Study Shows American Dog Ticks in Western U.S. Are a Separate Species
Researchers have split the medically important American dog tick into two species: the existing Dermacentor variabilis in eastern states and the newly described Dermacentor similis west of the Rocky Mountains.
Crowdsourced Surveillance Program Improves Public Understanding of Tickborne Diseases
A study evaluating tick identification via photos submitted to public health labs finds that IDs of the three most medically important tick species were correct more than 98 percent of the time.
Don’t Get Too Attached: New Research on Grace Period for Tick-Borne Spotted Fevers
A recent study finds that Rocky Mountain spotted fever may be transmitted almost immediately following a bite by an infected American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) with little or no grace period—a stark contrast to what researchers have thought for almost a century.
Bad Roommates: Study Tracks Mice to Nests, Finds Ticks Aplenty
In the first field study of its kind, researchers confirmed Peromyscus mouse nests as understudied habitats for ticks, including blacklegged ticks and American dog ticks. Researchers are hoping to better understand the role of mouse-tick interactions within nests in the spread of tick-borne disease.