Missouri News Connection
When it comes to ticks, Missouri s not too hot, not too cold, very humid and has lots of wildlife - which means lots of potential hosts for disease-carrying pests.
The Missouri Department of Conservation is partnering with A.T. Still University to map where tick species occur and which pathogens they re carrying over the next two years. They re asking people to mail in rather than disposing of the ticks they find in woods, fields, yards and other outdoor environments this summer.
Deb Hudman, senior research associate in Still s microbiology and immunology department, said she hopes the findings will raise awareness of tick-borne diseases and help folks be better prepared.
Missourians asked to mail in ticks for research
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press
and last updated 2021-04-07 15:15:15-04
KANSAS CITY, Mo. â Next time you take a walk in the wilderness, researchers are asking you to save any ticks that may stick to you and mail them in.
Missouri Department of Conservation and A.T. Still University in Kirksville are partnering on a two-year research study to try to determine the presence of tick species in the state and any disease-producing agents they may have.
According to a news release sent out by the MDC, Missouri is home to three common species of ticks that bite humans: lone star tick, American dog tick, and deer tick.
Why Missouri conservation officials are asking people to save ticks
The Missouri Department of Conservation and A.T. Still University in Kirksville have partnered in a two-year research study on ticks Author: Associated Press Updated: 8:07 PM CDT April 3, 2021
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. Missouri conservation officials are asking people to save the ticks they come across while tromping through the woods and toss them in the mail.
The Missouri Department of Conservation and A.T. Still University in Kirksville have partnered in a two-year research study. It begins this month and will conclude in September 2022, the Springfield News-Leader reports.
The goal is to better understand statewide distribution of tick species and the pathogens they carry. Some of the pathogens can make people sick.
As part of a two-year statewide effort to track ticks, scientists from A.T. Still University in Kirksville and the Missouri Department of Conservation are asking residents to mail in samples of the tiny parasites. The team plans to map the distribution of tick species on a county-by-county basis, along with their bacterial pathogens.