Can Anyone Be Part of This Study?
We hope as many people as possible will join this project, but you cannot join the project if:
You are pregnant.
You tend to bleed (i.e. if you are on blood-thinning medication or are a haemophiliac).
You have a previous diagnosis of tick-related disease (e.g. rickettsiosis, spotted fever) or chronic illness (e.g. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Lyme disease-like illness).
You are under 18 years old.
If I join this study, what does my participation involve?
The tick, if it is still attached, will be killed immediately and kept for our research.
You will first be asked to sign the consent form.
If you agree to join the study:
You will be asked to complete some questions about yourself and how you are feeling and agree to be contacted for further follow-up.
You will be asked to provide a blood sample and a simple skin biopsy at the site the tick was attached after a local anaesthetic has been applied.
The skin biopsy will be taken at the site of the tick bite. Medical staff will clean the skin at that site with disinfectant. You will receive a local anaesthetic to numb the biopsy site. You shouldn't feel any pain or discomfort during the skin biopsy. A small piece of skin will be removed and a stitch placed. A dressing or adhesive bandage will be placed over the site to protect the wound. Your doctor will instruct you to keep the bandage over the biopsy site until at least the next day and keep it dry.
You will be discharged from the medical centre.
Our Project Manager (Michelle, 1300 817070) will contact you during the week after the procedure to check how you are feeling and to ask you to answer some more questions (these will be provided on-line – or in paper form if you prefer).
The follow-up also includes two more blood tests and follow-up questions; the first at one week after the initial tick bite and the second 3 months later.
What will happen to my test samples?
Your samples will be shared for research purposes between NSW Health Pathology, Murdoch University, the Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, the Telethon Kids Institute and the University of Queensland. Your tissue will be used for research purposes only.
On arrival at the laboratory your blood and tissue samples will be de-identified (i.e. coded) so that your identity is kept secret from the researchers testing the samples.
The samples will be studied for evidence of infection, immune responses and other metabolic reactions to the tick bite. De-identified samples will be stored and may be available for other research projects related to the effects of tick bite (only).
Your de-identified samples will be stored for up to 10 years for use in future research projects should discoveries be made that would lead to better understanding of tick-associated infections or illness. Your identity will be kept secret.
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
This important and exciting research is being conducted all around Australia and will help us to better understand the effects of tick bite in humans. Your participation will provide valuable information and we are very grateful for you helping us with this study.
The testing on these samples is for research purposes only, not for diagnosis at this stage. However, if our research discovers something deemed to be of medical significance for you we will contact your doctor to advise them of it (if you have given permission for this to happen in the consent form).
Can I withdraw from the research project?
If you decide to withdraw from the study, please notify the Project Manager (Michelle) on 1300 817070.
How do I avoid tick bites?
In gardens by:
Avoiding overgrown or dense foliage and areas of deep leaf litter.
Keeping lawns mown, removing long grass from garden borders.
Regular trimming of bushes and shrubs and removal of low branches.
Removing leaf and bark litter.
Removing rubbish which could provide ticks with shelter.
Ensuring these ‘tick-reduced’ areas are maintained in locations where children and pets are likely to access regularly.
Outdoors:
Wearing suitable clothing that reduces the amount of bare skin that is exposed
Tuck long pants into socks and wear light coloured clothes so that any crawling ticks can be more easily seen and removed
Use commercially available insect/arthropod repellents.
It is also important to check yourself after being in gardens/outdoors.
Is there anyone I can talk to about the project?
You can call the Project Manager (Michelle) on 1300 817070 for more information.
