Dr. Richard Gerhold, will update us on tick-borne diseases in East Tennessee at this Zoom program Thursday, March 30 at 7pm EST.. Dr. Gerhold will discuss updates on tick abundance and prevalence, as well as the spread of the Asian longhorned tick. He will also cover the various pathogens that can be transmitted, their geographical and temporal variations, diagnostics tests, and prevention. This is an important subject for everyone in our region as tick diseases spread from other regions.

Dr. Gerhold, who holds a BS degree in wildlife science and a DVM degree, both from Purdue University, is an associate professor of parasitology in the Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, at the University of Tennessee, where he researches Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. In addition to the latter, his research interests include wildlife and public health associated parasite epidemiology and transmission, protozoa transmission and ecology, and avian diseases.

The program is co-sponsored by Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning. The program is free, but participants will need register to receive a Zoom link. The recording will be sent to everyone who registers. Closed captions will be available. Contact Michelle Campanis at [email protected] regarding any questions or registration issues.