Opposing an open season on gray squirrels is a human health priority. When gray squirrels are reduced in the ecosystem, the risk of tick-borne diseases may increase.

The gray squirrel is a low reservoir host for borrelia borgdorferi, known as Lyme disease. In field studies done by the Cary Institute in NY over the last twenties years by Richard Otsfeld PhD, and others, study the relationships of host species and Lyme disease transmission.

The white-footed mouse is the highest ranking reservoir, and the gray squirrel is a low ranking reservoir host. When species diversity is spread out amongst tick hosts, the ability to transfer the pathogens that can then be transferred to humans as the second meal is reduced.

Raccoons and opossums are low reservoir hosts, and foxes and coyotes are sentinel species for ecosystem health by controlling rodent populations. Foxes and coyotes cannot transfer Lyme to a tick or to a second host. As their prime diet, bobcat and canid (fox, coyote) predators reduce the rodent population naturally.

As a human health concern, it is imperative to not introduce another open season (foxes, coyotes, raccoons, and opossums are already killed at unknown numbers because the state does not require kill reports when shot) on our most valuable species that are essential to reducing the exposure risk of pathogens to humans.

Mice are the highest pathogen reservoir for Lyme, Babesia, Anaplasmosis, and Powassan. At this time we know the gray squirrel is only a low ranking reservoir for Lyme (meaning it is not a reservoir for Babesia, Anaplasmosis, or Powassan), which can be transferred to humans through the black legged tick (also known as the deer tick). Ticks fed on squirrels have a much lower probability of transferring Borrelia to the ticks which then find humans as their second host.

Squirrels self groom and kill ticks. Mice do not self groom ticks which allows the ticks to be infected with Borrelia (and anaplasmosis, Babesia, Powassan) and completing a meal on the host. The fed ticks that find humans as their second host can transmit these pathogens.

In the news today, a Maine resident has died from the Powassan virus in Waldo County, transmitted by a bite from a black legged tick.

Across agency discussions about managing valuable natural resources need to be a priority in the human health connection when evaluating a healthy ecosystem.