Ixodes scapularis

• Also known as the blacklegged tick
• Where found: Widely distributed across the eastern United States.
• Transmits: Borrelia burgdorferi and B. mayonii (which cause Lyme disease), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (anaplasmosis), B. miyamotoi disease (a form of relapsing fever), Ehrlichia muris eauclairensis (ehrlichiosis), Babesia microti (babesiosis), and Powassan virus (Powassan virus disease).
  • Coinfections in 5-10%
• Comments: The greatest risk of being bitten exists in the spring, summer, and fall. However, adults may be out searching for a host any time winter temperatures are above freezing. Stages most likely to bite humans are nymphs and adult females.

Blacklegged tick (blacklegged_tick.jpg)

Approximate distribution of the Blacklegged tick in the United States of America. The map shows that the blacklegged tick is widely distributed across the entire eastern half of the United States