Caribou, Deer, Elk & Moose - Sounds Wild
Monitoring Ticks

Audio

Download Episode: Monitoring Ticks (MP3 file 1,406 kB)

Transcript

Monitoring Ticks

After a nice afternoon dog walk in the country, a dog owner checks her pet for ticks. In many parts of the US, checking for ticks is pretty routine after a jaunt outdoors. Alaska is not known for ticks, but there are ticks in Alaska, mostly found on squirrels and hares. Researchers are monitoring Alaska's native tick species, and the recent introductions of non-native ticks. They also monitor tick-borne diseases.

The number of human cases of tick-borne disease in the United States has tripled over the past two decades, and the geographic range of many tick species has expanded substantially due to changes in climate, land use, and human and animal movement.

In 2018, researchers expanded tick monitoring in Alaska, setting up field sites at several locations in Anchorage and on the Kenai Peninsula to look for ticks; biologists are also collect ticks found on animals captured during research and management projects. Alaskans can also submit ticks they find on themselves or their pets. The ticks will be tested for pathogens that can carry diseases such as tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Lyme disease.

The information gathered will help researchers develop a model to predict where in Alaska introduced non-native ticks could survive. This will help identify high risk areas for tick monitoring, and help veterinarians and medical professionals better understand who is at risk for tick borne diseases and when to test for these diseases.