TICK TALKs: Multiple Microbe Phenomena - with Laura Beloff, Kira O'Reilly and Leona Gilbert by Bioart Society published on 2021-05-12T07:24:54Z TICK TALKs is a series of conversations by artists Laura Beloff and Kira O'Reilly with experts from the biosciences and the humanities concerning ticks, the pathogens they carry and the implications for humans and non-humans within changing environments. In TICK TALKs: Multiple Microbe Phenomena, Leona Gilbert, the CEO at Tezted, Jyväskylä, Finland describes the complexity of her work with her research team and collaborators in creating diagnostic test kits that reflect the multi-microbe reality and clinical implications of tick-borne diseases, including the shifting morphology of borrelia and the consequences of this for diagnosis. Advocating a change that moves away from a germ theory that attributes symptoms to one microbial agent, Leona and her colleagues' work considers the complexities of multiple microbial infections, the personalisation of diagnosis and in doing so, patient treatment. The conversation discusses how the coronavirus pandemic and recognition of long-haul COVID-19 sufferers might have unexpected and valuable implications for those with chronic Lyme disease, how patient advocacy affects and informs her outlook and her team's research, and her optimism regarding participating in cultures of global collaboration with which to address global health issues. Excerpts from "Evaluating polymicrobial immune responses in patients suffering from tick-borne diseases" by Kunal Garg, Leena Meriläinen, Ole Franz, Heidi Pirttinen, Marco Quevedo-Diaz, Stephen Croucher & Leona Gilbert Sci Rep 8, 15932 (2018) - - During recent decades there has been a notable increase in tick populations, the expansion of tick-infested areas is attributed to the increased warming of our climate. With this has come a heightened awareness of ticks and tick-borne diseases that can be contracted by humans. That we need to learn to live with this pervasive proximity to increasing numbers of ticks is evident, and that this will require new attitudes and adaptations from us that will potentially change our behaviours and everyday routines. From the perspective of the arts there has been very little activity concerning ticks and the complex systems they operate within as vectors of multiple pathogens. Since 2019 Helsinki based artists Laura Beloff and Kira O’Reilly have been exploring these issues with the Finnish context in their project TICK ACT which was funded by Kone Foundation in 2019. This short series of conversations functions as both as a collection of reflections and as an archive in which Beloff and O’Reilly pause and reflect on some of the most pressing and intriguing research and areas of enquiry they have encountered. There are multiple points at which these topics and expert positions connect, which the listener can navigate in any order they wish whilst considering the implications and potential meanings of these accumulated perspectives. We feel this is especially apposite as we hold these conversations within early 2021, as we approach the northern hemisphere’s spring within the unpredictable conditions of a global pandemic with its attendant concerns of infection, containment and its impact on our mobility. https://bioartsociety.fi/projects/biofriction/posts/tick-talks - - TICK TALKs is part of Biofriction, a European collaboration project committed to supporting bioart and biohacking practices. Biofriction project is co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. Audio facilitation by Antye Greie-Ripatti / poemproducer.com Image: Laura Beloff
