Reporting Tick Bites to Public Health Agencies Helps ID Risk Areas for Lyme Disease
A study in Quebec highlights the value of reporting tick bites and submitting tick specimens to public health agencies. Such "passive surveillance" outpaces field collection of ticks in identifying areas of emerging risk for Lyme disease.
Lone Star Ticks: Not Guilty in Spread of Lyme Disease
A new review of 30 years' worth of research concludes that, while lone star ticks are guilty of transmitting bacteria that cause several human illnesses, Lyme disease is not one of them.
Why the Variety of Tick Hosts in Your Back Yard Might Be a Good Thing
A new study in Connecticut finds that residential habitats harbor a greater diversity of animal hosts for blacklegged ticks, many of which don't transmit the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi to ticks as well as white-footed mice do, thereby leading to lower levels of the pathogen's presence in residential areas compared to woodland habitats.
Manage Japanese Barberry to Keep Tick Levels Low, Reduce Lyme Risk
Clearing the invasive shrub Japanese barberry from a wooded area once can lead to a significant reduction in abundance of blacklegged ticks for as long as six years
Could Reducing Deer Populations Reduce Lyme Disease?
Reduction in deer populations won't prevent Lyme Disease, but can reduce the risk
CDC Study Sheds Light on New Lyme Disease-Causing Bacteria
A new species of bacteria that causes Lyme disease needs the same amount of time for transmission after a tick bite compared to previously implicated bacteria, according to new research […]
Ticks: If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Dab Their Animal Hosts With Insecticide
An emerging tool in the fight against tick-borne disease, host-targeted bait boxes employ a sneaky trick: turning some of ticks’ favorite carriers —small mammals like mice and chipmunks —against them. […]
Study Finds Lyme Disease in Ticks in Nine U.S. National Parks
Don't forget to pack repellent the next time you head out to commune with nature.
Here’s How to Prevent Bites and Suppress Ticks that Transmit Lyme Disease
By Hannah Foster The onset of spring and summer means barbecues, camping, hiking, and a plethora of other outdoor activities. However, warmer weather also means ticks. Tick bites spread numerous […]
A Report from the Integrated Tick Management Symposium in Washington, DC
By Richard Levine In May 2016, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Entomological Society of America (ESA), the IPM Institute of North America, and the North Central […]
Scientists Have Sequenced the Genome of the Tick that Transmits Lyme Disease
An international team of scientists led by Purdue University has sequenced the genome of the tick that transmits Lyme disease, the most common vector-borne illness in North America. Ixodes scapularis, […]
Ticks that Transmit Lyme Disease Reported in 48.6% of U.S. Counties
By Hannah Foster Lyme disease is a potentially debilitating disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The disease is spread to humans by two tick varieties: the blacklegged tick (Ixodes […]
A Tick that Feeds on Birds May Increase the Range of Lyme Disease
By Meredith Swett Walker If you have lived in the northeastern United States any time in the last 25 years or so, you have almost certainly heard of Lyme disease. […]
TickSpotters Can Help You Identify Ticks and Learn How to Protect Yourself
By Hannah Foster Oh no! You’ve found a tick! Who ya gonna call? TICKSPOTTERS! Maybe ticks haven’t started popping up in your neighborhood yet, but they probably will soon. That’s […]
Mice Aren’t Nice, They Help Transmit Lyme Disease
The transmission cycle of Lyme disease explained, with a few tips to avoid ticks
Birds Identified as Hosts of Lyme Disease
Birds are more important than previously recognized as hosts for Lyme disease-causing bacteria, according to a recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE. The bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is […]