UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Extension, in partnership with the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, recently hosted the three-day “Vector Biology Boot Camp” to provide hands-on experience for vector-borne disease professionals in field collection and identification of medically important ticks and mosquitoes in the Northeast.

Aimed at enhancing knowledge of vector biology, control and communication, the event took place May 16-18, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in State College and at field locations.

From 2004 to 2019, reported cases of vector-borne diseases more than doubled, exceeding 800,000. However, according to officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these figures are almost certainly an underestimate.

Lyle Petersen, director of the CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, revealed that only 2-3% of West Nile cases and approximately 10% of Lyme disease cases actually are reported. Benjamin Beard, deputy director of the CDC division, further emphasized that overall cases of vector-borne diseases likely are underreported by tenfold to eightyfold.

“There is a need for trained individuals who can implement surveillance and control strategies at the local and regional level,” said Erika Machtinger, camp instructor and assistant professor of entomology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

The Vector Biology Boot Camp program is designed to provide hands-on learning and networking for professionals with responsibilities related to vector surveillance and/or control. The curriculum covered the essentials of maintaining a vector surveillance program, including methods for data collection, equipment considerations, and best practices for communicating with the media and the public.

“The fieldwork proved really helpful,” Machtinger said. “We dedicated a section to ticks and tick dragging, providing participants with live ticks to observe the varying behaviors of different species.”

The program also included demonstrations of different types of mosquito traps and discussions of the best practices for all surveillance methods.

Machtinger said she received positive feedback from participants about the effectiveness of this hands-on experience in enhancing the connection between lecture and practical application.

Sessions also covered:

— Arthropod biology, including taxonomy, life history, ecology, behavior and host seeking.
— Major vector-borne diseases in the United States.
— Best practices for specimen collection and processing and pathogen testing.
— Strategic public health communication for vector-borne disease prevention.
— Hands-on field sampling for ticks; mosquito trap types, placement and collection; and specimen handling.
— Taxonomic resources and morphological characteristics of regional ticks and mosquitoes.
— Hands-on lab practicals for tick and mosquito identification.
— Pesticide resistance testing with the CDC bottle bioassay and larvicidal assay.
— Best practices for data collection, entry and calculation of entomological risk indices.
— Key concepts in vector control strategies for ticks and mosquitoes in the Northeast.

The program drew 25 participants from 12 states and Washington D.C., who engaged with Penn State Extension educators and instructors. Instructors brought experience in the fields of mosquito and tick surveillance, identification and control.

In addition to networking with expert instructors, attendees interacted with colleagues from across the region.

“I think participants valued the opportunity to connect with others working in vector control in different areas and in different capacities,” said Emily Struckhoff, camp instructor and vector-borne disease program specialist with Penn State Extension.

For instance, some participants sought insights on starting tick surveillance programs, while others shared their experiences in establishing similar initiatives, Struckhoff explained. Discussions on data management, including maintaining a cold chain for mosquito testing, facilitated the sharing of ideas.

Participants attended the event at no cost. The CDC provided the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases with funding for the program.

Extension’s vector-borne disease team offers an abundance of resources on ticks and mosquitoes, including information about common ticks and mosquitoes in Pennsylvania, vector-borne diseases, and vector management.