The Toronto Star featured a new online reporting system Aug. 7 designed to help researchers monitor the spread of ticks and the potential for tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease.

Pathobiology professor Scott Weese, who developed the Tick Tracker, says the data could serve as an “early warning system.” The Tick Tracker may also reveal the emergence of rare ticks, since various ticks carry different diseases. Weese studies emerging infectious diseases in animals, zoonotic diseases and infection control in animals.