Ixodes scapularis

• Also known as the blacklegged tick
• Where found: Widely distributed across the eastern United States.
• Transmits: Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia mayonii (which cause Lyme disease), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (anaplasmosis), Borrelia miyamotoi (a form of relapsing fever), Ehrlichia muris eauclairensis (ehrlichiosis), Babesia microti (babesiosis), and Powassan virus
  • Coinfections in 5-10%
• 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.