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I-TICK

Illinois Tick Inventory Collaboration Network: a way to gather information about where and when people in Illinois encounter ticks that carry diseases

Goals:

  • Collaborate with organizations and people throughout the state to establish a tick surveillance network
  • Gather information about where and when people in Illinois encounter vector ticks
  • Share finds with public health organizations to guide tick reduction efforts

Significance:

  • Number of reported human cases of tick-borne disease (TBD) has increased over 10-fold since 1990
  • IL does not currently have a statewide tick surveillance program
    • TBD cases have been reported in counties with no reports of tick vectors
      • It is not always clear if people were infected in their county or not, but more data about ticks will help public health officials to know more about this

I-TICK Findings:

    • Results (as of December 31st, 2018)
      • I-TICK Kits
        • The first year was overwhelmingly successful: 70 individual participants and 18 Hubs collected over 900 ticks in 28 counties.
        • Tick species and life stage identification is complete for 2018 (Table 1)
Table 1: Summary of species and life stage for I-TICK 2018 Hub Collections
Species Adult Nymph Larva* Total
Amblyomma americanum (Lone Star) 150 137 284 571
Amblyomma maculatum (Gulf Coast) 5 0 0 5
Dermacentor variabilis (American Dog) 307 0 0 307
Ixodes scapularis (Blacklegged) 12 6 0 18
Grand Total 474 143 284 901
*Larva numbers are estimated

I-TICK Coordinators:

How I-TICK works:

  • Hubs: (See current hub list here)
    • Organizations that work with I-TICK Coordinators to organize their local participants
      • Health department, mosquito abatement district, University of Illinois extension office, university research group, or other institution that has agreed to hand out, collect, and mail back tick collection kits

        I-TICK Hubs 2019

  • Participants: people who work outside on a regular basis
    • Pick up and return kit to local hub:

      • I-TICK Kit Contains:

              1. Instructions on what to submit and what records to keep
              2. Tick collection data sheet for the 5-day period
              3. Five vials with ethanol, disposable tweezers and a small pencil

                Tick Collection Materials

              4. Instructions on how to remove ticks and tick safety measures

    • Keep a record for 5 days during a 2-week period about the ticks they find on themselves while working outside
      • If no ticks are found during a collecting day, participants still record the information in the data sheet
    • Submit ticks/kit to local I-TICK hub
  • University of Illinois and Illinois Natural History Survey:
    • Provides I-TICK kits to hubs
    • Receives completed kits
    • ID’s ticks

      • Tick Vectors:

        • The 3 species of most concern in Illinois include:
          • Ixodes scapularis also known as the Blacklegged tick or Deer tick
            • Transmits: Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan disease
          • Amblyomma americanum also known as the Lone Star tick
            • Transmits: Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Ehrlichia ewingii, tularemia, and STARI
              • Also associated with Alpha-gal meat allergy
          • Dermacentor variabilis also known as the American dog tick
            • Transmits: Tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever
        • IDPH website on common ticks in Illinois
    • Tests subset of tick specimens for pathogens
    • Share data about ticks found through I-TICK
    • Carries out public health research to estimate the risk of TBD

When is the program:

  • Year Two:
    • Participants are needed for any 5-day period between now and December, 2019
      • Best if 5 days are within a 2-week period
      • 5 days do not need to be consecutive
      • People are encouraged to participate in more than one 5-day period

Program Information: