Madison Area Lyme Support Group

Ticks might be one of people’s least favorite creatures. If you find a tick on yourself or your pet, the first reaction may be to squish it or flush it down the toilet, but that tick could help researchers learn more about the parasitic arachnid and its potential to carry disease.

Scientists at Marshfield Clinic Research Institute are asking the public to submit ticks for a research study called Tick Inventory via Citizen Science. The study is surveying the distribution of tick species in our area, including any new, invasive ticks that could be moving into Wisconsin. They will also identify the microbes carried by each tick, including pathogens that may cause diseases, such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis, and non-pathogenic microbes that could contribute to a tick’s likelihood of carrying disease.

“Ticks are moving into new areas as the environment changes,” said Alexanda Linz, MCRI associate research scientist. “This is an opportunity for Wisconsinites to act as citizen scientists and help us learn about ticks and their diseases, which can potentially help us better inform on disease prevention and early detection as well as develop improved diagnostic tools and treatments.”

The first phase of this survey is targeting the Marshfield area. For more information or to request a kit, contact tics@marshfieldclinic.org, 715-389-7796, extension 16462. Ticks can also be submitted by picking up a pre-paid collection kit from:

• Stanton W. Mead Education and Visitor Center at Mead Wildlife, S2148 Highway S, Milladore
• Castlerock Veterinary Hospital, 1214 S. Oak Ave., Marshfield
• Rib Mountain State Park, 149801 State Park Road, Rib Mountain  (See link for article)

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See link for directions on how to send the tick in.  They will expand this to other areas of Wisconsin later this summer with collection kits at parks, hiking trails, and veterinary clinics.