Georgia Magazine - September 2021 - 26

Curious GEORGIA
Story by Pamela A. Keene * Photos courtesy of U.S. National Tick Collection
Nature's vampires
Georgia Southern University houses vast collection of ticks
R
esearchers have collected and studied ticks-those
pesky creatures often associated with the spread of
Lyme disease-for more than 100 years. And since
1990, their research has led them to Statesboro.
The U.S. National Tick Collection, which is housed in
the College of Science and Mathematics at Georgia Southern
University, is one of the largest curated tick collections in the
world. With more than 1 million specimens, the
collection is an invaluable resource for the study of
tick ecology and behavior.
" Ticks are fascinating; they only feed on blood,
and that makes them intriguing, " says Lorenza Beati,
Ph.D., curator of the collection for more than 15
years. " By studying them we can also learn much
about how pathogens and diseases are transmitted
to humans and animals. "
While Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain
spotted fever are the best-known tick-borne
diseases, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in Atlanta lists nearly a dozen others that
are transmitted by the 900 known species of ticks.
" These ticks have been gathered from around the world-
some more than 100 years ago, " says Beati, who served for two
years as assistant curator before taking over the collection in
2006. " Not only do our students study them, [but also] because
of the extent of the collection, we attract scientists [and] veterinary
and human medicine researchers from all over the world. "
Collecting began in the early 1900s at the Rocky Mountain
Laboratories in Hamilton, Mont., when Rocky Mountain spotted
fever first was linked to tick bites. The collection was donated
Tick facts
* Ticks are not insects. They are related to spiders and other
eight-legged arachnids.
* They don't jump or fl y; they live in grasses, brush or burrows
and attach themselves to humans or animals through direct
contact.
* As parasites, ticks may stay attached to their hosts for days-
or until they are discovered and removed.
* The American Red Cross says that ticks should be removed
carefully with tweezers, not burned off or " smothered " with
petroleum jelly or nail polish. The area around the bite should
be cleaned with soap and water, then an antibiotic ointment
should be applied, if one is available. The person who was
bitten should seek medical attention because of the risk of
tick-borne diseases.
26 Georgia Magazine September 2021
Above: Visitors from Germany recently
worked with the tick collection. Left: The
collection includes leafl ets and specimen
jars, one of which contains a tick from
President Franklin D. Roosevelt's dog, Fala.
to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural
History in Washington, D.C., in 1983.
While at the Smithsonian, the collection continued to
grow. In 1990 it was transferred to Georgia Southern University,
where its size could be accommodated.
" It is on loan from the Smithsonian, and we are the
custodians, " Beati says.
Thousands of specimens are stored in jars filled with
ethanol, categorized and labeled. Others are mounted on slides.
The collection includes a few " celebrity " ticks, such as one found
on Fala, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Scottish terrier.
The National Tick Collection hosts school field trips and
public tours by appointment.
Beati, an associate professor, teaches pre-vet, pre-med and
biology students at Georgia Southern about ticks. She says that
not everyone who learns about her job has a positive reaction.
" The word I hear most is 'disgusting,' but without the
availability of collections such as this, public health and medical
advances may not be possible, " she says.
Pamela A. Keene is a freelance writer who lives in Flowery
Branch.
For more information
The U.S. National Tick Collection, Georgia Southern University,
Statesboro. (912) 478-8001. bit.ly/tickcollection.
http://www.bit.ly/tickcollection
Georgia Magazine - September 2021

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