Ticks

More patients are reporting they're suffering from alpha gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat that's correlated with tick bites. Tick-related illnesses are on the rise nationwide as summers become hotter, wetter and more tick-friendly.

Several deadly tick-borne viruses have emerged in the Midwest in recent years, including the Heartland virus, first discovered in Missouri. Scientists say there are likely more that have gone undiagnosed.

As seasons become warmer due to climate change, more ticks survive, thrive and multiply, latching onto animals and humans and spreading diseases including Lyme disease and Heartland virus. A recent study by University of Missouri researchers found ticks are active eight months out of the year, from early spring through late fall. The extended season mean more ticks spread potentially fatal diseases.

As part of a two-year statewide effort to track ticks, scientists from A.T. Still University in Kirksville and the Missouri Department of Conservation are asking residents to mail in samples of the tiny parasites. The team plans to map the distribution of tick species on a county-by-county basis, along with their bacterial pathogens.

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