New Tick Research Supported By Illinois Lyme Association

We’re excited to share newly published research in PLOS One that Illinois Lyme Association (ILA) helped make possible through financial support.

Researchers at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) Medical Entomology Lab examined ticks collected across Illinois through a community-engaged passive tick surveillance project. From 2018 to 2023, the project identified 740 ticks from 54 Illinois counties, representing eight different tick species, and detected six different tickborne pathogens, including Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia miyamotoi, and various Rickettsia species.

This research adds important knowledge about the ticks and pathogens found in our state, and demonstrates why investing in tickborne disease research matters.

We created a short video highlighting the study and ILA’s role in supporting this work. We hope you will take a moment to watch and share it!

Thank you for supporting ILA and our continued commitment to research, education, and awareness.

If you find ticks and would like to contribute them to the ongoing community-engaged passive tick surveillance program, you may send them to the INHS Medical Entomology Lab for free tick identification.

Instruction on how to submit your tick can be found here.