Occurrence & distribution of ticks in South Australia

A recent outbreak of the tick-transmitted parasitic disease Theileriosis in South Australia has raised questions regarding the presence of the tick vector. There is very little current information on the species of ticks that occur in South Australia or where they are distributed.

Key methodology: 

• Ticks will be collected, enumerated and identified from various regions of the state.
• Tick traps and tick flagging techniques will be used to collect the ticks.
• Molecular techniques will also be used to determine if the ticks are carrying known tick transmitted pathogens.