MDC and A.T Still University Want Your Ticks

With deer hunting underway in Missouri, the Missouri Department of Conservation and A.T. Still University in Kirksville wants deer hunters to save ticks they find on harvested deer and mail them to the University. 

MDC and A.T. Still University are partnering on a two-year research study to determine the presence of tick species throughout Missouri as well as the pathogens they may harbor. 

The study began in April and will conclude in September 2022. 

During this time, MDC wants Missourians to mail ticks to A.T. Still University to be identified by species and life stage and tested for four species of bacterial pathogens.

To help with the research efforts, people should place live ticks in a plastic zip-top bag with a piece of damp paper towel or moist cotton ball, then fold the bag and place it inside another plastic zip-top bag with a completed sample submission form.

People should then place the bag and completed sample-submission form in an envelope and mail it to:

A.T. Still University, ATTENTION: Deb Hudman — Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology

800 W. Jefferson St.

Kirksville MO 63501

The sample-submission form is available for printing from the University website here.