Tickpedia
IXODES SCAPULARISIXODIDAE · HARD TICK
Ixodidae · hard tick

Blacklegged tick

Ixodes scapularis

The black-legged tick is the primary US vector of Lyme disease, established across the Northeast, Upper Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic.

High dangerCarries 4 diseasesPathogens · 7Established · 1,297 counties

Where it’s established

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Alaska — no established countiesAKMaine — 16 counties establishedMEVermont — 14 counties establishedVTNew Hampshire — 10 counties establishedNHWashington — no established countiesWAIdaho — no established countiesIDMontana — no established countiesMTNorth Dakota — 7 counties establishedNDMinnesota — 66 counties establishedMNWisconsin — 61 counties establishedWIMichigan — 56 counties establishedMINew York — 62 counties establishedNYMassachusetts — 14 counties establishedMAOregon — no established countiesORNevada — no established countiesNVWyoming — no established countiesWYSouth Dakota — 4 counties establishedSDIowa — 51 counties establishedIAIllinois — 63 counties establishedILIndiana — 90 counties establishedINOhio — 76 counties establishedOHPennsylvania — 67 counties establishedPANew Jersey — 21 counties establishedNJConnecticut — no established countiesCTCalifornia — no established countiesCAUtah — no established countiesUTColorado — no established countiesCONebraska — 3 counties establishedNEMissouri — 23 counties establishedMOKentucky — 50 counties establishedKYWest Virginia — 48 counties establishedWVVirginia — 70 counties establishedVAMaryland — 22 counties establishedMDDelaware — 3 counties establishedDERhode Island — 5 counties establishedRIArizona — no established countiesAZNew Mexico — no established countiesNMKansas — 4 counties establishedKSArkansas — 31 counties establishedARTennessee — 29 counties establishedTNNorth Carolina — 63 counties establishedNCSouth Carolina — 23 counties establishedSCDistrict of Columbia — 1 county establishedDCHawaii — no established countiesHIOklahoma — 28 counties establishedOKLouisiana — 19 counties establishedLAMississippi — 40 counties establishedMSAlabama — 36 counties establishedALGeorgia — 39 counties establishedGATexas — 28 counties establishedTXFlorida — 54 counties establishedFLCOUNTIES ESTABLISHED
absent
established

Established in 1,297 counties across 37 states.

Top 8 states
#NameCounties
1Indiana90
2Ohio76
3Virginia70
4Pennsylvania67
5Minnesota66
6Illinois63
7North Carolina63
8New York62

Diseases it carries

4 known

Pathogens it carries

7 known
PathogenScientific nameOne-liner
Anaplasma phagocytophilumAnaplasma phagocytophilumIntracellular bacterium that causes anaplasmosis (formerly human granulocytic ehrlichiosis); carried by Ixodes scapularis and I. pacificus.
Babesia microtiBabesia microtiMalaria-like protozoan that infects red blood cells; the dominant cause of human babesiosis in the northeastern and upper-midwest US.
Borrelia burgdorferiBorrelia burgdorferi sensu strictoSpirochete that causes Lyme disease in the eastern US (carried by Ixodes scapularis) and on the west coast (carried by Ixodes pacificus).
Borrelia mayoniiBorrelia mayoniiLyme-disease-causing spirochete first identified in 2013 in upper-midwest deer ticks; produces a distinctive diffuse rash and high spirochetal load.
Borrelia miyamotoiBorrelia miyamotoiRelapsing-fever spirochete carried by Ixodes ticks; causes hard-tick relapsing fever (HTRF) — fever, headache, myalgia without the Lyme bullseye rash.
Ehrlichia muris eauclairensisEhrlichia muris eauclairensisUpper-midwest Ehrlichia variant first identified in Wisconsin/Minnesota in 2009; causes a fever-and-headache illness similar to other ehrlichioses.
Powassan virusPowassan virusTick-borne flavivirus transmitted by Ixodes scapularis (deer tick virus, lineage II) and I. cookei; causes severe encephalitis with high case fatality.

Remove, prevent, and what to do after

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Wild facts

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