Research project aiming to understand ticks and tick-borne diseases

Scientists at Glasgow University are doing extensive work to understand more about ticks and the viruses they carry in a bid to help with future treatments.

They’ve developed a map where members of the public can upload information about where and when they found ticks.

The team then goes out to take samples from the hot spots.

Faye Watson, from the university’s Centre for Virus Research, said: “We’ve had people all over the country telling us they have never seen ticks like they have this year.”

The scientists also rear ticks. There are more than 1000 larvae and eggs in one test tube, all from one female.

Dr Ben Brennan, from the university, said: “It’s not really known but lots of different viruses are transmitted by different species of tick.

“It seems to be that a given virus is transmitted by a given species of tick, and we want to understand why.”

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