Dr Sara Gandy

  • Research Associate (Ecology & Environmental Change)

Biography

Dr Sara Gandy is a Research Associate currently working of the MEaSURE project. 

After completing a PhD on the effects of host community composition on Lyme disease risk at the University of Glasogw (2016-2020), she joined the Medical Entomology and Zoonoses Ecology team at UK Health Security Agency in Porton Down, England to work as a Senior Medical Entomologist between 2020 and 2024.

Research interests

My research primarily focuses on understanding the ecological drivers of tick-borne diseases to provide insights on the mechanisms involved in transmission cycles, especially on the interactions between ticks, hosts and pathogens. My research includes investigating the impacts of environmental changes (woodland restoration, rewilding) and host community composition (deer, rodents, birds) on tick-borne diseases hazard in the UK.

Research groups

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Jump to: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021
Number of items: 16.

2025

Gould, E. et al. (2025) Same data, different analysts: variation in effect sizes due to analytical decisions in ecology and evolutionary biology. BMC Biology, 23(1), 35. (doi: 10.1186/s12915-024-02101-x) (PMID:39915771)

Olsthoorn, F. et al. (2025) Woodland expansion and deer management shape tick abundance and Lyme disease hazard. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 6(1), e12403. (doi: 10.1002/2688-8319.12403)

2024

Schilling, M., Golding, M., Jones, B. P., Mansfield, K. L., Gandy, S. , Medlock, J. and Johnson, N. (2024) Sequences related to Chimay rhabdovirus are widely distributed in Ixodes ricinus ticks across England and Wales. Viruses, 16(4), 504. (doi: 10.3390/v16040504)

Gandy, S. , Medlock, J., Cull, B., Smith, R., Gibney, Z., Sewgobind, S., Parekh, I., Harding, S., Johnson, N. and Hansford, K. (2024) Detection of Babesia species in questing Ixodes ricinus ticks in England and Wales. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 15(1), 102291. (doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102291) (PMID:38061320)

2023

Gould, E. et al. (2023) Same data, different analysts: variation in effect sizes due to analytical decisions in ecology and evolutionary biology. EcoEvoRxiv, (doi: 10.32942/X2GG62)

Apaa, T. T., McFadzean, H., Gandy, S. , Hansford, K., Medlock, J. and Johnson, N. (2023) Anaplasma phagocytophilum ecotype analysis in cattle from Great Britain. Pathogens, 12, 1029. (doi: 10.3390/pathogens12081029) (PMID:37623989) (PMCID:PMC10459425)

Medlock, J.M., Gandy, S. , Johnston, C., Handfield, Z., Neely, K. and Vaux, A.G.C. (2023) Snap-shot assessment of adult mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) densities on the Turks and Caicos Islands, February 2022. Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association, 41(1), pp. 17-24. (doi: 10.52004/jemca2022.0004)

Gandy, S. L. , Hansford, K. M. and Medlock, J. M. (2023) Possible expansion of Ixodes ricinus in the United Kingdom identified through the Tick Surveillance Scheme between 2013 and 2020. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 37(1), pp. 96-104. (doi: 10.1111/mve.12612) (PMID:36239468) (PMCID:PMC10092138)

Hansford, K. M., Gandy, S. L. , Gillingham, E. L., McGinley, L., Cull, B., Johnston, C., Catton, M. and Medlock, J. M. (2023) Mapping and monitoring tick (Acari, Ixodida) distribution, seasonality, and host associations in the United Kingdom between 2017 and 2020. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 37(1), pp. 152-163. (doi: 10.1111/mve.12621) (PMID:36309852) (PMCID:PMC10092223)

2022

Gandy, S. , Kilbride, E., Biek, R. , Millins, C. and Gilbert, L. (2022) No net effect of host density on tick-borne disease hazard due to opposing roles of vector amplification and pathogen dilution. Ecology and Evolution, 12(9), e9253. (doi: 10.1002/ece3.9253) (PMID:36091342) (PMCID:PMC9448966)

Medlock, J. M., Vaux, A. G.C., Gandy, S. , Cull, B., McGinley, L., Gillingham, E., Catton, M. and Pullan, S. T. (2022) Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the density of Borrelia burgdorferi-infected Ixodes ricinus ticks across a landscape: A 5-year study in southern England. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 36(3), pp. 356-370. (doi: 10.1111/mve.12574) (PMID:35521893) (PMCID:PMC9545817)

Gandy, S. et al. (2022) Prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in questing Ixodes ricinus nymphs across twenty recreational areas in England and Wales. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 13(4), 101965. (doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.101965) (PMID:35597188)

Medlock, J. M., Hansford, K. M., Gandy, S. , Vaux, A. G.C., Keane, E., Phipps, P. and Johnson, N. (2022) Managing red sheep ticks in Sussex. Vet Record, 190(5), pp. 202-203. (doi: 10.1002/vetr.1555)

Medlock, J.M., Guillem, R., Johnston, C., Gandy, S. , Findlay-Wilson, S., Desoisa, K., Schaffner, F. and Vaux, A.G.C. (2022) The first 6 years of surveillance of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Gibraltar. Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association, 40(1), pp. 23-35. (doi: 10.52004/jemca2022.0001)

2021

Gandy, S. , Kilbride, E., Biek, R. , Millins, C. and Gilbert, L. (2021) Experimental evidence for opposing effects of high deer density on tick-borne disease pathogen prevalence and hazard. Parasites and Vectors, 14(1), 509. (doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-05000-0) (PMID:34593023) (PMCID:PMC8485466)

Hansford, K. M. et al. (2021) Ixodes ricinus and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in the Royal Parks of London, UK. Experimental and Applied Acarology, 84(3), pp. 593-606. (doi: 10.1007/s10493-021-00633-3) (PMID:34125334)

This list was generated on Thu May 8 21:08:44 2025 BST.
Jump to: Articles
Number of items: 16.

Articles

Gould, E. et al. (2025) Same data, different analysts: variation in effect sizes due to analytical decisions in ecology and evolutionary biology. BMC Biology, 23(1), 35. (doi: 10.1186/s12915-024-02101-x) (PMID:39915771)

Olsthoorn, F. et al. (2025) Woodland expansion and deer management shape tick abundance and Lyme disease hazard. Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 6(1), e12403. (doi: 10.1002/2688-8319.12403)

Schilling, M., Golding, M., Jones, B. P., Mansfield, K. L., Gandy, S. , Medlock, J. and Johnson, N. (2024) Sequences related to Chimay rhabdovirus are widely distributed in Ixodes ricinus ticks across England and Wales. Viruses, 16(4), 504. (doi: 10.3390/v16040504)

Gandy, S. , Medlock, J., Cull, B., Smith, R., Gibney, Z., Sewgobind, S., Parekh, I., Harding, S., Johnson, N. and Hansford, K. (2024) Detection of Babesia species in questing Ixodes ricinus ticks in England and Wales. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 15(1), 102291. (doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102291) (PMID:38061320)

Gould, E. et al. (2023) Same data, different analysts: variation in effect sizes due to analytical decisions in ecology and evolutionary biology. EcoEvoRxiv, (doi: 10.32942/X2GG62)

Apaa, T. T., McFadzean, H., Gandy, S. , Hansford, K., Medlock, J. and Johnson, N. (2023) Anaplasma phagocytophilum ecotype analysis in cattle from Great Britain. Pathogens, 12, 1029. (doi: 10.3390/pathogens12081029) (PMID:37623989) (PMCID:PMC10459425)

Medlock, J.M., Gandy, S. , Johnston, C., Handfield, Z., Neely, K. and Vaux, A.G.C. (2023) Snap-shot assessment of adult mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) densities on the Turks and Caicos Islands, February 2022. Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association, 41(1), pp. 17-24. (doi: 10.52004/jemca2022.0004)

Gandy, S. L. , Hansford, K. M. and Medlock, J. M. (2023) Possible expansion of Ixodes ricinus in the United Kingdom identified through the Tick Surveillance Scheme between 2013 and 2020. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 37(1), pp. 96-104. (doi: 10.1111/mve.12612) (PMID:36239468) (PMCID:PMC10092138)

Hansford, K. M., Gandy, S. L. , Gillingham, E. L., McGinley, L., Cull, B., Johnston, C., Catton, M. and Medlock, J. M. (2023) Mapping and monitoring tick (Acari, Ixodida) distribution, seasonality, and host associations in the United Kingdom between 2017 and 2020. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 37(1), pp. 152-163. (doi: 10.1111/mve.12621) (PMID:36309852) (PMCID:PMC10092223)

Gandy, S. , Kilbride, E., Biek, R. , Millins, C. and Gilbert, L. (2022) No net effect of host density on tick-borne disease hazard due to opposing roles of vector amplification and pathogen dilution. Ecology and Evolution, 12(9), e9253. (doi: 10.1002/ece3.9253) (PMID:36091342) (PMCID:PMC9448966)

Medlock, J. M., Vaux, A. G.C., Gandy, S. , Cull, B., McGinley, L., Gillingham, E., Catton, M. and Pullan, S. T. (2022) Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of the density of Borrelia burgdorferi-infected Ixodes ricinus ticks across a landscape: A 5-year study in southern England. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 36(3), pp. 356-370. (doi: 10.1111/mve.12574) (PMID:35521893) (PMCID:PMC9545817)

Gandy, S. et al. (2022) Prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in questing Ixodes ricinus nymphs across twenty recreational areas in England and Wales. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 13(4), 101965. (doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.101965) (PMID:35597188)

Medlock, J. M., Hansford, K. M., Gandy, S. , Vaux, A. G.C., Keane, E., Phipps, P. and Johnson, N. (2022) Managing red sheep ticks in Sussex. Vet Record, 190(5), pp. 202-203. (doi: 10.1002/vetr.1555)

Medlock, J.M., Guillem, R., Johnston, C., Gandy, S. , Findlay-Wilson, S., Desoisa, K., Schaffner, F. and Vaux, A.G.C. (2022) The first 6 years of surveillance of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Gibraltar. Journal of the European Mosquito Control Association, 40(1), pp. 23-35. (doi: 10.52004/jemca2022.0001)

Gandy, S. , Kilbride, E., Biek, R. , Millins, C. and Gilbert, L. (2021) Experimental evidence for opposing effects of high deer density on tick-borne disease pathogen prevalence and hazard. Parasites and Vectors, 14(1), 509. (doi: 10.1186/s13071-021-05000-0) (PMID:34593023) (PMCID:PMC8485466)

Hansford, K. M. et al. (2021) Ixodes ricinus and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in the Royal Parks of London, UK. Experimental and Applied Acarology, 84(3), pp. 593-606. (doi: 10.1007/s10493-021-00633-3) (PMID:34125334)

This list was generated on Thu May 8 21:08:44 2025 BST.

Supervision

  • McLellan, William
    Human and livestock influence on tick populations and the environmental hazards of Tick-Borne Pathogens

picture sara