An ecological research center in the Hudson Valley has received federal funding for a study on Lyme disease.
The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies will use the nearly $370,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to complete a study of the disease’s impact on mice as well as other mammals. Cary Institute’s Senior Scientist Dr. Richard Ostfeld will examine the effects of Lyme disease on mouse survival and abundance. The researchers will also study how often mice and other animals are bitten by ticks carrying Lyme disease. The Millbrook-based Cary Institute plans to use a vaccine on mice that carry the disease which, if successful, could weaken the disease’s impact and stop the spread to humans. In announcing the grant, U.S. Senator from New York Kirsten Gillibrand said the funding is an important investment to help combat the growing epidemic of Lyme disease.
