The Spread of Lone Star Ticks ( Amblyomma americanum ) and Persistence of Blacklegged Ticks ( Ixodes scapularis ) on a Coastal Island in Massachusetts, USA.

Publisher: MDPI AG Country of Publication: Switzerland NLM ID: 101574235 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 2075-4450 (Print) Linking ISSN: 20754450 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Insects Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE

Original Publication: Basel, Switzerland : MDPI AG, [2010]-

In the northeastern USA, the distribution of lone star ticks ( Amblyomma americanum ) has expanded northward in recent decades, overlapping with the range of blacklegged ticks ( Ixodes scapularis ). Blacklegged ticks carry pathogens for diseases such as Lyme, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis, while bites from lone star ticks cause other diseases and the alpha-gal syndrome allergy. Lone star ticks can become so abundant that they are perceived as more of a public health threat than blacklegged ticks. Using the island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, as a case study, we analyzed data from a total of 1265 yard surveys from 2011 to 2024 to document lone star tick presence and subsequent expansion from two peripheral areas, Chappaquiddick and Aquinnah, to all six towns. The timing of lone star tick expansion on Martha's Vineyard closely matched an increase in tick submissions to a pathogen testing center. At Chappaquiddick, drag sampling carried out in June 2023 and 2024 showed that both tick species were most common at wooded sites, where blacklegged nymphs were somewhat more abundant than lone star nymphs. However, lone star ticks occurred in a wider range of natural and peridomestic habitats than blacklegged nymphs, making them far more challenging for people to avoid and manage.

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01CK000661 Center for Disease Control

Keywords: active tick surveillance; blacklegged tick; lone star tick; range expansion; tick density; tick-borne illness; yard survey

Date Created: 20240928 Latest Revision: 20240930

20240930

PMC11432020

10.3390/insects15090709

39336677