Floridalainen tohtori Kerry Clark saa päivittäin ihmisiltä "punkkilähetyksiä". Eri puolilla Amerikkaa punkipureman saaneet ihmiset lähettävät hänelle ihossaan olleen punkin. Clark kertoo borrelioosiin sairastumisen olevan mahdollista kaikkialla maasssa. Pohjoisimmat lähetykset ovat tulleet hänelle Alaskasta. Clark kehittelee parhaillaan DNA:han perustuvaa testiä jonka avulla borreliabakteeria kantavat punkit pystyttäisiin tunnistamaan. (First Coast News)
The First Coast's Tick Doctor
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/news ... yid=136508
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A UNF professor doing ground-breaking research in insect-borne diseases regularly receives mail...full of ticks.
"When people get ticks on them, they can remove the tick and send it to me," Dr. Kerry Clark says.
He has received ticks from far away as Alaska. Almost every day, a delivery comes in the mail.
He's studied tick-borne diseases for fifteen years, and is one of the few doctors in the Southeast--and possibly the only one in Florida--who does this research.
"Many people do not believe that Lyme disease exists in the Southeastern United States," said Clark. "In fact, many doctors are not aware of the risk. That's absolutely not true. You can acquire Lyme disease practically anywhere in the country."
Clark is developing DNA testing that he hopes will help identify Lyme disease-carrying ticks in the state.
He keeps hundreds of samples in his lab at the University of North Florida.
PUNKKITUTKIMUSTA
Valvojat: Jatta1001, Borrelioosiyhdistys, Bb