Date of Award

January 2026

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (MPH)

Department

School of Public Health

First Advisor

Brian Weiss

Second Advisor

Haidong Lu

Abstract

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne bacterial infection in the United States. It remains an important public health concern due to its high disease burden, expanding geographic distribution, and complex transmission cycle. Climate change is frequently regarded as a driver of Lyme disease emergence, as many previous studies suggested. However, ongoing debate about the magnitude and mechanisms of climate effects complicates the interpretation of this relationship. This review synthesizes evidence on how climate influences Lyme disease through both direct and indirect pathways, with a focus on studies relevant to the United States and North America.Climate directly affects Lyme disease risk by altering tick survival, geographic distribution, seasonal timing of their life cycle, and phenology. Specifically, temperature facilitates northward expansion and earlier seasonal activities, while humidity and precipitation influence desiccation risk and tick abundance. Climate also operates indirectly through land-use changes, habitat fragmentation, host composition, host biodiversity, and human activities. Inconsistencies across studies are also discussed and should be interpreted as methodological differences in variable use and study settings. Emerging evidence further suggests that climate may influence tick-associated microbiomes, with potential downstream effects on tick development, survival, and even vector competence. Although the underlying theory is well established, further research is needed to clarify its effects on Lyme disease transmission. Overall, this review concludes that climate should be considered an important, yet context-dependent, driver of Lyme disease risk.

Comments

This is an Open Access Thesis.

Download
Open Access

This Article is Open Access

Share

COinS