Ticks

Shasta Mosquito and Vector Control performs annual surveillance for Ixodes pacificus and Dermacentor sp. ticks, attempting to establish abundance trends, and provide residents with areas of heightened public concern. Ticks have the potential to vector such diseases as Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Tick-borne relapsing fever.

Tick SurveillanceThere are a few common species within the District. Western black legged tick (Ixodes pacificus) populations are regularly tested for infectious agents. Pacific Coast tick (Demacentor occidentalis) and American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) are not currently known to vector any disease within the District.

Lyme Disease is known to be transmitted in Shasta County. District staff routinely find Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium responsible for Lyme Disease, and Borrelia miyamotoi, the bacterium responsible for Tick-borne relapsing fever, in area-collected ticks as part of their tick surveillance program.

To find out more about ticks in California and what to do if you have encountered a tick, visit CDPH's tick-borne disease prevention page.

Bit by a tick? Try CDC's Tick removal directions and Tick Bite Bot.

Print materials: