Types of Samples

Flap of skin

A flap of skin from the inner thigh of the deer was requested from stalkers to estimate the tick burden from the culled animals.

Ticks are increasing in the UK and are of increasingly urgent importance because they transmit disease-causing pathogens to humans, livestock and wildlife, with impacts on health, animal welfare, economies and biodiversity. In order to assess risk factors, we aim to identify which environmental factors influence tick numbers in the natural environment. Tick burdens on hosts reflect relative tick abundance in the wider environment. Deer are major tick hosts, and we aim to use tick burdens on deer culled in different areas, different habitats and at different times of year to investigate which environmental factors influence tick abundance.