Research institute seeks ticks
for tracking Lyme disease
AUGUSTA — Maine Medical Center Research Institute (MMCRI), in partnership with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC), is expanding its efforts in northern and western Maine to track the spread of the ticks that may carry Lyme disease.
“We encourage submission of ticks from northern and western Maine to better map the location of deer ticks and to learn more about the spread of Lyme disease,” said Dr. Stephen Sears, state epidemiologist with Maine CDC. “We need to gather more information from Aroostook, Piscataquis, Penobscot, Somerset, Franklin and Oxford counties.”
MMCRI Vector-borne Disease Laboratory tracks the spread of deer ticks throughout the state. It has been doing so for two decades, creating maps of how the disease is spreading.
“Residents, veterinarians and physicians who find ticks should send them to MMCRI for identification,” said Dr. Peter Rand of the Vector-borne Disease Laboratory. “The information gained through this program can help identify new areas of the state that may be at increased risk of Lyme disease.”
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is carried by the deer tick. Cases increase each year and occur in all 16 Maine counties. Although the majority of Lyme disease cases occur in the summer, the adult deer ticks are prevalent in the fall, so the risk remains present.
The deer tick is the only tick in Maine that can transmit the Lyme bacterium. Lyme disease, named after the town in Connecticut where it first appeared, brings painful, often debilitating symptoms, ranging from headaches to joint pain and fatigue.
To submit ticks for identification, first capture the tick in a small, water-tight and crush-proof bottle with rubbing alcohol; and then send the tick to the address below along with your name, address, phone number, date and town the tick was found: Vector-borne Disease Laboratory, Maine Medical Center Research Institute, 75 John Roberts Road, Suite 9B, South Portland, ME 04106.
Instructions and a submission form can be downloaded from MMCRI’s website at www.mmcri.org/lyme.
