Since 2008, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has been collecting ticks in Berlin and Brandenburg using a standardised method. However, rare tick species cannot be adequately recorded.
We are all in demand.
The citizen science project "CLIMATICK/ZEPAK" makes it possible to extend the programme to the whole of Germany. Anyone who is at least 18 years old can support the RKI in collecting and sending in ticks.
As part of this project, the RKI is recording the tick species occurring in Germany and analysing tick-borne pathogens. In addition to the analysis of already known tick-borne pathogens such as TBE, Lyme disease, etc., the focus is on the detection of pathogens that do not yet exist in Germany and whose spread could be favoured by climate change and globalisation.
You can help to achieve the goals of the CLIMATICK project:
- Creation and continuation of a tick atlas with Germany-wide data and information
- Overview of tick species occurring in Germany and their pathogens
- Development of an understanding of correlations with climatic changes
There will be direct feedback to those submitting data on the ticks sent and the opportunity for direct exchange via online seminars or on site.
"Ticks are important vectors of pathogens to humans and animals. In the course of climate change, the tick fauna in Germany is also changing - native species are sometimes being displaced by tick species that can carry dangerous diseases such as rickettsia or Crimean-Congo viruses. The ZePaK project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Health from 2021 to 2022, aimed to research the occurrence of ticks and their pathogens and to provide information on the topic through training (final report on the ZEPAK-2021 research project, article in Umwelt und Mensch Informationsdienst 1/2022)." (RKI)
Further information:
Instructions for sending in a tick and for evaluation at the RKI
Consignment note for sending in a tick [PDF, 84 KB, file is not barrier-free]
Information on data protection [PDF, 93 KB, file is not barrier-free]
Contact: climatick@rki.de