Sarah Fabricatore: Weeks 1, 2, and 3 at ABDL SCDHS

 In my first week at the Arthropod Borne Disease Laboratory (ABDL) in Suffolk County NY, I spent time getting used to the new workplace environment, setting up my email, and starting work on my computer. After I completed some mandatory trainings, | looked at both tick and mosquito samples under a microscope to start identifying the different species. In the first week I learned quite a bit about mosquitos and ticks from my colleagues, and from doing research and reading articles online. Once I had a foundation in tick and tick-borne diseases, I started researching topics that interested me to look into. I originally planned to research tick-borne disease Ehrlichiosis but ultimately settled on a different topic fro my project. During the first week I was also able to go out into the field to collect ticks with my colleagues and get practice identifying ticks in real time, and with specimen collection.

ABDL Workspace


In my second week at the ABDL, I attended a tick symposium at Stony Brook Hospital, which was very intriguing and educational. Here I learned so much about ticks, tick-borne diseases, and epidemiology. Attending this tick symposium allowed me to listen to professionals in the field, and with a background in biology and anatomy, I was able to understand most concepts about tick-borne diseases. During the second week I also learned how to sort ticks under a microscope and properly group them on petri dishes for state testing. I was also able to go out into the field to a core collection site for ticks and got more practice with identification and collection. Later in the week I got to see a bird be tested for West Nile virus, which I found very interesting. During the end of my week, my researching focus switched from Ehrlichiosis to climate and environmental changes affecting the abundance of ticks and tick-borne diseases in the Northeastern United States.

Stony Brook Tick Symposium


Now beginning the third week here at the ABDL, I am continuing my research and starting my project on climate and environmental change in relation to increasing tick population and disease risk in the Northeastern US. I am also frequently at the microscope sorting ticks to send out to various spots for testing, along with going out in the field to core sites to do collection of tick species.

Tick Sorting Week 2


Overall, my first few weeks at the Arthropod Borne Disease Laboratory have been interesting, educational, and just an amazing experience. I am learning so much about ticks, mosquitos, and vector-borne diseases, and I thoroughly enjoy the research I am doing. I am so excited and eager to see what the upcoming weeks bring here at the ABDL!

Tick Sorting Week 1




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