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1 August 2019 Reported County-Level Distribution of the American Dog Tick (Acari: Ixodidae) in the Contiguous United States
Aine Lehane, Christina Parise, Colleen Evans, Lorenza Beati, William L. Nicholson, Rebecca J. Eisen
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Abstract

In the United States, tick-borne diseases are increasing in incidence and cases are reported over an expanding geographical area. Avoiding tick bites is a key strategy in tick-borne disease prevention, and this requires current and accurate information on where humans are at risk for exposure to ticks. Based on a review of published literature and records in the U.S. NationalTick Collection and National Ecological Observatory Network databases, we compiled an updated county-level map showing the reported distribution of the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis (Say). We show that this vector of the bacterial agents causing Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia is widely distributed, with records derived from 45 states across the contiguous United States. However, within these states, county-level records of established tick populations are limited. Relative to the range of suitable habitat for this tick, our data imply that D. variabilis is currently underreported in the peer-reviewed literature, highlighting a need for improved surveillance and documentation of existing tick records.

Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2019. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.
Aine Lehane, Christina Parise, Colleen Evans, Lorenza Beati, William L. Nicholson, and Rebecca J. Eisen "Reported County-Level Distribution of the American Dog Tick (Acari: Ixodidae) in the Contiguous United States," Journal of Medical Entomology 57(1), 131-155, (1 August 2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjz119
Received: 10 April 2019; Accepted: 19 June 2019; Published: 1 August 2019
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KEYWORDS
American dog tick
Dermacentor variabilis
Francisella tularensis
Rickettsia rickettsii
tick surveillance
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