Tick type - Ask Extension
Please identify this species of tick and tell me if this kind can carry Lyme or other diseases.
Knowledgebase
Tick type #873181
Asked June 14, 2024, 10:52 PM EDT
Please identify this species of tick and tell me if this kind can carry Lyme or other diseases.
Washington County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Roxanne,
I can't tell for sure which type of tick that is because the photo is a little blurry and there are some ID characteristics on the underside of the tick that it would also be helpful to see. It is an engorged female, though.
The ticks that use people as hosts in Oregon are in the genus Ixodes and the genus Dermacentor. If you can get a clear look at the dark, hard plate on the back of the tick, you may be able to tell what genus the tick you have is in. The plates of ticks in the genus Ixodes are a solid dark color, while the plates of ticks in the genus Dermacentor have a dark background with some pale patterning on top.
Here are examples of engorged females from these two genera for comparison...
https://bugguide.net/node/view/481726/bgimage
https://bugguide.net/node/view/1054044/bgimage
Ixodes species are the potential vectors of Lyme disease, while other ticks cannot transmit this disease. However, the most recent data suggests that only 3% to 8% of the western black-legged ticks (Ixodes pacificus) in Oregon are actually infected with the Lyme disease bacterium. A similarly low prevalence is suspected for other Ixodes species in Oregon as well.
At the OSU Plant Clinic, we are not able to test ticks to see if they are carrying the Lyme bacterium, but other labs are reportedly able to do this for a fee. Here is a link with more information about that...
http://www.tickencounter.org/tick_testing/labs
Hope that helps!
I can't tell for sure which type of tick that is because the photo is a little blurry and there are some ID characteristics on the underside of the tick that it would also be helpful to see. It is an engorged female, though.
The ticks that use people as hosts in Oregon are in the genus Ixodes and the genus Dermacentor. If you can get a clear look at the dark, hard plate on the back of the tick, you may be able to tell what genus the tick you have is in. The plates of ticks in the genus Ixodes are a solid dark color, while the plates of ticks in the genus Dermacentor have a dark background with some pale patterning on top.
Here are examples of engorged females from these two genera for comparison...
https://bugguide.net/node/view/481726/bgimage
https://bugguide.net/node/view/1054044/bgimage
Ixodes species are the potential vectors of Lyme disease, while other ticks cannot transmit this disease. However, the most recent data suggests that only 3% to 8% of the western black-legged ticks (Ixodes pacificus) in Oregon are actually infected with the Lyme disease bacterium. A similarly low prevalence is suspected for other Ixodes species in Oregon as well.
At the OSU Plant Clinic, we are not able to test ticks to see if they are carrying the Lyme bacterium, but other labs are reportedly able to do this for a fee. Here is a link with more information about that...
http://www.tickencounter.org/tick_testing/labs
Hope that helps!
