Spot a Tick and Share Program

Tickborne illnesses are the most common types of arthropod transmitted illness in the United States. Until recently, vector control programs focused primarily on mosquitoes, especially with respect to surveillance. The need for more robust local surveillance to determine tick species, populations and the diseases they carry is needed to better protect local human populations.

The ‘Spot a Tick’ Program seeks to crowd source surveillance in the Louisville Metro Community in order to establish a baseline of the tick species present, as well as the diseases those ticks may be carrying. Residents and Visitors to Louisville are encouraged to collect ticks and submit them to the Louisville Metro Health Department for Speciation and Testing. Samples need to be placed in a container with a tight fitting lid with enough hand sanitizer or alcohol to cover the tick(s). Samples should include the location in the community that the tick sample came from, the date it was collected and the collectors contact information.

Results of the surveillance efforts are posted on the Louisville Metro Health Department’s Vector Control Website along with information about tick bite prevention. The Louisville Metro Health Department indents to help its residents and visitors make informed decisions about their health as they enjoy our city of parks.

The ‘Spot a Tick and Share’ Program is not a medical diagnostic program intended to test ticks for individuals seeking a medical diagnosis. If you are concerned that the tick you have collected may have made you ill, please consult a physician. Tick samples submitted to the ‘Spot a Tick and Share’ Program will be speciated and tested as time allows.