Unexpected winter questing activity of ticks in the Central Midwestern United States

PLoS One. 2021 Nov 11;16(11):e0259769. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0259769. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Unexpected questing activity of ticks was noted during the winter months of January and February in the Central Midwestern states of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. From nine geographically distinct locations, four species of ticks were collected using the flagging method, of which the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, was most abundant, followed by the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, the Gulf coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum, and the Black legged tick, Ixodes scapularis. More A. americanum nymphs were caught questing than male or female adults. The winter activity of these medically important ticks in this region poses concern for public health and offers an insight into future tick activity in light of ongoing climate change. More studies on the seasonality of these tick species, and how different climate parameters affect their seasonal activity in this region are warranted and would be expected to benefit for both human and veterinary medicine.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Climate Change
  • Dogs
  • Female
  • Geography
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Midwestern United States
  • Public Health
  • Seasons
  • Temperature
  • Tick Infestations
  • Ticks / metabolism*

Grants and funding

This study was supported by Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.