Dr. Michael Allen and UNT Health’s Tick-Borne Disease Research Lab featured on KERA News
July 23, 2025 • CBTS, faculty, MIG, Research
Recent weather conditions, including a mild winter and relatively wet spring and summer, are possibly to blame for an increase in tick activity across Texas this year.
Sam Baker, KERA’s senior editor and local host for Morning Edition, sat down with Dr. Michael Allen, professor and director of UNT Health Fort Worth’s Tick-Borne Disease Research Lab, to talk ticks.
In the interview, Allen discusses ways to prevent tick bites and what to do if you encounter a tick. Dr. Allen also addressed concerns about Lyme disease:
Lyme disease is the biggest concern. We’re approaching about half a million cases a year in the United States.
We don’t have Lyme disease in Texas at any concerning levels, but people travel. We had a tick submitted just last week that was positive for borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. The submitter had traveled to an area that is endemic for Lyme and brought that tick back with them.
So, it’s important when you talk to your physician, or you’re submitting a tick sample to our lab, please let us know where you were and where you possibly picked this up because that can change the type of pathogens that it’s carrying and may lead us to look for different things that we might not ordinarily look for.
Dr. Allen also highlights the Tick-Borne Reserch Lab at UNT Health and its Tick Testing Services. In a joint effort with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the lab will analyze ticks for disease-causing organisms. These services are provided free of charge to all Texas residents submitting directly to DSHS from a Texas address.
Listen to the full interview here: Tick activity is higher in Texas this season. Why and how you should protect yourself
Learn more about the Tick Testing Services provided by UNT Health.
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