Disease-causing tick common along Gulf Coast is now in Indiana, IU experts say
Indiana University researchers have found a Gulf Coast tick in southern Indiana.
As the name suggests, this species of arachnid is primarily found in states that border the Gulf of Mexico. Its presence in Indiana could signify an expanded range, and for Hoosiers that would mean an increased risk of contracting a nasty disease.
Tidewater fever, or rickettsia parkeri, is a form of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Both illnesses can result in fever, headache, rash and muscle aches.
“It’s not as bad as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but it’s something you don’t want to get, for sure,” said Keith Clay, IU distinguished professor emeritus of biology.
Clay recently left IU after more than three decades to become chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Tulane University. He still leads IU’s Project Vector Shield, an initiative started in 2018 that collects ticks and mosquitoes from sites throughout Indiana.
The goal is to provide early warning for disease vectors that pose a threat to people and livestock. The project is part of IU’s Prepared for Environmental Change Grand Challenge initiative.
Ticks and mosquitoes are collected during the growing season — roughly April through October — at 10 sites scattered across southern Indiana. Researchers regularly perform what’s known in the tick world as dragging or flagging at each site during the growing season, Clay said.
This technique consists of slowly dragging a heavy, white corduroy cloth across an area of vegetation. If ticks are present, they will instinctively grab onto the cloth, thinking it’s a deer, a dog or some other creature that could provide a blood meal.
“Maybe you get none, maybe one or two, and sometimes you hit a hot spot and get 500 on a cloth,” Clay said. “It’s kind of like fishing.”