Project coordinator Francesca Rubino explained last week how ticks infest people at Cache Creek Conservation Area. (Jim Smith/Provided)

It may have looked like people were “surrendering” as the white flag-like fabric fluttered in the air.

But the people wielding this rough cloth were actually trying to catch a few deadly insects hiding in the sea of ​​grass.

And that effort may one day pay off in protecting firefighters and hikers fighting wildfires.

Last Sunday, Francesca Rubino, a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, led a team of four students to collect ticks at the Cache Creek Sanctuary west of Woodlands.

Professor Rubino is studying the effects of prescribed fire on tick-borne diseases. This basically means looking at whether ticks are affected by wildfires and how quickly or slowly tick numbers recover.

In September 2022, UCD will receive $10 million over five years from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of a study with the Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence for the control and prevention of mosquito- and tick-borne diseases won a grant.

According to Tom Hines of UCD School of Veterinary Medicine, mosquito- and tick-borne diseases are on the rise in the Pacific Southwest and remain a serious public health threat.

“Vector-borne diseases are emerging and prevalent at a disproportionate rate compared to other infectious diseases,” said PacVec Director Chris.

Mr. Barker told Mr. Hines. “These diseases affect millions of people and include Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, West Nile virus disease, St. Louis encephalitis in the mainland United States and dengue fever in the Pacific Islands.

Over the past five years, the PacVec Center has studied technologies for vector-borne disease surveillance and control and conducted extensive research to understand and predict vector-borne disease outbreaks, Hines reported.

Regarding ticks, researchers are investigating the ecology and risk of tick-borne diseases in several regions, including Lyme disease in Northern California and Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Southern California and Arizona. The center also conducted several studies on the impact of climate change and wildfires on vector-borne diseases.

Rubino, who is working with Calfire employees in Santa Cruz County to study the risk of tick-borne disease, confirmed more cases of tick disease on Sunday.

Ticks are of particular concern to wild firefighters, who are experiencing more forest fires as the climate dries, increasing their risk of being bitten.

Weekend climbers also need to be careful. Even on Sundays, Rubino warned students to tuck their pants into their socks (so they can easily check for ticks). He also reminded people to check other clothing and change clothes in a safe place when they get home to prevent the spread of insects.

Lyme disease, one of the most common tick pathogens in the area, can cause sudden attacks of joint pain. Lyme disease is notoriously difficult to treat and its effects can be lifelong.

Cache Creek Nature Preserve is a great place to study Rubino, as it conducts regular burnings to control invasive plants. Rubino can assess tick populations by comparing previously burned areas to unburned areas.

As the research progresses, Rubino plans to try collecting ticks in the areas that are to be incinerated, and then return after the incineration to see if the tick populations have changed.

To gather the necessary information, Rubino and the students basically went into the tall grass and swamps on the northwest side of the reserve and used a four-foot-by-four coarse cloth tied to a wooden pole and brushed it off. I walked while waving a cloth.

It was hoped that the ticks would be collected on the cloth and counted to determine the number within a particular search area.

During a visit to the reserve earlier this month, Rubino said the areas he was cleaning didn’t catch many ticks, but he hopes to collect more specimens as the year progresses. .