Hampton Roads Tick Surveillance Project

Since 2009 the ODU Tick Lab has been collecting ticks from all around the Hampton Roads area in an ongoing surveillance effort. We are collecting ticks to try to understand what species are here, when those species are active, the ecology of our ticks, and what pathogens they carry. We use that data to parameterize model that will help us understand how ticks move, how disease is spread, and to predict areas that are high risk for tick encounters and tick-borne disease transmission.

In 2009, Dr. Daniel Sonenshine, professor emeritus at ODU and tick guru, suggested that Dr. Gaff perform a simple field study to gather the data she needed to parametize a model on Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis. She gathered a small group of helpers, and started her “small-scale” project, expecting to only find three species of ticks…

Years later, the project has taken on a life of its own! The ODU Tick Lab now samples sites all over Hampton Roads weekly during the summer and at least monthly during the winter, and we have compiled a year-round dataset on ticks and their behavior since 2009. We collect most of our ticks while they are “questing”, or searching for hosts by crawling on vegetation and in leaf litter. But we have expanded the study to include sampling ticks off wild animals (including birds, reptiles, and mammals), domesticated animals (cats, dogs, cows, you name it!), and even roadkill. We have had a huge group of undergraduates, graduate students and faculty help with this effort. Every year there are surprises and new findings, so it’s hard to stop collecting!

Keep an eye on our publications page to see our new discoveries!