University of Rhode Island · BiologyCouret Ecology Lab
Jannelle Couret · Kingston, Rhode Island
Research Focus
Dr. Jannelle Couret's lab focuses on understanding how Lyme disease is transmitted through complex interactions between ticks, the bacteria that cause the disease, and other microbes living in ticks. By studying these relationships, the lab aims to uncover how the tick microbiome influences the disease dynamics and the health risks associated with Lyme disease. This research is important as it provides insights that could help predict and manage Lyme disease outbreaks in humans.
Lyme diseaseBorrelia burgdorferitick microbiomeecological interactionsvector-borne diseases
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the role of the tick microbiome in Borrelia burgdorferi transmission.
AIM 02Characterize changes in Bb abundance and gene expression in relation to tick microbiota.
AIM 03Assess the effects of Bb on tick life-history traits and behaviors.
AIM 04Develop modeling frameworks to estimate tick vectorial capacity with microbiome influences.
AIM 05Improve understanding of Lyme disease risk through comprehensive ecological assessments.
Skills the Lab Values
PCRmicrobiome sequencingtick dissectiongene expression analysismodeling and simulationfield sampling techniquesdata analysis using R or Pythonbehavioral assaysquantitative microscopy
Output against the department
Publications24bottom 3% of dept.1,004th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations939bottom 4% of dept.988th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.