Danielle M Tufts

Contributions to Public Health

• I am a vector-borne disease ecologist interested in evolutionary genetics, pathogen transmission pathways, ecological drivers of pathogen emergence, host-vector-parasite interactions, and co-infections. My goal is to enhance our understanding of these complex interactions by combining empirical data and theory from disease ecology and genetics research. I utilize field-collected and laboratory-derived samples, mathematical and statistical models to connect these findings to patterns found in nature, and analyzes these samples using molecular tools. My previous projects have focused on understanding how tick-borne pathogens Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) and Babesia microti (babesiosis) may facilitate and enhance infection in their natural reservoir host (Peromyscus leucopus) using field-derived data from a multi-year, longitudinal, mark-recapture study and a multi-state Markov model to assess transition likelihoods between different infection states.
• I was the first investigator in the U.S. to discover that vertical transmission (a non-vector mediated pathogen pathway) may be contributing to the high prevalence and emergence of B. microti in natural rodent populations. Currently, I am investigating genetic and immunological variations of vertical transmission and maternal-mediated protection against infection.
• Other research in the Tufts lab includes: investigation of host specialization of different B. burgdorferi strains, immunological responses to Lyme disease infection in humans, macro-micro parasite interactions, effectiveness host and vector control strategies, mosquito pesticide resistance, and behavioral and genetic analyses of the invasive tick species Haemaphysalis longicornis, the Asian longhorned tick, and the pathogens they transmit of human and veterinary concern. Infographic: https://hdl.handle.net/1813/104193
• I enjoy collaborating with fellow scientists both nationally and internationally to develop integrative and synergistic research projects. I am interested in recruiting motivated graduate students who are interested in tick-borne diseases, disease ecology, and host-vector-pathogen interactions.
  • Tufts DM, Goethert H, Diuk-Wasser MA. (2024). Host-pathogen associations inferred from blood meal analyses of Ixodes scapularis ticks in a low biodiversity setting. Appl Environ Microb, e00667-24.
  • Machtinger ET, Poh KC, Pesapane R, Tufts DM. (2024). An integrative framework for tick management: The need to connect wildlife science, one health, and interdisciplinary perspectives. Curr Opin Insect Sci, 101131.
  • Tufts DM, Adams B, Diuk-Wasser MA. (2023). Ecological interactions driving coinfection dynamics of two tick-borne pathogens, Borrelia burgdorferi and Babesia microti. Proc R Soc B, 290: 20230642.
  • Combs MA*, Tufts DM*, Adams B, Lin YP, Kolokotronis SO, Diuk-Wasser MA. (2023). Host adaptation drives genetic diversity in a vector-borne disease system. PNAS Nexus, 2:1-12.
  • Lin YP*, Tufts DM*, Combs M, Dupuis AP, Marcinkiewicz AL, Hirsbrunner AD, Diaz AJ, Stout JL, Blom AM, Strle K, Davis AD, Kramer LD, Kolokotronis SO, Diuk-Wasser MA. (2022). Cellular and immunological mechanisms influence host-adapted phenotypes in a vector-borne microparasite. Proc R Soc B, 289: 20212087.
  • Tufts DM, Diuk-Wasser MA. (2021). Vertical transmission: A vector-independent transmission pathway of Babesia microti in the natural reservoir host Peromyscus leucopus. J Infect Dis, 223(10): 1787-1795.
    Ford L, Tufts DM. (2021). Lyme neuroborreliosis: Mechanisms of Borrelia burgdorferi infection of the nervous system. Brain Sci, 11: 789.
  • Tufts DM, McClure M, Diuk-Wasser, MA. (2021). Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) nymphal survival and host-finding success in the Eastern United States. J Med Entomol, 58(2): 929-938.
  • Tufts DM, Goodman LB, Benedict MC, Davis, AD, VanAcker, MC, Diuk-Wasser MA. (2021). Association of the invasive Haemaphysalis longicornis tick with vertebrate hosts, other native tick vectors, and tick-borne pathogens in New York City. Int J Parasitol, 51: 149-157.
  • Tufts DM, Sameroff S, Tagliafierro T, Jain K, Oleynik A, VanAcker MC, Diuk-Wasser MA Lipkin WI, Tokarz R. (2020). A metagenomic examination of the pathobiome of the invasive tick species, Haemaphysalis longicornis, collected from a New York City borough, USA. Tick Tick-Borne Dis, 11(6): 101516.