Ticks spotted in Carlton County, Minnesota

 If you are in Carlton County, Minnesota, be advised, the ticks are out!  

Two were found on a dog Sunday, April 21st near Cromwell, and an individual in Carlton reported finding ticks last week as well!

If you find a tick and would like to submit it to the Ixodes Outreach Project to use in our research you can write us to request a free tick kit.  Kits come with a tick ID card, a tick removal key, and specimen submission materials.  Send your request by email to us at:

ixodesoutreach@gmail.com.

Or simply place the tick in a Ziploc-style baggie and mail it to us via USPS at:  

Ixodes Outreach Project

1035 University Drive

Duluth, MN  55812

Attn:  SMed 332

When submitting a tick, please indicate where the tick was found, the date it was found, whether it was attached to a person or animal and, if you would like to receive additional information, please provide your name, mailing address &/or email.

IOP thanks you, community contributors!

 

2020 Ixodes Outreach Project Report

Community Contributions

 

    One of our projects at the IOP is to create a story map that documents where ticks are being found.  Thanks to our community contributors in 2020 we collected 152 ticks from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.  Ticks were primarily Ixodes scapularis and Dermacentor variabilis adults, but we did receive three I. scapularis nymphs from Minnesota.

    Eventually, tick submissions will be "pinned" to our story map so the community can see geographically where these ticks were found.  You can check out the 2018/2019 tick data on our story map here.

    These ticks are currently chilling at a frosty -80 degrees Celsius.  But, during the next several months our team of seven undergraduate researchers will be using them in several projects.  Some ticks will be tested for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease, while others may be used in tests designed to investigate the variety of microorganisms inside the tick gut.  Studying the array of microorganisms inside the gut of the tick may help scientists better understand what competition or advantages await B. burgdorferi bacteria after being ingested during a bloodmeal.  It may also give insight into the risk of co-infection in humans and domestic animals as the result of a tick bite.  Some ticks may also be used for practicing and refining lab techniques or for other teaching purposes.

    No matter how these ticks are ultimately used, it is all possible due to the efforts of our community contributors, so hats off to you all!  

    With our thanks,

The Ixodes Outreach Project team

 

 

 

If you would like to submit tick specimens please seal your tick(s) in a Ziploc style baggie and mail them to:  

Ixodes Outreach Project
University of Minnesota Duluth
Department of Biomedical Sciences/SMed 332
1035 University Drive
Duluth, MN 55812

 

Post by C.Fisher

Ticks are still out!

Last week we enjoyed some very fine weather in the Duluth, Minnesota area.  As a result of the warm temperatures, ticks were out and on the quest!

No less than three reports of tick bites have come in, plus another partially engorged female tick came off one of our dogs on Saturday.

Remember: tick season isn't truly over until the weather stays below freezing and there's a nice blanket of snow all over the ground.

C. Fisher

Creepy crawly: The Ixodes Outreach Project Lab mascots wish you a happy Halloween!

 We pulled some partially engorged female Ixodes scapularis ticks off our dog October 11th.  These gals are really active, climbing and cruising about the container.  I managed to get some close up video footage of their romps.  I thought these might be a good Halloween week feature:

 

Video by C. Fisher

New expectant mother

Our lab has captured another fully engorged female tick.  We are hoping she will lay eggs so we can get another batch of larvae from this specimen.  She was pulled off of a dog on Friday, September 25th and is still alive and kicking at this point.  Watch this video of her as she walks about her container:

 

She keeps flipping over on to her back, I assume she gets on her back when she tries to climb up the sides of her container and falls off.  Here I have a video of her lying on her back waving her legs:

 

Based on our other ticks, it takes around 2 weeks for eggs to be laid.  We will keep you posted!

Post and videos created by C. Fisher

Ticks, Tick Hunting, Lyme Disease and How You Can Help

Wellness Renaissance interviews Cole Fisher about Ticks, Lyme disease and the Ixodes Outreach Project.  

Click on the image above to read more and access the podcast.

Community Contributors: Now that's a lot of ticks!

It is tick season folks.  And nothing reminds us of this more than all your help reporting on tick activity and collecting specimens.

Earlier this week we received a photo from a Carlton County contributor who sent us this photo:

Photo by E. Felien, June 2020

Each little black speck represents a tick, the whole bunch was collected over the course of a week.  Not all of them are the species responsible for transmitting Lyme disease, Ixodes scapularis (deer ticks), but other species of ticks can also spread various diseases.

So please, when enjoying the great outdoors, protect yourselves from tick bites, and when you do encounter ticks, let us know!

You can self report tick encounters at on our Tick Risk Story Map website (here) and then send us your specimens at: 

University of Minnesota Duluth

Ixodes Outreach Project

1035 University Dr.

Duluth, MN  55812

Attn: SMed 332

When submitting a specimen please include the following information:

Date found

Whether it had been attached to a human or animal or found unattached

Location where the tick was likely picked up

Optional: your name, mailing address and email address for follow up correspondence

Ideally, ticks are best preserved if they are stored in a Ziploc bag or small, airtight container with a dab of hand sanitizer gel to coat the tick.  However, ticks that have dried out can still be useful to our research.  When mailing, please keep in mind that a small baggie can usually be sent without extra postage and handling, however, sending tubes or rigid containers of ticks requires mailing specimens to us in a box to avoid damage.

Should you be interested, we would be happy to send you a Tick Kit with additional information, tick collection and submission information and a tick removal key.  Kindly send your mailing address and we will get a kit out in the mail to you.

Check out our Ixodes Outreach Project Story Map Website:  http://z.umn.edu/Ixodes

-photos and text by C. Fisher

Tick circle of life

To help us better understand the Lyme disease transmission process, we need to study ticks.  This year we have managed to capture a live, fully engorged female Ixodes scapularis tick.  We have been monitoring the process of laying eggs.  A single female can lay as many as 2000 eggs.  Here is a photo of our specimen:

Engorged female Ixodes scapularis laying eggs (ruler in background shows mm markers).  Image by C Fisher, May 20, 2020

We are storing the tick in a brown bottle, which gives everything in our photo an amber-brown color.  The grape-like shape to the left is the engorged female tick, and he eggs are to the right of her head (the eggs have piled up and covered her head).  After laying all the eggs, the female dies.

It took approximately two weeks from the time the tick was caught until eggs began to appear.  Eggs seemed to be laid over the course of several days to a week.  

-C. Fisher, photos by C. Fisher

Remember Fido during peak tick season!

I pulled this slightly engorged female Ixodes scapularis off my dog on Tuesday, May 5th.  It had probably been attached since Sunday when I was out at my partner's farm in Carlton County, Minnesota.  This photo shows us how much a female tick can swell after approximately 36-48 hours of feeding.

 I.scapularis, adult female, slightly engorged

The ruler scale is in cm

This serves as a good reminder that it was time to repeat the dosage of my monthly tick prevention on our dogs.  You should check with your veterinarian to discuss the best method of tick prevention for your pet.  A variety of topical and oral treatments are available.

-C. Fisher, photo by C. Fisher

Passive collection finds a tick in Duluth

An adult male Ixodes scapularis tick was found on the dog of one of our team members on Sunday, April 26th.  The tick had not bitten the dog, it was just walking along the dog's head.

It is possible, but not able to be positively confirmed, that the tick had been picked up while visiting the Lincoln Park area in Duluth, MN earlier in the day on Sunday.

-C. Fisher, photo by C. Fisher

Help the Ixodes Outreach Project montior ticks!

The Ixodes Outreach Project needs your help to build our Tick Bank.  We use ticks for a variety of teaching and research applications.  We also are interested in recording where ticks are being found.  So, please send us ticks you come across on you, your family or your pets.  You can contact us for a free Tick Kit with supplies and directions for submitting your specimens.  Using the kit is super easy!

To request a kit simply write to us stating you would like to request a Tick Kit.  Be sure to include your name and mailing address.  At certain times of the year our staff may be busy in the field or the lab, please know we will process your request as soon as possible, but it may take a few weeks to receive your kit.

Email us at:

ixodesoutreach@d.umn.edu 

in the subject heading type Tick Kit Request.

Or write to us by USPS mail at:

University of Minnesota Duluth
Ixodes Outreach Project
1035 University Dr.
Duluth, MN  55812
Attn: SMed 332

You can also submit ticks without the use of a Tick Kit.  To do so, please put ticks inside a Ziploc style baggie.  If possible, include a small squirt of hand-sanitizer gel and coat the tick with the gel.  This will help preserve the tick during transit and reduce bacterial growth in the bag.  However, we can still used specimens sent without.  We would prefer you do not tape ticks, they can be difficult to remove from tape.

In your tick submission please include the following:

• Your name and address so we can follow up with you if necessary.
• The location of where you found the tick.  If you know coordinates, feel free to send them, but if you do not, please try to be specific as to city, county and state.
• The date when you found the tick.
• Weather conditions, if known.
• Optional: description of the terrain where tick was picked up (grass land, deciduous woods, near a wood pile, etc.)
• Indicate whether it was attached to a person, dog, cat, horse, etc. or whether it was found unattached.
  

Mail ticks by USPS to the address provided above.

Please note:  We cannot provide timely diagnostic services on ticks.  If you are submitting a tick that has bitten you, your family or pet and are concerned about the risk of contacting a tick-borne illness, such as Lyme disease, please contact your physician or veterinarian.  We will try to notify you of the results of testing on your specimens, but we cannot guarantee how long it may take for specimens to be tested.  Some specimens may be used for teaching/training or other research purposes and not be tested.