Missouri ticks and tick-borne pathogen surveillance

Research program

The Missouri Department of Conservation and A.T. Still University have partnered to determine locations of tick species, and the pathogens they may harbor, across Missouri. We need your help. We are asking the citizens of Missouri to send us ticks so we can identify and test them for bacterial pathogens.

Submission instructions

Problem

There is a pressing need to increase tick surveillance in Missouri. The state has a diverse and abundant tick community that is poorly understood, and new human pathogens transmitted by the ticks are being discovered. There are many 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.

Approach

Citizen science is when members of the public collaborate with scientists to collect data and samples and become active participants in scientific study. Citizen science has been demonstrated as an effective technique to accomplish data collection and disease ecology surveillance at a scale unattainable by scientists alone. We will need the help of many citizen scientists to map the distributions of ticks in a place the size of Missouri.

Project duration and schedule

We will begin the study in April 2021 and conclude in September 2022. Distribution maps on the website will be updated on a weekly basis as ticks are being submitted so that the citizens of Missouri can actively follow the progress of the study.

We would like to acknowledge Dr. Nathan Nieto and the Bay Area Lyme Foundation for serving as a template for this current study.

Please understand that this is a research study and not a diagnostic service intended for use in making clinical decisions.

Download submission form

Ask a question

Frequently asked questions

Can I get the results from my ticks’ pathogen screen?

No. We currently don’t have the personnel necessary to reply to all contributors. Please remember that these testing services can’t be used for clinical or diagnostic decisions. It will take us a while to process the samples and obtain the results.

What types of ticks do you want?

We desire all species of ticks as long as they are collected in Missouri. They can be found in your yard, the woods, on an animal, or on you. Ideal participants in this study are individuals that spend a significant amount of time outdoors during work or recreation that encounter large numbers of ticks through their activities. The accuracy of our study improves as we receive more ticks from a given area.

Can I send you ticks that are dead?

Living/viable ticks are preferred, but yes we can screen dead ticks if they survive shipping without disintegrating.

Can I place more than one tick in a bag?

Yes. Ticks that have a common history (e.g., collected from the same animal, collected during the same hike/event, collected from the same county, etc.) can be combined in a single bag.

Can I submit ticks that have either fed on or were attached to an animal or human?

Yes, but please indicate this clearly on the form. Ticks that have previously fed on humans must be handled more carefully in the lab due to exposure to human blood products.

Can I send ticks off my animal if it has been treated with flea/tick control product?

Yes, but please include this information on the submission form.

Can I submit ticks that are stuck to tape or a lint roller?

This is not preferred, but we can work with ticks stuck to some types of tape/adhesive paper. When the ticks are stuck to an adhesive material, they are difficult to remove and it takes much longer to collect and sort them. If a tick is compromised during extrication comes apart while removing from the tape, it can’t be accurately identified and must be discarded. In addition, ticks immobilized on adhesive have a shorter survival time. If you have to use tape, painters’ masking tape is best because it has lower adhesive properties. Don’t use duct tape. Ticks can rarely be removed from duct tape intact.

How long will you accept ticks?

We will continue to accept ticks through summer 2022.

Which pathogens are you testing for?

We are testing for Borrelia, Ehrlichia, Francisella, and Rickettsia species of bacteria. Descriptions of the diseases that these various bacteria cause can be found under the “New Maps” tab along with how many positives are so far documented at the county level. If you do not see the disease descriptions please click on “Expand maps” which can be found at the bottom of the page and that should correct it. The four different tick species vector different diseases for the most part but there is some overlap.

We are not testing for Alpha-gal syndrome.

Submission instructions

Download, print, and fill out a submission form and address an envelope to:
- A.T. Still University
  Deb Hudman, Senior Research Associate
  Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology
  800 W. Jefferson St.
  Kirksville, MO 63501
Place each tick sample into a plastic zip top bag with a piece of damp paper towel or cotton ball. Note, the size of the zip top bag may vary AND the paper towel or cotton ball does not need to be dripping wet, just moist.
Fold the bag containing the tick sample and place inside another plastic zip top bag with the completed sample submission form.
Place this bag into the addressed envelope and mail. Note, one stamp should be sufficient postage.

Download submission form

envelop and informational sheet
Step 1:
Download, print, and fill out a submission form and address an envelope.

ziploc bag with tick
Step 2:

Place each tick sample into a plastic zip top bag with a piece of damp paper towel.

ziploc bag with tick
Step 3:
Fold the bag containing the tick sample and place inside another plastic zip top bag with the completed sample submission form.

bag inside envelope
Step 4:
Place this bag into the addressed envelope and mail.

Ticks that have a common history (e.g., collected from the same animal, collected during the same hike/event, collected from the same county and date, etc.) can be combined in a single bag.

Disclaimer:

By sending you this tick, I release the A.T. Still University, the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, and their staff and employees of any liability with regards to the outcome of testing or any findings in perpetuity. The laboratory of Deb Hudman at the A.T. Still University will identify and test the tick(s) I submit for the presence of DNA associated with disease-causing pathogens. These tests are not intended to provide clinical diagnosis of disease and they should not be interpreted as a substitute for clinical testing or consultation with a physician.

Results from my submissions will be used to determine the presence of tick species and their pathogens by county for the state of Missouri. Accordingly, this information will be shared with the public and health agencies that may request it. The shared data is completely anonymous.

Map

Research Updates

31 August, 2022

Tick collections are complete!

As of today, we have received 17,352 ticks. Truly amazing. I imagine we will still receive a few letters this week and perhaps next, but it is officially over. No need to keep collecting and mailing ticks. Now it is time to get busy with the pathogen testing, which we are 34% complete as of today.

It has been an absolute pleasure interacting with everyone around the state. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at dhudman@atsu.edu. We will keep updating the website with the pathogen testing results.

Thank you, everyone! You have made this research project an amazing success, and we cannot wait to report the results when completed!

I am attaching a few photos of gifts we have received.

8 July, 2022

First, thank you, thank you, thank you. We are currently at 16,717 ticks submitted to this research study.

Second, we have received at least one tick from every county in Missouri!

Third, there are only seven counties in which we have not attained an established population of lone star ticks. To meet the definition of established, that means six lone star ticks collected in the county within one year or two different life stages collected in one year.

Fourth, there are only 25 counties in which we have not attained an established population of American dog ticks.

We have been busy testing American dog ticks for the various bacteria described previously. This post will include the most recent table for American dog ticks.

Overall, we have tested 1,328 ticks (including lone star, American dog, Gulf Coast, and blacklegged ticks) with seven human pathogens detected in 69 ticks with an overall infection rate of 5%. The most prevalent disease detected so far is ehrlichiosis (36 ticks positive), and the second most prevalent disease is afebrile rickettsiosis (Rickettsia montanensis), with 26 ticks testing positive.

If you have any questions, please contact Deb Hudman at dhudman@atsu.edu.

County	Species	# tested	# positive Rickettsia montanensis
Adair	Dv	10
Andrew	Dv	4	2
Atchison	Dv	3
Audrain	Dv	8
Barry	Dv	1
Barton	Dv	5
Bates	Dv	4
Benton	Dv	4
Bolinger	Dv	6	2
Boone	Dv	10
Buchanan	Dv	8
Butler	Dv	1
Caldwell	Dv	6	1
Callaway	Dv	10	1
Camden	Dv	8
Cape Giradeau	Dv	6
Carroll	Dv	2
Cass	Dv	10	1
Cedar	Dv	2
Christian	Dv	8
Clark	Dv	4
Clay	Dv	10	1
Clinton	Dv	10
Cole	Dv	9
Cooper	Dv	3
Crawford	Dv	5
Dade	Dv	3
Dallas	Dv	3
Daviess	Dv	5
De Kalb	Dv	6
Dent	Dv	6
Douglas	Dv	2
Dunklin	Dv	2	1
Franklin	Dv	10	3
Gasconade	Dv	5
Gentry	Dv	3
Greene	Dv	10	1
Grundy	Dv	4
Harrison	Dv	7
Henry	Dv	8
Hickory	Dv	3
Holt	Dv	3
Howard	Dv	6
Howell	Dv	4
Iron	Dv	5
Jackson	Dv	10	2
Jasper	Dv	3
Jefferson	Dv	10
Johnson	Dv	7
Knox	Dv	5
Laclede	Dv	3
Lafayette	Dv	8
Lawrence	Dv	3
Lewis	Dv	6
Lincoln	Dv	10
Linn	Dv	3
Livingston	Dv	6	1
Macon	Dv	10
Madison	Dv	3
Maries	Dv	2
Marion	Dv	2	1
Miller	Dv	2
Mississippi	Dv	2
Moniteau	Dv	10
Monroe	Dv	8	1
Montgomery	Dv	8	2
Morgan	Dv	8	1
Newton	Dv	3	1
Nodaway	Dv	1
Oregon	Dv	1
Osage	Dv	3
Ozark	Dv	1
Perry	Dv	3
Pettis	Dv	10	1
Phelps	Dv	3
Pike	Dv	2
Platte	Dv	1
Shelby	Dv	1
St. Charles	Dv	10	1
St. Clair	Dv	10	2
St. Louis	Dv	10

	Totals	440	26

5 May, 2022

First, thank you, thank you, thank you. We are currently at 13,508 ticks submitted to this research study! Second, we have had multiple requests for the following information this past week.

We are not testing for the alpha-gal syndrome. We understand the need for this research, but this current study focuses on specific bacterial pathogens.
We are testing for Borrelia species, which includes the agent that causes Lyme disease. We are also looking for Ehrlichia, Francisella, and Rickettsia species. To date, we have tested 1,032 individual ticks and have found a human pathogen in 55 ticks for an overall infection rate of 5%. More testing is being conducted. Please go to the “New Maps” tab to see our results with information about the diseases detected. If you click on the “Expand Maps” at the bottom of the page, you can then view the page in its entirety. These maps will be updated as we progress with this research.
Please see the tables below that highlight which counties we lack certain tick species. Images are included to aid in identifying ticks. Please submit if you come across any tick that does not resemble the four tick species displayed in this update.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact Deb Hudman at dhudhman@atsu.edu.

Counties where lone star ticks are most needed	Amblyomma americanum (lone star tick)
Atchsion
Carroll
Dunklin
Linn
Mercer
Mississippi
New Madrid
Nodaway
Pemiscot
Schuyler

Counties where American dog ticks are most needed		Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick)
Atchsion	Newton
Barry	Nodaway
Carter	Oregon
Cedar	Ozark
Chariton	Pemiscot
Dade	Polk
Dunklin	Pulaski
Gentry	Reynolds
Jasper	Ripley
Lawrence	Shannon
Maries	St. Louis City
McDonald	Stoddard
Mercer	Stone
Miller	Taney
Mississippi	Wayne
New Madrid

20 April, 2022

An update on the pathogen testing. I am providing four tables, one for Amblyomma americanum (Aa), the lone star tick, Dermacentor variabilis (Dv), the American dog tick, Ixodes scapularis (Is), the blacklegged tick, and Amblyomma maculatum (Am), the Gulf Coast tick.

A new human pathogen was detected in the Ixodes scapularis ticks sampled from this study, Anaplasma phagocytophilum which causes anaplasmosis. Anaplasmosis presents like most tick-borne diseases with early symptoms including fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and nausea. It is typically more severe in the young, old, or immunocompromised or immunosuppressed. Anaplasmosis can become life-threatening if the treatment is delayed but typically is a mild disease.

Please read previous research updates to find information on other bacteria that have been detected in the ticks.

PCR Aa

County	Spp	# tested	# positive Borrelia lonestari	# positive Ehrlichia chaffeensis	# positive F. tularensis	# positive Rickettsia amblyommatis
Adair	Aa	10				3
Andrew	Aa	6				1
Audrain	Aa	5				2
Barry	Aa	6				5
Barton	Aa	1
Bates	Aa	4				1
Benton	Aa	10		1		2
Bollinger	Aa	9				6
Boone	Aa	10		2		7
Buchanan	Aa	7				3
Butler	Aa	10		1		4
Caldwell	Aa	3				1
Callaway	Aa	10				2
Camden	Aa	10				6
Cape Girardeau	Aa	5				3
Carter	Aa	4				2
Cass	Aa	10	1	2		5
Cedar	Aa	7				2
Chariton	Aa	2				2
Christian	Aa	10		1		3
Clark	Aa	4		1		2
Clay	Aa	10
Clinton	Aa	10				2
Cole	Aa	10		1		3
Cooper	Aa	4				1
Crawford	Aa	10				4
Dade	Aa	5				1
Dallas	Aa	8				1
Daviess	Aa	3		1		3
DeKalb	Aa	2
Dent	Aa	10				1
Douglas	Aa	10		2		5
Dunklin	Aa	4				1
Franklin	Aa	10		2		7
Gasconade	Aa	10		2		5
Gentry	Aa	2
Greene	Aa	10		1		1
Grundy	Aa	4				1
Harrison	Aa	5				2
Henry	Aa	7
Hickory	Aa	10		1	1	2
Holt	Aa	4
Howard	Aa	10				4
Howell	Aa	10		1		4
Iron	Aa	7
Jackson	Aa	10		1		2
Jasper	Aa	8				1
Jefferson	Aa	10		1		4
Johnson	Aa	8				3
Knox	Aa	2				1
Laclede	Aa	10				3
Lafayette	Aa	4				1
Lawrence	Aa	2				2
Lewis	Aa	4				1
Lincoln	Aa	10	1	1		3
Linn	Aa	2				2
Livingston	Aa	3				1
Macon	Aa	10		1		3
Madison	Aa	10		1		4
Maries	Aa	8
Marion	Aa	3				1
McDonald	Aa	6				4
Mercer	Aa	1
Miller	Aa	9				4
Moniteau	Aa	9				4
Montgomery	Aa	10				4
Monroe	Aa	6				2
Morgan	Aa	10				5
Newton	Aa	8				3
Nodaway	Aa	1
Oregon	Aa	6				1
Osage	Aa	8				2
Ozark	Aa	10		2		3
Pemiscot	Aa	1
Perry	Aa	4				1
Pettis	Aa	6				1
Phelps	Aa	10				5
Pike	Aa	8				6
Platte	Aa	10		1		2
Polk	Aa	9				3
Pulaski	Aa	10		2		4
Putnam	Aa	3				1
Ralls	Aa	5				3
Reynolds	Aa	10				5
Shannon	Aa	10
St. Charles	Aa	10				7
St. Clair	Aa	10		1		4
St. Francois	Aa	10				2
Ste. Genevieve	Aa	10				8
St. Louis Co.	Aa	10				6
Stone	Aa	10		1		4
Taney	Aa	10
Texas	Aa	10		1		5
Warren	Aa	10		1		1
Washington	Aa	10				5
Webster	Aa	10		2		7

Totals		702	2	35	1	254

PCR Am

County	Species	# tested	# positive Rickettsia parkeri
Bates	Am	1
Bollinger	Am	1	1
Butler	Am	1
Cape Girardeau	Am	1
Christian	Am	1
Jackson	Am	2
Jasper	Am	1
Madison	Am	1
Morgan	Am	1
Newton	Am	1
St. Clair	Am	7
Ste. Genevieve	Am	3
St. Louis	Am	1


	Totals	22	1

PCR Dv

County	Species	# tested	# positive Rickettsia montanensis
Adair	Dv	10
Boone	Dv	10
Callaway	Dv	10	1
Clay	Dv	10	1
Franklin	Dv	10	3
Jefferson	Dv	10
Shelby	Dv	1
Jackson	Dv	10	2
Lincoln	Dv	10
Macon	Dv	10
Moniteau	Dv	10
Pettis	Dv	10	1
St. Charles	Dv	10	1
St. Clair	Dv	10	2
St. Louis	Dv	10

	Totals	141	11

PCR Is

County	Species	# tested	# positive Borrelia	# positive Anaplasma
Adair	Is	4
Barry	Is	3
Benton	Is	2
Bollinger	Is	4
Boone	Is	5
Butler	Is	1
Callaway	Is	1
Camden	Is	2		1
Cape Girardeau	Is	2
Cass	Is	3
Cedar	Is	2
Clay	Is	1
Cole	Is	1
Crawford	Is	2	1
Dallas	Is	1
Daviess	Is	1
Douglas	Is	1
Franklin	Is	3
Gasconade	Is	2
Greene	Is	1
Henry	Is	1
Hickory	Is	1
Jackson	Is	3
Jasper	Is	2
Jefferson	Is	5
Laclede	Is	2
Lafayette	Is	1
Lincoln	Is	2
Macon	Is	2
Maries	Is	1
McDonald	Is	1
Morgan	Is	2
Oregon	Is	2
Osage	Is	1
Ozark	Is	2
Perry	Is	1
Phelps	Is	3
Pike	Is	1
Platte	Is	1
Pulaski	Is	1
Putnam	Is	1
Reynolds	Is	1
Shannon	Is	1
St. Charles	Is	3
St. Clair	Is	2		1
St. Louis	Is	1
St. Francois	Is	1
Ste. Genevieve	Is	2
Texas	Is	2
Washington	Is	1
Webster	Is	3
Wright	Is	1

	Totals	96	1	2

23 March, 2022

Although it has not been confirmed and some evidence suggests it is not, Borrelia lonestari may cause Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI). This disease is described as a Lyme-like disease. This disease can produce a rash similar to Lyme disease, and as with all tick-borne diseases, fatigue, fever, headache, muscle, and joint pains are common.

Ehrlichia chaffeensis is one of three etiological agents that cause ehrlichiosis. Ehrlichiosis can cause fever, chills, severe headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, and rash. CDC reports, “if antibiotic treatment is delayed, ehrlichiosis can sometimes cause severe illness…….signs and symptoms of late stage illness can include damage to the brain or nervous system, respiratory failure, uncontrolled bleeding, organ failure, and death”.

Francisella tularensis is the etiological agent that causes tularemia. This pathogen is highly infectious and can enter the body via several routes. The most deadly is through inhalation. Other more common routes of infection include tick or deerfly bites, handling an infected animal carcass (typically rabbit), or eating/drinking contaminated food or water. Symptoms of tularemia vary based on the mode of transmission. Early symptoms are myalgias, arthralgia, headache, fever, chills, and fatigue. Skin lesions can occur along with lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. Infections following a tick or deerfly bite typically present with ulceroglandular or glandular disease and are easily treated with antibiotics.

Rickettsia amblyommatis and Rickettsia montanensis are suspected etiological agents of spotted fever group rickettsiae infection. These bacteria can cause one or all symptoms of fever, headache, myalgia, and rash. There are no confirmed human cases of Rickettsia amblyommatis, just reports based solely on serological findings. However, Rickettsia montanensis has been more recently implicated as the agent in an afebrile rash illness.

Rickettsia parkeri causes a similar disease as Rocky Mountain spotted fever but is less severe. It almost always is associated with an ulcerated lesion where the tick was attached. Fever, headache, and malaise are often associated with this disease. The Gulf Coast tick is the known vector of this pathogen.

PCR Aa

County	Spp	# tested	# positive Borrelia lonestari	# positive Ehrlichia chaffeensis	# positive F. tularensis	# positive Rickettsia amblyommatis
Adair	Aa	10				3
Benton	Aa	10		1		2
Boone	Aa	10		2		7
Butler	Aa	10		1		4
Callaway	Aa	10				2
Camden	Aa	10				6
Cass	Aa	10	1	2		5
Christian	Aa	10		1		3
Clay	Aa	10
Clinton	Aa	10				2
Cole	Aa	10		1		3
Crawford	Aa	10				4
Dent	Aa	10				1
Douglas	Aa	10		2		5
Franklin	Aa	10		2		7
Gasconade	Aa	10		2		5
Greene	Aa	10		1		1
Hickory	Aa	10		1	1	2
Howard	Aa	10				4
Howell	Aa	10		1		4
Jackson	Aa	10		1		2
Jefferson	Aa	10		1		4
Laclede	Aa	10				3
Lincoln	Aa	10	1	1		3
Macon	Aa	10		1		3
Montgomery	Aa	10				4
Morgan	Aa	10				5
Ozark	Aa	10		2		3
Phelps	Aa	10				5
Platte	Aa	10		1		2
Pulaski	Aa	10		2		4
Reynolds	Aa	10				5
Shannon	Aa	10
St. Charles	Aa	10				7
St. Clair	Aa	10		1		4
St. Francois	Aa	10				2
Ste. Genevieve	Aa	10				6
St. Louis Co.	Aa	10				6
Stone	Aa	10		1		4
Taney	Aa	10
Texas	Aa	10		1		5
Warren	Aa	10		1		1
Washington	Aa	10				3
Webster	Aa	10		2		7

Totals		440	2	32	1	158

PCR Am

County	Species	# tested	# positive Rickettsia parkeri
Bates	Am	1
Bollinger	Am	1	1
Butler	Am	1
Cape Girardeau	Am	1
Christian	Am	1
Jackson	Am	2
Jasper	Am	1
Madison	Am	1
Morgan	Am	1
Newton	Am	1
St. Clair	Am	7
Ste. Genevieve	Am	3
St. Louis	Am	1


	Totals	22	1

PCR Dv

County	Species	# tested	# positive Rickettsia montanensis
Adair	Dv	10
Boone	Dv	10
Callaway	Dv	10	1
Clay	Dv	10	1
Franklin	Dv	10	3
Jefferson	Dv	10
Shelby	Dv	1
Jackson	Dv	10	2
Lincoln	Dv	10
Macon	Dv	10
Moniteau	Dv	10
Pettis	Dv	10	1
St. Charles	Dv	10	1
St. Clair	Dv	10	2
St. Louis	Dv	10

	Totals	141	11

PCR Is

County	Species	# tested	# positive Borrelia	# positive Ehrlichia
Adair	Is	4
Barry	Is	3
Benton	Is	2
Bollinger	Is	4
Boone	Is	5
Butler	Is	1
Callaway	Is	1
Camden	Is	2		1
Cape Girardeau	Is	2
Cass	Is	3
Cedar	Is	2
Clay	Is	1
Cole	Is	1
Crawford	Is	2	1
Dallas	Is	1
Daviess	Is	1
Douglas	Is	1
Franklin	Is	3
Gasconade	Is	2
Henry	Is	1
Hickory	Is	1
Jackson	Is	3
Jasper	Is	2
Jefferson	Is	5
Laclede	Is	2
Lafayette	Is	1
Lincoln	Is	2
Macon	Is	2
Maries	Is	1
McDonald	Is	1
Morgan	Is	2
Oregon	Is	2
Osage	Is	1
Ozark	Is	2
Perry	Is	1
Phelps	Is	3
Pike	Is	1
Platte	Is	1
Pulaski	Is	1
Putnam	Is	1
Reynolds	Is	1
Shannon	Is	1
St. Charles	Is	3
St. Clair	Is	2		1
St. Louis	Is	1
St. Francois	Is	1
Ste. Genevieve	Is	2
Texas	Is	2
Washington	Is	1
Webster	Is	3
Wright	Is	1

	Totals	95	1	2

22 February, 2022

An update for the pathogen testing. I am providing two tables, one for Amblyomma americanum (Aa), the lone star tick, and one for Dermacentor variabilis (Dv), the American dog tick.

Although it has not been confirmed and some evidence suggests it is not, Borrelia lonestari may cause Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI). This disease is described as Lyme like disease. This disease can produce a rash similar to Lyme disease, and as with all tick-borne diseases, fatigue, fever, headache, muscle, and joint pains are common.

Tally for statewide PCR Dv

County	Species	# tested	# positive Rickettsia montanensis
Adair	Dv	10
Boone	Dv	10
Callaway	Dv	10	1
Clay	Dv	10	1
Franklin	Dv	10	3
Jefferson	Dv	10
Shelby	Dv	1
		61	5

Tally for statewide PCR Aa

County	Spp	# tested	# positive Borrelia lonestari	# positive Ehrlichia chaffeensis	# positive Francisella tularensis	# positive Rickettsia amblyommatis
Adair	Aa	10				3
Benton	Aa	10		1		2
Boone	Aa	10		2		7
Butler	Aa	10		1		4
Callaway	Aa	10				2
Camden	Aa	10				6
Cass	Aa	10	1	2		5
Christian	Aa	10		1		3
Clay	Aa	9
Clinton	Aa	10				2
Cole	Aa	10		1		3
Crawford	Aa	9				4
Dent	Aa	10				1
Douglas	Aa	10		2		5
Franklin	Aa	10		2		7
Gasconade	Aa	10		2		5
Greene	Aa	10		1		1
Hickory	Aa	8		1	1	2
Howard	Aa	9				4
Howell	Aa	10		1		4
Jackson	Aa	10		1		2
Jefferson	Aa	10		1		4
Laclede	Aa	10				3
Lincoln	Aa	10	1	1		3
Macon	Aa	10		1		3
Montgomery	Aa	10				4
Morgan	Aa	9				5
Ozark	Aa	10		2		3
Phelps	Aa	10				5
Platte	Aa	10		1		2
Pulaski	Aa	10		2		4
Reynolds	Aa	9				5
Shannon	Aa	10
St. Charles	Aa	10				7
St. Clair	Aa	10		1		4
St. Francois	Aa	10				2
Ste. Genevieve	Aa	7				6
St. Louis Co.	Aa	10				6
Stone	Aa	10		1		4
Taney	Aa	10
Texas	Aa	10		1		5
Warren	Aa	10		1		1
Washington	Aa	7				3
Webster	Aa	10		2		7
		427	2	32	1

24 January, 2022

Happy New Year! Here is where we are at so far for the pathogen testing. I am providing two tables, one for Amblyomma americanum (Aa), the lone star tick, and one for Dermacentor variabilis (Dv), the American dog tick.

Although it has not been confirmed and some evidence suggests it is not, Borrelia lonestari may cause Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI). This disease is described as Lyme like disease. This disease can produce a rash similar to Lyme disease, and as with all tick-borne diseases, fatigue, fever, headache, muscle, and joint pains are common.

County	Species	# tested	# positive Rickettsia montanensis
Adair	Dv	10
Boone	Dv	10
Franklin	Dv	10	3
Jefferson	Dv	10
Shelby	Dv	1

County	Species	# tested	# positive Borrelia lonestari	# positive Ehrlichia chaffeensis	# positive Rickettsia amblyommatis
Adair	Aa	10			3
Benton	Aa	9		1	2
Boone	Aa	10		2	7
Callaway	Aa	10			2
Camden	Aa	10			6
Cass	Aa	10	1	2	5
Christian	Aa	10		1	3
Cole	Aa	10		1	3
Franklin	Aa	10		2	7
Gasconade	Aa	10		2	5
Greene	Aa	10		1	1
Howard	Aa	9			4
Howell	Aa	10		1	4
Jackson	Aa	10		1	2
Jefferson	Aa	10		1	4
Lincoln	Aa	10	1	1	3
Macon	Aa	10		1	3
Montgomery	Aa	10			4
Ozark	Aa	8		2	2
Phelps	Aa	10			5
Platte	Aa	10		1	2
Pulaski	Aa	10		2	4
Shannon	Aa	10
St. Charles	Aa	10			7
St. Clair	Aa	10		1	4
St. Francois	Aa	10			2
St. Louis County	Aa	10			6
Stone	Aa	10		1	4
Taney	Aa	10
Texas	Aa	10		1	5
Warren	Aa	10		1	1
Webster	Aa	10		2	7

13 December, 2021

As promised, here are some images of the deer ked. I have now received ten of these from four different counties (Bollinger, Hickory, Ozark, and Webster).

22 November, 2021

19 November, 2021

We have received several submissions that were not ticks. There have been weevils, stink bugs, hog louse, and spiders. However, this week, we received something that might be of interest, a Neotropical deer ked (Lipoptena mazamae). There were four of these creatures submitted off of a harvested deer along with blacklegged ticks. The deer ked is an introduced biting fly that found its way to North America back in 1907. It is a blood-sucking parasitic fly native to Europe and most likely made its way here from a shipment of live animals.

This fly has a unique life cycle. It mates on a host, and a single egg hatches and grows inside the female’s body. The adult female feeds the larvae until it is fully grown, then she will birth a mature larva which will begin to pupate. The larva drops to the ground and hardens to form a dark protective covering of what is then called a puparium. The female, after birthing, will again feed, mate, and produce another larva. She will continue to rear larvae in this fashion for up to ten months. Winged adults emerge from the puparium in early Fall to early Winter and look for a host. Once they find a host, they burrow through the fur shedding its wings by breaking them off close to their bases, and remain on the host for the rest of their life, repeatedly taking bites and feeding on blood. These blood meals are short in duration, and they can engorge in 15 to 25 minutes.

At first glance, these wingless keds can appear quite similar to ticks, but they will move faster than ticks, and being an insect, they will have six legs instead of eight. There is one previously documented identification of a deer ked in St. Clair County, Missouri, and this collection was from Webster County.

They will occasionally bite humans, and there is recent evidence that they carry nearly half a dozen human pathogens. It is unknown whether they can transmit these pathogens to humans or to whatever host they are on, which is most often deer, elk, and moose. It has been documented that this species of deer ked can carry Bartonella. Bartonella is a bacteria that can cause a febrile illness and fatality in humans and animals. Known vectors of Bartonella include fleas and lice. In a study on a deer farm in Alabama, researchers detected four Bartonella species in the deer herd and three Bartonella species in their keds. In separate research, it has also been shown that Bartonella is vertically transmitted between ked generations, which suggests that this deer ked may be a competent vector.

I will take some images and provide them here at a later date.

08 November, 2021

A new species of tick was submitted last week to this research project! It is Dermacentor albipictus, the winter tick. We have received this tick from three counties, Jefferson, Reynolds, and St. Clair. All specimens were collected from harvested white-tailed deer. Although typically, these ticks are highly patterned, all submitted so far are the unpatterned version (see image, middle photo).

The winter tick is a one-host tick, with all three active life stages (larvae, nymphs, and adults) feeding on the same individual. They produce one generation in less than a year. The ticks will feed and remain on their host during their subsequent molts until spring, when adult females detach and drop to the ground. Their preferred hosts are moose and other ungulates, including deer, elk, caribou, and occasionally horses and cattle. Winter ticks rarely bite and feed on humans.

winter tick

07 October, 2021

We are using new primers to confirm if the samples testing positive for Ehrlichia are indeed Ehrlichia or if they are Coxiella endosymbionts. It took some time to research the primers, order them, test them with a new Ehrlichia control, and optimize the PCR procedure. Yesterday we completed running 31 samples that had previously tested positive for Ehrlichia, and two remain positive. Both positives were from Pulaski County. We will need to attain some more primers and test the others for Coxiella. Once all of the samples have been completed, we will list all positives by county on this website. This new data is excellent news! We were nearing a 50% positivity rate for Ehrlichia in all tested ticks, which would be terrifying. Using these new primers will drop the positivity rate tremendously and, most importantly, be accurate. Thank you so much for being patient as we work this out.

09 September, 2021

We received results from sequencing data from the Borrelia species we detected in Lincoln county, and it came back as Borrelia lonestari. Borrelia lonestari has been implicated as causing Southern Tick Associated Rash Illness (STARI) but has never been definitively confirmed. All of the positive Rickettsia samples that we sent for sequencing were positive for Rickettsia amblyommatis as expected. It is debated whether R. amblyommatis is a human pathogen, but it is documented that humans will develop a robust immune response to this organism and may complicate the diagnosis of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsia rickettsii) using serological assays.

Of important note, we have had so many positive samples for ehrlichiosis that it makes us nervous. As a result, we sent off multiple samples for sequencing, and some came back as positive for Coxiella endosymbionts. This is a bacteria related to Coxiella burnetii, the agent of Q fever, which has been observed previously within cells of A. americanum and is not a human pathogen. As a result, we will need to go through all of the previous positives for Ehrlichia species, run more PCR’s including some specifically for C. burnetii, and send more samples off for sequencing for verification. This process will take some time, but we want to make sure that we get it right. We apologize for any confusion this may cause and the delay in reporting results.

01 September, 2021

Lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum):

St. Clair County 10 tested, 8 positive for ehrlichiosis
Stone County 10 tested, 6 positive for ehrlichiosis

We also had positives for Rickettsia species but none of the positives were the bug that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

27 August, 2021

Lone Star ticks (Amblyomma americanum)

Macon County 10 tested, 8 positive for ehrlichiosis
Platte County 10 tested, 6 positive for ehrlichiosis

We also had positives for Rickettsia species but none of the positives were the bug that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

To date, we have tested 220 adult lone star ticks from 23 counties and 94 of those were positive for ehrlichiosis. That is a 42% infection rate!

We are in the process of testing St. Clair and Stone counties and next on the list will be Pulaski and St. Francois counties. Stay tuned…

Today is Nate’s last day in the tick lab and he will be missed. We wish Nate the best of luck in his future endeavors.

18 August, 2021

Lone Star ticks (Amblyomma americanum)

Cass County 7 tested, 3 positive for ehrlichiosis
Jackson County 10 tested, 6 positive for ehrlichiosis
Taney County 10 tested, 4 positive for ehrlichiosis
Shannon County 10 tested, 5 positive for ehrlichiosis

11 August, 2021

Lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum):
Texas County 9 tested, 7 positive for ehrlichiosis
Howell County 10 tested, 7 positive for ehrlichiosis

We also had positives for Rickettsia species but none of the positives were the bug that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

6 August, 2021

Lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum):

Christian County 10 tested, 4 positive for ehrlichiosis
Cole County 10 tested, 4 positive for ehrlichiosis
Greene County 9 tested, 1 positive for ehrlichiosis
Lincoln County 10 tested, 3 positive for ehrlichiosis and 1 positive for Borrelia spp. (we need to run more PCR’s to determine if STARI or Lyme disease)

We also had positives for Rickettsia species but none of the positives were the bug that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Next week we will be testing Cass, Howell, Jackson, and Texas counties.

4 August, 2021

We want to give thanks to some of our unsung heroes. Maybe it’s just us but we find these hilarious or at least Deb does!

tick update

August 3, 2021

Here is how we are testing each county. We choose ten adult ticks of one species. We selected ten ticks that provide a wide distribution within the county. For example, here is a Google map of Franklin County. The location of each balloon represents one adult lone star tick submitted to us. We isolated the DNA from those ten ticks and performed separate PCR reactions for four different bacterial species. In some cases, we report eight or nine ticks for an individual county. That is because we did not attain enough DNA to move forward for all of the PCR reactions. We will go back to those counties and test more ticks to bring it up to a minimum of ten adults per species.

map for county testing

30 July, 2021

Just as a reminder we are testing for Borrelia (Lyme & STARI), Ehrlichia (ehrlichiosis), Francisella (tularemia), and Rickettsia (Rocky Mountain spotted fever) species.

Lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum):

Camden County 10 tested, no pathogens detected
Phelps County 10 tested, no pathogens detected
Montgomery County 10 tested, no pathogens detected
St. Louis County 9 tested, 5 positive for ehrlichiosis

We also had positives for Rickettsia species but none of the positives were the bug that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Next week we will be testing Christian and Cole Counties.

26 July, 2021

We will eventually have the pathogen data linked to the map but until we can get all of the kinks worked out, we will start reporting some of the data here.

Lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum):

Adair County 9 tested, 4 positive for ehrlichiosis
Boone County 10 tested, 3 positive for ehrlichiosis
Callaway County 10 tested, 7 positive for ehrlichiosis
Jefferson County 10 tested, 4 positive for ehrlichiosis
Franklin County 9 tested, 8 positive for ehrlichiosis (Holy Smokes!)
St. Charles County 8 tested, 1 positive for ehrlichiosis
Warren County 10 tested, 4 positive for ehrlichiosis

We also had positives for Rickettsia species but none of the positives were the bug that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

We are currently testing Montgomery and St. Louis Counties this week.

2 July, 2021

We have surpassed 10,000 ticks being submitted to this research project! Thank you so much. For those of you around the Portland Missouri area I will be giving a talk along with others on Saturday September 11th. Please check out the flyer and come join us with your questions. Hope to see you there.

24 June, 2021

We had a very exciting submission from St. Louis City, our first soft tick. We believe it is a bat tick but as we are not experienced in identifying soft ticks so we have sent off some images to the U.S. National Tick Collection in hopes of confirming our identification. As you will see from the images, soft ticks are very different in appearance from hard ticks. When looking at the dorsal side (back of tick) it appears there are no feeding parts or what people typically call the head of the tick. From the ventral side (belly of tick) you can see the mouth parts. Soft ticks do not have a scutum or a “shield” like the hard ticks that is why they appear wrinkly and dimpled. Soft ticks tend to hang out in animal nests, burrows, or roosts and do not quest like hard ticks. Soft ticks will occasionally bite humans and pet animals when their primary hosts are unavailable.

Most ticks people encounter are hard ticks. For instance, we have received over 9,800 ticks so far and only one has been a soft tick!

22 June, 2021

Don’t become prey to ticks, instead, become a tick predator! Nymphs (seed ticks) are out in full swing. Please look for ticks after spending time outside. If you find one, keep looking, there will be two more.

tick comic

9 June, 2021

We want to give thanks to some of our unsung heroes. We appreciate the drawings, stories, and puns that are submitted along with the ticks. We are posting a few to share. It always puts a smile on our faces. In addition, we want to thank the Daughters of the American Revolution Montgomery Chapter for selecting this research as their Conservation project.

2 June, 2021

As of the 2nd of June, we have received more than 7,500 ticks!!!

The tick lab has hired a new staff member, Nate Linker, to provide additional help this summer. We are hoping this will free up time to begin the pathogen testing.

We have received five species of tick from around the state with the lone star tick being the most prevalent. In fact, we have received the lone star tick in all but four counties (Atchison, Carroll, Mississippi, and New Madrid). The American dog tick is the second most received tick species. We have received the American dog tick in all but thirteen counties. We have also received the blacklegged tick (deer tick), Gulf coast tick, and the rabbit tick.

20 May, 2021

american male tick

To date, we have received more than 6,300 ticks!!! We have received at least one tick from every county except for New Madrid. If you know of anyone in New Madrid, please let them know about this project.

We will identify and count all species received but will only be testing a subset of those for human pathogens dependent upon the number of samples received for each county. We will be testing for Borrelia spp. (think Lyme and STARI), Ehrlichia spp. (ehrlichiosis) Francisella spp. (tularemia), and Rickettsia spp. (Rocky Mountain spotted fever). We want to make sure that we test a subset of all species from every county that we receive, so the testing will take some time.

If you are interested in what ticks have been submitted by county, please go to the tab called “maps”. You can click on that tab and you should see the state of MO. At that point, you can click on the county of interest, and it will report how many ticks we have found and what species. This map gets updated on a weekly basis. Once we begin pathogen testing that data will also be available in the map tab.

The easiest way we have found to view the data from the map tab is at the bottom center of the map box there is a small arrow pointing up. If you click on that, it will show the information in a spreadsheet format instead of a list. You can then either scan down to find your county or click on the county in the map itself.

Thank you, Missourians. Your efforts and contributions are most appreciated!

New Maps

Expand maps