https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jvec.12334

Comment; Not good; Lyme-carrying ticks are now in OK, formerly they were not really habitating that area–they are spreading across the country jeopardizing an ever-larger population of people.

Small MM, Laverty SM, King CB, Brennan RE.Journal of Vector Ecology. 2019 Jun;44(1):105-111.

Abstract

In recent years, human tick‐borne disease occurrence has risen in Oklahoma, U.S.A., but year‐round data on tick presence in frequently used recreational areas is not widely available. In this study, ticks were collected monthly for one year at residential and non‐residential sites in a suburban area of Oklahoma County, OK, U.S.A. At each trapping site, dry ice traps were used in both woodland and grassland areas and fabric tick drags were used in grassland areas. Four species were collected from each park: Amblyomma americanumAmblyomma maculatumDermacentor variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis. Prior to this study, A. americanum was the only species with an established population in Oklahoma County. Consistent with this, A. americanum was collected in all months of the year and accounted for over 90% of ticks collected at each site. Based on our tick survey, we report that A. maculatumD. variabilis, and I. scapularis, which were each collected in numbers greater than six within a single sampling occasion, are now each confirmed as established populations in Oklahoma County.

Dr. Raymond Oenbrink