Voiceover

Presenter(s)

Jordan Bramble

Presentation accessible on Google Drive:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FrXHzvahWUoWqemtalWLYR76oI6HhLBT/view?usp=sharing

Abstract or Description

The incidence and distribution of tick-borne diseases are increasing in the United States. Common tick-borne diseases include Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, and Ehrlichiosis. Climate variables such as temperature and precipitation as well as geographic variables such as shrublands, forest cover, and more influence spread. In this study, we identify spatial trends of tick-borne disease cases, climate variables, and geographic variables via network analysis. We created and analyzed networks of states, whose connectivity was determined by similarity with respect to Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, and Ehrlichiosis cases, temperature and precipitation levels, and percent shrublands, forest cover, and more. Consensus clustering was performed to find clusters of states with respect to each variable, and the stability of clusters and their members were evaluated. Our results show that states form multiple, distinct clusters with respect to each variable.

Mentor

Folashade Agusto

Comments

Lillian Puntney2 years ago

I like how you explored not only Lyme disease but other tick-borne illnesses that could affect the U.S. population. Your research was very thorough and I appreciated how you walked the audience through each of your research methods. Even though more research is needed to determine the pattern of clusters of tick-borne diseases, I think that you made a lot of good headway without funding.

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