UW Vet Med researcher targets ticks to curb disease spread

A University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine researcher is studying blacklegged ticks with an eye toward improving control strategies and reducing disease transmission. In a March 19, 2026, school news release, Karen Fuenzalida, DVM, described as a veterinarian and PhD student in the Comparative Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, was identified as the investigator leading this work. The release frames the project as an ecological study with direct relevance to tick management and disease prevention in both animal and human health contexts.¹

The research is being discussed at a time when Lyme disease remains a substantial concern in the United States. The UW School of Veterinary Medicine said an estimated 500,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year, and that the infection can produce rash, fever, marked fatigue, and joint stiffness, among other signs.¹ For veterinary professionals, that epidemiologic burden matters because the same tick species involved in human disease also drives exposure risk in companion animals.²

RELATED ARTICLE: Clinical Signs and Diagnosis of Lyme Disease in Dogs

In North America, Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and is transmitted by Ixodes ticks. Ixodes scapularis, the blacklegged tick, is the principal vector in eastern and central North America, while Ixodes pacificus is the main vector west of the Rocky Mountains.² Transmission generally requires the tick to remain attached long enough for the organism to move from the vector to the host, which is one reason prompt tick removal remains a core preventive recommendation.²

Clinical disease in dogs is less common than exposure. Only about 5% of exposed dogs develop clinical Lyme disease, although the presentation can still be significant and may include fever, lethargy, anorexia, depression, lameness, joint swelling, polyarthritis, and lymphadenopathy. The same review also emphasizes that serology documents exposure rather than disease by itself, which makes history, clinical signs, and risk assessment essential parts of interpretation.²

The broader prevention picture has become more urgent as parasite risk expands geographically. dvm360’s 2026 CAPC coverage reported that blacklegged ticks and the diseases they transmit continue to spread into additional regions, including parts of the Upper Midwest, Appalachia, and the Atlantic Coast, while reinforcing that risk is increasingly year-round rather than confined to a narrow seasonal window.³ That pattern supports a practice approach that treats tick prevention as a continuous part of preventive care rather than a seasonal add-on.³

RELATED ARTICLE: CAPC forecasts expanding parasite risk in 2026, including Lyme disease, heartworm, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis

This research reinforces that tick control is a matter of both individual patient protection as well as understanding the ecology that allows ticks to persist and spread. That includes host availability, environmental conditions, and local tick population dynamics, all of which shape regional disease pressure^.1,3 In that sense, Fuenzalida’s project fits squarely within the preventive medicine priorities that small animal practices already manage through client education, acaricidal prevention, and appropriate testing strategies.^1-3

References

1. Kelly J. UW Vet Med researcher targets ticks to curb disease spread. University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. March 19, 2026. Accessed March 23, 2026. https://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/uw-vet-med-researcher-targets-ticks-to-curb-disease-spread/
2. Parry N. Clinical Signs and Diagnosis of Lyme Disease in Dogs. dvm360. February 12, 2016. Accessed March 23, 2026. https://www.dvm360.com/view/clinical-signs-and-diagnosis-of-lyme-disease-in-dogs
3. CAPC forecasts expanding parasite risk in 2026, including Lyme disease, heartworm, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis. dvm360. March 23, 2026. Accessed March 23, 2026. https://www.dvm360.com/view/capc-forecasts-expanding-parasite-risk-in-2026-including-lyme-disease-heartworm-ehrlichiosis-and-anaplasmosis