An increasing variety of ticks are pushing into new geographical areas, bringing new risks to residents. The Gulf Coast tick, once predominantly found in coastal regions of states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, is expanding its territory, and is starting to be found in Pennsylvania.

Per Nicole Chinnici, DHSc, C.W.F.S, Director of the Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute at East Stroudsburg University, “Between 2023 and 2024, the Pennsylvania Tick Research Laboratory received a total of 7 Gulf Coast ticks with no recent travel history, suggesting the likelihood that exposure occurred in Pennsylvania.”

The CDC states, the phenomena or happenings of these ticks in Pennsylvania is still largely unknown. “To date, adults have been collected in July and August, while no immature stages have been collected,” according to the CDC website. “Adult Gulf Coast ticks in Pennsylvania have been collected in habitat ranging anywhere from shaded woods to sunny meadows. These ticks can quest for extended periods at peak temperatures and prefer drier environments.”

Through July 2024 in Pennsylvania, these ticks have only been collected from 4 counties, as shown in this map from the CDC.

Over the last year, the Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute had a total of 7 human exposures to Gulf coast ticks, mostly in the Southeast, Southcentral and Northeast counties. “While the population in PA is isolated and not truly established in most counties, it could continue to grow and expand north/west,” Director Chinnici stated.

What You Should Know About the Gulf Coast Tick

Gulf Coast Tick (Amblyomma maculatum)

Established A. maculatum tick populations now exist in states hundreds of miles inland (Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana) and along the Atlantic coast as far north as Connecticut). Migratory grassland birds serve a crucial role in the spread of Gulf Coast ticks to locations in central and northern states that possess favorable environmental conditions for the tick’s survival.

RANGE:

  • Mid-20th Century – predominantly coastal regions of states bordering the Gulf of Mexico as far west as Texas and the southern Atlantic coast only as far north as southern North Carolina (per the CDC).
  • There have been a small number of reports of the ticks being found in Maine and Iowa and new populations on the rise in Delaware and Maryland.
SPREAD OF TICKS: Migratory grassland birds serve a crucial role in the spread of Gulf Coast ticks to locations in central and northern states that possess favorable environmental conditions for the tick’s survival.

HABITAT: Unlike blacklegged and lone star ticks, Gulf Coast ticks favor grassland habitats, from prairies to coastal uploads.

MOST ACTIVE: April to October

DISTINGUING MARKS: Brownish-red with whitish markings

DISEASES CARRIED: Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tularemia and STARI.

BACKGROUND FOR SPREAD OF GULF COAST TICKS:

During the past 250 years, huge swathes of native grasslands and savannahs in the eastern US were transformed into agricultural areas and rangeland, creating habitats not favorable for Gulf Coast ticks. Ironically, current reclamation of native grasslands through conservation efforts in the northeastern US might have inadvertently led to establishment of Gulf Coast ticks in that region. For example, the recent discovery of established Gulf Coast tick populations in reclaimed grasslands at the former Freshkills landfill on Staten Island, New York, is an example of this phenomenon. Of note, restored grassland habitats often occur near or within shorelines, parks, and wildlife areas near densely populated metropolitan areas, and visited by people who may not suspect ticks in this area.

Sources:

https://www.dep.pa.gov/Business/ProgramIntegration/Vector-Management/Ticks/Pages/Gulf-Coast-Tick.aspx

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/30/10/24-0821_article

https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/health/newsroom/department-of-health-launches-new-dashboard-to-help-prevent-tick.html

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