In the U.S., some ticks carry pathogens that can cause human disease, including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis.

With a long-term goal of testing ticks for disease-causing pathogens, scientists at Marshfield Clinic Research Institute are asking the public to submit ticks for a research study called the Tick Inventory via Citizen Science.

The first goal is to understand the distribution of tick species in Wisconsin and identify any invasive ticks that may be moving into the state.

“Ticks are moving into new areas as the environment changes,” said Alexandra 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 targeted central Wisconsin. Now researchers are asking citizen scientists from across Wisconsin to contribute.

For more information, or to request a pre-paid collection kit be sent by mail, contact tics@marshfieldclinic.org or 1-715-389-7796 (extension 16462). Parks and nature centers interested in having kits available for their visitors also are also encouraged to contact MCRI.

Once the tick, dead or alive, has been placed in the collection kit, just drop it in the mail to submit. Any tick found on people or pets is appreciated, researchers said.

Each kit will come with a unique identification number that people can use to look up, via an online dashboard, the species of ticks they contributed.

Information won’t be returned to participants but will show what questions to ask next, said senior research scientist Jennifer Meece, who serves as chief research officer for MCRI

“Where are hotspots for some of these diseases, and should we go into those environments and those communities and do increased education?” Meece said in a recent interview with Wisconsin Public Radio. “There’s just so many hypotheses that we can generate around understanding where these ticks are and the pathogens that they carry.”

Eventually, researchers expect to identify the microbes carried by each tick, including pathogens that may cause diseases and non-pathogenic microbes that may contribute to a tick’s likelihood of carrying disease.

The Research Institute has long studied ticks and tick-borne diseases, including:

— Improved and rapid diagnostic test evaluation in partnership with industry sponsors.

— Examining and developing a deeper understanding of post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.

— Evaluation of occupation risks for tick-borne illnesses.

— Exploring changes in land use and its impact on the risk of tick-borne infection exposures.

— Enrolling participants in a national effort to collect samples to improve early Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment.

This tick research, like many research projects at MCRI, is funded through donor support.