Biologist Grant Hokit ventured into a mountain meadow near Condon, Montana, in search of ticks. The area featured a hiking trail surrounded by long grasses and berry bushes. With a handmade tool of plastic pipes and white flannel, Hokit aimed to capture ticks for his scientific study.
Despite joking about the tool’s simplicity, his task was critical: Hokit swept the cloth over vegetation, hoping to collect “questing” ticks waiting for a host.
As ticks dangle on grass, they extend their legs to latch on to passing animals. “We got one,” Hokit announced, collecting the tick and placing it in a vial for future analysis back in Helena.
The primary goal was identifying tick species, particularly the prevalent Rocky Mountain wood ticks, but Hokit also sought to detect new tick species entering Montana. With shorter winters due to climate change, ticks have more active months, potentially spreading diseases to new regions.
Earlier this year, Hokit discovered deer ticks in northeastern Montana, notorious for transmitting Lyme disease and other pathogens. For doctors like Neil Ku at the Billings Clinic, recognizing new species like deer ticks is crucial for treatment.
Patients often visit clinics with symptoms like fever and chills, unaware of their connection to tick bites due to the absence of preserved ticks. Identifying tick species helps predict potential diseases patients might encounter.
The state is keen on detecting new tick species, explained Devon Cozart, an epidemiologist specializing in vector-borne diseases. Cozart’s team tests ticks for pathogens, understanding that the species and their mammalian hosts influence disease transmission.
A 2023 survey revealed only a quarter of health departments engage in tick surveillance. Many rely on passive collection by the public due to high costs.
According to Chelsea Gridley-Smith, director of environmental health at the National Association of City and County Health Officials, most local surveillance is limited and underfunded.
Federal grants, such as Montana’s annual $60,000, prioritize mosquito surveillance, leaving little for tick monitoring. Hokit, with inadequate funding, focuses on potential deer tick habitats using climate and vegetation data, particularly targeting western Montana areas like Flathead Valley.
This initiative aims to inform the public about deer ticks’ arrival and the diseases they carry, despite current limitations.
This article is part of a partnership with NPR and Montana Public Radio.
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