dc.contributor.author	Stevenson, Megan N.	en
dc.contributor.committeechair	Kolivras, Korine N.	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Rist, Cassidy	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Shao, Yang	en
dc.contributor.department	Geography	en
dc.date.accessioned	2019-10-12T08:00:53Z	en
dc.date.available	2019-10-12T08:00:53Z	en
dc.date.issued	2019-10-11	en
dc.description.abstract	Lyme disease has been a growing problem in the United States over the last few decades, and is currently the most common vector-borne disease in the country. This research evaluates the land cover within specified counties of northern Virginia to determine if a correlation exists between forest fragmentation, suburbanization, and cases of human Lyme disease as has been demonstrated in other Lyme endemic regions in the United States. Few studies have focused specifically on northern Virginia when considering the impacts of land cover change on Lyme disease. Discovered through the use of geospatial and statistical analysis, the cluster of Lyme disease cases in northern Virginia are associated with forest fragmentation within the study region, which creates an ideal habitat for black-legged ticks and the white-footed mouse, allowing for an increase in Lyme disease transfer from vector to humans. The goal is for the research findings to be applicable to other regions with similar land cover types. Regions with similar characteristics would then be able to recognize the potential risk of human Lyme disease and implement ways to reduce the Lyme disease risk associated with suburban development. The purpose of this study is to answer the following research questions: 1) How has the spatial distribution of Lyme disease in Northern Virginia changed since 2005 with respect to land cover? 2) Which suburban communities are more at risk for Lyme disease when considering their land cover types and the increasing spatial distribution of Lyme disease?	en
dc.description.abstractgeneral	Lyme disease has been a growing problem in the United States over the last few decades, and is currently the most common vector-borne disease in the country. This research evaluates the land cover within specified counties of northern Virginia to determine if a correlation exists between forest fragmentation, suburbanization, and cases of human Lyme disease as has been demonstrated in other Lyme endemic regions in the United States. Few studies have focused specifically on northern Virginia when considering the impacts of land cover change on Lyme disease. Discovered through the use of geospatial and statistical analysis, the cluster of Lyme disease cases in northern Virginia are associated with forest fragmentation within the study region, which creates an ideal habitat for black-legged ticks and the white-footed mouse, allowing for an increase in Lyme disease transfer from vector to humans. The goal is for the research findings to be applicable to other regions with similar land cover types. Regions with similar characteristics would then be able to recognize the potential risk of human Lyme disease and implement ways to reduce the Lyme disease risk associated with suburban development. The purpose of this study is to answer the following research questions: 1) How has the spatial distribution of Lyme disease in Northern Virginia changed since 2005 with respect to land cover? 2) Which suburban communities are more at risk for Lyme disease when considering their land cover types and the increasing spatial distribution of Lyme disease?	en
dc.description.degree	Master of Science	en
dc.format.medium	ETD	en
dc.identifier.other	vt_gsexam:22703	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10919/94560	en
dc.publisher	Virginia Tech	en
dc.rights	In Copyright	en
dc.rights.uri	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/	en
dc.subject	Lyme disease	en
dc.subject	Medical Geography	en
dc.subject	Land Cover	en
dc.subject	GIS	en
dc.subject	ZI Gamma Distribution	en
dc.subject	Forest Fragmentation	en
dc.subject	Virginia	en
dc.title	The Effects of Land Cover Change on the Spatial Distribution of Lyme disease in Northern Virginia Since 2005	en
dc.type	Thesis	en
thesis.degree.discipline	Geography	en
thesis.degree.grantor	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	en
thesis.degree.level	masters	en
thesis.degree.name	Master of Science	en

The Effects of Land Cover Change on the Spatial Distribution of Lyme disease in Northern Virginia Since 2005

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