Missouri State University researchers search for invasive tick

Researchers at Missouri State University are taking a closer look at ticks across the state of Missouri.

Dr. David Claborn and his students in the Master of Public Health Program have been working on the project since June. They traveled all over the state gathering the ticks and will continue until November. They have a contract from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, which has provided $124,000 in funding, for the tick surveillance research.

The students are trying to determine what ticks are here in Missouri, because there are many different species. So far, most of the ticks they have found and identified are Lonestar or American dog ticks. But they have many more to identify.

"Right now, we're just trying to get the information about what species are here and where they are occurring, " said Dr. Claborn. "Are follow-up research, if we get the funding, will be to find out how many of the ticks are actually infected with the various viruses."

One reason they're doing the research is to find out if an invasive tick, called the Asian Longhorn, is present in Missouri. They haven't found it here yet. Researchers believe it can transmit some diseases. Another reason for the research is because new viruses from ticks have been found over the past 10 years, the Heartland virus and the Bourbon virus. Dr. Claborn says both have made people in this area sick.