Conservation, university conducting tick study

In this undated photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a blacklegged tick — also known as a deer tick. Diagnosing if a tick bite caused Lyme or something else can be difficult but scientists are developing a new way to catch the disease early, using a "signature" of molecules in patients' blood.
In this undated photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a blacklegged tick — also known as a deer tick. Diagnosing if a tick bite caused Lyme or something else can be difficult but scientists are developing a new way to catch the disease early, using a "signature" of molecules in patients' blood.

Most people who have ventured through Missouri's woods, fields, yards and other outdoor environments have encountered ticks. Some tick species and the bacterial pathogens they carry can cause illnesses in people.

The Missouri Department of Conservation and A.T. Still University in Kirksville are asking people to save ticks they encounter and mail them to the university. The ticks will be used for a new scientific research study to help better understand the statewide distribution of tick species and the human pathogens they carry.

Missouri is home to three common species of ticks that bite humans: lone star tick, American dog tick and deer tick. Adult ticks are about a quarter-inch long and grow to nearly double that when engorged with blood. Learn more about ticks from the MDC online field guide at nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/ticks.

MDC and A.T. Still University are partnering on a two-year research study to determine the presence of tick species throughout Missouri as well as the pathogens they may harbor. The study begins this month and concludes in September 2022. MDC and the university are asking Missourians to mail ticks to A.T. Still University to be identified by species and life stage, and tested for four species of bacterial pathogens.

To help with the research efforts, residents are asked to place each live tick in a plastic zip-top bag with a piece of damp paper towel or moist cotton ball, then fold the bag and place it inside another plastic zip-top bag with a completed sample-submission form. The sample-submission form is available for printing from the A.T. Still University website at www.atsu.edu/missouri-ticks-and-tick-borne-pathogen-surveillance-research.

Residents are then asked to place the bag and completed sample-submission form in an envelope and mail it to: A.T. Still University, ATTENTION: Deb Hudman - Department of Microbiology & Immunology, 800 W. Jefferson St., Kirksville, MO 63501.

Hudman noted the research is not intended to provide clinical diagnosis of any illness someone may have, and study information should not be interpreted as a substitute for medical testing or consultation with a physician.

"The resulting research data will be used to determine at the county level what tick species and bacterial pathogens are present for the state," Hudman said. "This data will be shared with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. It will also help guide outreach and education efforts about ticks in Missouri to help increase knowledge of tick-borne illnesses and precautions people should take when working or recreating in the outdoors."

Hudman added distribution maps will be provided and updated weekly on the A.T. Still University website at www.atsu.edu/missouri-ticks-and-tick-borne-pathogen-surveillance-research so people can actively follow the progress of the study over the next two years.

Matt Combes, MDC ecological health unit science supervisor, said there is a pressing need to increase tick surveillance in Missouri, develop statewide distribution maps of tick species and tick-borne pathogens, and educate the public on reducing their risk of contracting a tick-borne illness based on that data. In addition, this research study could also help determine previously unknown or invasive tick species that are present in Missouri.

"There are tick-borne human pathogens in the state of Missouri and yet there is no comprehensive map of where tick species occur, or of the human pathogens those ticks are carrying," Combes said. "According to the CDC, Missouri is considered a gap state for knowledge of tick-borne diseases. Many people - in Missouri and nationwide - lack a good understanding of tick-borne illnesses common to their area."