THE TICK POPULATION IS BOOMING. IS CLIMATE CHANGE TO BLAME? AND WILL TICK-BORNE DISEASES INCREASE?

The U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reports the number of tick-borne diseases is increasing at a record pace while the geographic range of ticks continues to expand. Lyme disease is the most commonly known tick-borne disease, but other diseases, such as ehrlichiosis and STARI, have been discovered and the list of tick-related illnesses continues to grow.

Tick bites have even been found to cause allergic reactions to red meat in some people.

Is a warming climate responsible for this growing tick threat? Should we expect more ticks and tick-related diseases this year because this past winter was warm and wet? And how do we protect ourselves from ticks?

Does weather influence tick populations? For example, does a warm winter lead to more ticks, or does a cold winter lead to less ticks?

So far, we have not found an association with weather and tick populations. Many people think cold winters kill ticks. If that is true, why do ticks live in northern states, like Minnesota and Wisconsin? What does influence the tick population is the amount of deer and mice available to serve as hosts for the ticks.

Have tick-borne diseases increased, and does weather influence the spread of these diseases?

Yes, tick diseases have increased and one tick-borne disease in particular, ehrlichiosis, is impacted by the weather. Ehrlichiosis, which produces symptoms much like Lyme disease, is passed to humans by Lone Star ticks that feed on fawns or other hosts, such as rabbits and squirrels. Adult deer have stronger immune systems, which keeps the ehrlichia bacteria in check, but fawns carry much more of the bacteria. During cold winters, when the number of fawns is likely lower, the bacteria is not as widespread, which lowers the disease rate. The opposite is true during warm winters.

Is the spread of Lyme disease influenced by the weather?

The bacteria that causes Lyme disease is passed on by black-legged ticks that feed on white-footed mice, which carry the bacteria. The bacteria is the causative agent of Lyme disease. It has been found that the bacteria is more prevalent after warm winters and springs, and also during mast years, when acorns are plentiful. Acorns are a food source for the mice, which helps to increase their numbers and thus increase the disease rate.

I’ve heard about people developing meat allergies from tick bites. Can you explain?

Yes, alpha-gal syndrome occurs when a tick bites a human and transmits a carbohydrate that it received while feeding on another mammal host. In some people, the alpha-gal carbohydrates trigger an immune system reaction when they eat red meat, which can be quite severe. There is no treatment for alpha-gal syndrome except avoiding red meat.

How do you recommend keeping tick-free when walking through woods or fields?

I have found DEET doesn’t work well for ticks, but permethrin works extremely well. I spray my clothes with permethrin and let them dry for 24 hours. Ticks will die on contact with the sprayed clothing. Clothes can now be purchased pre-treated with permethrin.

How do you recommend removing ticks after they have bitten?

I use tweezers to grab the tick’s head as close to the skin a possible. Once I have a firm grip, I pull the tick straight out and avoid twisting the tick’s body. This should ensure the tick head doesn’t remain embedded in the skin.

Conclusions

While a warming climate will provide favourable living conditions for ticks, it’s also the population explosion of deer and other mammals that live around us that influences the spread of tick-borne diseases.

Urbanization and the fragmentation of forests has brought many of these animals and their hosted ticks directly into our backyards. Ticks are found near their hosts, and the spread of tick-borne diseases is happening in many areas that have both warm and cold climates.
Some tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease, are more prevalent in warm conditions.