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The Norwegian Veterinary Institute (SVA) is launching a new web tool to identify Sweden’s tick species and their distribution, using images from the public.
On the website Report Fortress, images of fortresses that have been found can be submitted to help the authority analyze them.
“With image analysis, it will be faster to compile and communicate information. The hope is also that it will be an easy way to report your tick find, says Anna Omazic”, researcher at SVA in a press release.
Reporting is done by connecting to the site and clicking on the image that most closely resembles the fortress found.
The user can also clarify whether the tick was found on their own body, an animal or in nature and submit a picture of the tick.
That the service is to be launched has previously been reported by P4 Jämtland.
Particularly interesting are unusual ticks, in order to be able to identify new species in Sweden.
“Exotic ticks encountered in Sweden contribute to an increased risk that animals and people can become infected by tick-borne parasites, bacteria and viruses that do not currently occur in Sweden,” explains SVA.
“The reporting can give us early warning signals that we have introduced ticks into the country that normally do not belong here,” says Anna Omazic.
Facts
Ticks
Ticks belong to the class of arachnids. They include 900 described species within three families. They are found all over the world, most abundantly in the tropics. So far, 20 species have been found in Sweden.
Most ticks go through three stages: larva, nymph and adult. Larvae and nymphs need to suck blood in order to develop to the next stage. The adult females must have a blood meal in order to lay eggs. However, the adult males do not need blood.
In case of tick bites, diseases can be transmitted, for example TBE, Lyme disease and tick fever. In warmer countries, the ticks can transmit typhus.
Source: NE
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