US National Tick Collection | Statesboro GA

When you mention ticks, people immediately get the creepy-crawlies. However, knowing where they live, how they behave and how they socialize is a key component of understanding tick-born illnesses like Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The US National Tick Collection on the Georgia Southern campus in Statesboro GA does just that, and so much more.Come with us as we explore the collection and its purpose on this episode of Stories, Secrets and Sagas.

Fun Facts About The US National Tick Collection

1 The US National Tick Collection is the world’s largest curated tick collection. They have over one million specimens!
2 The US National Tick Collection has been a part of The Smithsonian Institution since the U.S. Public Health Service Rocky Mountain Laboratory donated it in 1983.
3 When Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever was linked to the wood tick in the early 20th century, researchers worldwide started collecting ticks to study tick-born diseases.
4 Before the collection was moved to its present day location on the Georgia Southern campus, it was housed for 25 years in the Institute of Anthropology and Parasitology on the same campus.
5 Tours of the US National Tick Collection can bee scheduled for educational groups. Admission is free.

While in the Area

While is Statesboro, we stopped for lunch at The 40 East Grill. Mark had the half Cranberry Chicken Salad Sandwich with their pasta salad, and I had the 40 East Burger Sliders and sweet potato fries. Everything was mouthwateringly delicious, and the service was outstanding! We highly recommend stopping in for lunch while in Statesboro!

Read the Transcript of This Stories, Secrets & Sagas Episode

When the weather is nice isn’t it great to be outdoors communing with nature?

I love hiking through the woods or viewing nature by a pond or river.

There is only one problem. There are some creatures in nature who are looking for a meal, and humans are on the menu.

I speak of the dreaded tick!

Ticks have been around, well, since the beginning of time. The ancient Greek writers even mentioned them! Ticks are arachnids and they are part of the mite family, which live by feeding from the blood of mammals, birds and sometimes reptiles and amphibians. And these nasty creatures transmit a whole slew of illnesses such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. In 2012, Lyme disease was included as one of the top ten notifiable diseases by the Center for Disease Control.

But there is hope. Here, at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, there is The U.S. National Tick Collection. With over one million specimens…that are ticks! Researchers here are working to understand these devious, small creatures and the diseases they carry. And being that this collection is at Georgia Southern University, it is hoped that students will continue the research because it is desperately needed.

Currently, the CDC estimates that there are over 329,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year in the United States alone.

These are some frightening statistics, fuel for thought and another Stories, Secrets and Sagas episode!

Visit The US National Tick Collection | Statesboro GA

Georgia Southern UniversityMath & Physics BuildingUS National Tick CollectionHours: Tuesday – Thursday 2:30pm – 3:30pm

All other hours by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, email icps@georgiasouthern.edu or call (912) 478-5564.

See a permanent exhibit outside of the collection any time during university hours, Monday – Friday 8am – 7pm.

Check out our episode on the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1820 in Savannah GA!

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