­­Primary Detection of the Establishment of Blacklegged Ticks, Ixodes scapularis, in British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

Ticks transport and transmit microbial pathogens that inflict malevolent diseases on domestic and wildlife animals, and humans. We reveal the first record of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, in British Columbia (BC) and, concurrently, far western North America. We unveil the primary tick-host record of I. scapularis parasitizing a Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos. In our study, the most pronounced Ixodes species was I. scapularis (61%) followed by the western blacklegged tick, Ixodes pacificus (34%). The most frequently occurring mammalian host parasitized by I. scapularis was the eastern cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus, a lagomorph of grassland habitats. Healthcare professionals must be aware that both I. pacificus, and I. scapularis bite humans in BC, and transmit at least six tick-borne human zoonotic pathogens that cause insidious diseases.