It's the time of year to explore the great outdoors but the LWV Environmental Quality and Climate Committee warns of the need to up your defenses against ticks. Climate change in Missouri is expanding tick populations and their habitats by lengthening their active seasons. Warmer winters and earlier springs allow ticks to survive, and migrate to, higher latitudes and altitudes, while warmer, more humid summers increase their activity and survival rates, and the increased temperatures support larger populations of hosts (like deer and white-footed mice), which in turn feeds the booming tick population. Missouri last year and already this year is experiencing rising tick-borne disease including incidences of human diseases, particularly Lyme disease, alpha-gal syndrome, Bourbon virus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Babesiosis.
A zoonotic disease is an infectious disease that can be transmitted between animals and humans. In the United States, ticks are responsible for more human zoonotic diseases than any other insect. Ticks must ingest blood meal before they can molt. Ticks transmit disease as they take blood from a large variety of small and large mammals, reptiles and even birds. Ticks become infected with a disease causing agent by biting an infected mammals such as Lyme disease from a field mouse, and later in its life transmit bacteria to a deer, dog or a human.
The three species of hard ticks common in Missouri that bite people:
1. The Lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) — Females are easily identified by the white dot in the center of the back. Males often have dots or white streaks on the edge of their bodies. Very common in Missouri. The Lone Star tick is extremely common and aggressive in Missouri acting as a primary vector for diseases like Ehrlichiosis, Heartland virus, and Tularemia. Its bite can cause Alpha-gal-syndrome, a serious allergy to red meat and dairy. Its peak is April through July.
2. American dog tick = Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis) — Newly hatched larvae are yellow. Adults have an ornate brown-and-white mottling on the dorsal side. Blood-engorged females are gray. Very common in Missouri.
3. Deer tick (blacklegged tick) =. Deer Tick (Ixodes scapularis) — Legs and upper body are black. Also common in Missouri.
Many Tickborne diseases have been recognized in the last 30 years. Better recognition, reporting, and the changes to the environment contribute to the increase numbers of tick disease. Not all ticks are infected, so a tick bite does not necessarily mean you will get a disease.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) encourages people to know that when they take precautions, they can reduce their chance of being bitten.
Steps to Prevent Tick Disease
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one tried-and-true prevention measure is to walk in the center of trails to avoid overhanging brush and tall grass. This is effective because of the way some ticks seek a host
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Using an insect repellent that contains DEET on your skin protects you because it interferes with ticks' ability to locate you. Another repellant called permethrin, which is used on clothing, actually kills ticks (as well as mosquitoes and chiggers). Permethrin products are designed to bind with fabric and persist through launderings when used according to label directions
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Ticks attach on people in many places, but are most frequently found around the head, neck, underarms, and groin. Light-colored clothing helps you spot ticks more easily and tucking or even taping your pant legs into your socks helps slow them down in their quest for your skin.
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Prompt, careful inspection and removal of ticks is an important method of preventing disease. The key to using tweezers correctly is to position the tips of tweezers around the area where the tick's mouthparts enter the skin. Then use a slow, steady motion when pulling the tick a way from the skin. After removing the tick, disinfect the skin with soap and water, or other available disinfectants. Be sure to check your pets as well.
If you are experiencing possible symptoms of tick-borne illness or have questions about medical issues, please consult your doctor or other health care provider. If you have a tick-borne illness, it is important to begin treatment as soon as possible. For up-to-date, detailed information about tick-borne diseases, consult the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
References and further information:
Tick Borne Diseases Risks Increasing Due to Climate Change: What You Need to Know, from Boston University
How Climate Change is Affecting the Spread of Lyme Disease -- and 5 Things You Need to Know About the Disease, from Pfizer
Tick Disease in Missouri
Prevalence of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Northeast Missouri from the Missouri State Medical Association
Field Guide to Ticks from the Missouri Department of Conservation
Tick-Borne Disease from the Missouri Departrment of Health & Senior Services
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Through the University of Missouri Extension Professor Richard Houseman provides an essential report with multiple images and graphs
Show Me Ticks Angie Daly Morfeld's article in the Missouri Conservationist magazine, Feb. 2023 issue.
Tick Awareness Toolkit from the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services
Take Two Minutes to Protect Yourself from Vector-borne Diseases Follow the simple steps of the Two-Minute Drills published by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
