Practical Identification of Hard Ticks in the Parasitology Laboratory

Abstract

We focus on the biology, role in human disease (primarily east of the Rocky Mountains), and identification of hard ticks. The 5 species most commonly received in our parasitology laboratory for identification are described, 3 of which have been widely documented as vectors of disease (Ixodes scapularis, Dermacentor variabilis, and Amblyomma americanum). Ixodes cookei and Ixodes marxi, which readily feed on humans in the Northeast, are discussed to differentiate them from Ixodes scapularis.