In the United States, most vector-borne diseases are caused by ticks. Our laboratory studies how ticks use their immune system to harbor and transmit human pathogens, including the Lyme disease bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi.

We are part of the Lyme and Tickborne Diseases Research and Education Institute (LTDBI) in the Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.