Tick season begins in Finland as University of Turku requests public to send in live specimens

The University of Turku has launched a renewed tick research project and is asking the public to send in live ticks for study, particularly to investigate a newly emerging tick-borne bacterium.

According to a university statement, tick season has begun this month in southern Finland and the Åland Islands, bringing with it the risk of tick-borne diseases. Researchers are especially interested in tracking Neoehrlichia mikurensis, a bacterium carried by ticks that has been linked to increasing cases of illness across Europe in recent years.

“Ticks carry pathogens consistently throughout their active season, with about one in five spring ticks carrying Borrelia bacteria,” said tick researcher and docent Jani Sormunen. “However, tick activity peaks in late spring and late summer, when the risk is highest.”

Finnish ticks are known to transmit Borrelia bacteria (causing Lyme disease) and the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBE), as well as other confirmed or suspected pathogens. In 2015, the university collected nearly 20,000 ticks through public submissions, revealing the presence of Neoehrlichia mikurensis—a bacterium that was poorly understood at the time. Finland’s first confirmed human case was identified in 2024.

“Diagnostic testing for this bacterium was established at Turku University Hospital in 2024, the same year the first patient case was detected,” said docent Eero Vesterinen. “The development of diagnostics was partly motivated by the bacterium’s detection in ticks submitted during the 2015 public collection.”

Researchers hope for widespread participation across Finland, similar to the 2015 campaign. “Changes in tick distribution and pathogens have already had concrete impacts on many lives,” noted docent Tero Klemola. “We’ve observed significant shifts over the past decade.”

Instructions for submitting ticks are available at punkkipankki.fi. Specimens should be placed in a sealed envelope with aluminum foil or a zip-lock bag to prevent escape and mailed to:

Punkkipankki
Biologian laitos
20014 Turun yliopisto