Passive collection of ticks in New Hampshire reveals species-specific patterns of distribution and activity

Abstract

Ticks and tick-borne diseases are increasing in the United States, including New Hampshire (NH). We report on the findings of an ongoing free crowdsourcing program spanning four years within NH. The date of tick’s submission was recorded along with species, sex, stage, location they were collected (translated into latitude and longitude), the activity the individual was doing when the tick was found, and host species. A total of 14,252 ticks belonging to subclass Acari, family Ixodidae and genera Ixodes, Dermacentor, Amblyomma, and Haemaphysalis was recorded from the period 2018–2021 throughout NH. A total of 2,787 Ixodes scapularis and 1,041 Dermacentor variabilis, were tested for the presence of Borrelia sp. (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae), B. burgdorferi sensu lato, B. miyamotoi, B. mayonii, Babesia microti (Piroplasmida: Babesiidae), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae), Francisella tularensis (Thiotrichales: Francisellaceae), and Rickettsia rickettsii (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) by PCR. For the I. scapularis ticks tested, the pathogen prevalence was 37% B. burgdorferi s.l. 1% B. miyamotoi, 6% A. phagocytophilum, and 5% Ba. microti. Only one D. variabilis resulted positive to F. tularensis. We created state-wide maps informing the differences of ticks as detailed by administrative divisions. Dermacentor variabilis peaked in June and I. scapularis peaked in May and October. The most reported activity by people with tick encounters was while walking/hiking, and the least was biking. Using the reported distribution of both species of ticks, we modeled their climate suitability in the target territory. In NH, I. scapularis and D. variabilis have distinct patterns of emergence, abundance, and distribution. Tick prevention is important especially during April–August when both tick species are abundant and active.

Assessing the Influence of Climate Change and Environmental Factors on the Top Tick-Borne Diseases in the United States: A Systematic Review

“…The study found the highest abundance of I. scapularis concentrated in April to June and September to November. Holistically, the study proposed two high suitability areas in the state, specifically southern and central, and recommended that April to August be considered high risk for humans in New Hampshire to encounter I. scapularis and D. variabilis ticks since this time of the year concentrates the maximum activity of both most prominent tick species [ 51 ].…”

“…The following supporting information can be downloaded at https: //www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/microorganisms12010050/s1: Table S1: Overview of measured or estimated impacts of determinants on TBDs [7,9,18,27,28,40,43,44,[46][47][48][50][51][52][53]56,57,59,60,63,64,102,103,105,.…”

“…The following supporting information can be downloaded at : Table S1: Overview of measured or estimated impacts of determinants on TBDs [ 7 , 9 , 18 , 27 , 28 , 40 , 43 , 44 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 56 , 57 , 59 , 60 , 63 , 64 , 102 , 103 , 105 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 , 126 , 127 , 128 , 129 , 130 , 131 , 132 , …”

Changes in the geographic distribution of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, in the United States

“…burgdorferi s.s. was highest in the counties with the highest Lyme disease incidence. Recent studies have reported records of I. scapularis from all 10 counites in New Hampshire by 2017, with collections being most common in the southeast and least common to the north ( Eaton, 2023 ; Fernández-Ruiz et al, 2023 ). Regular future tick surveys across New Hampshire are of interest to track the proliferation of I. scapularis in the state.…”