OH university researchers see evidence of tick growth, disease

By Terri Dee

People who live in or visit the forested eastern and southern regions of Ohio should take extra precautions to avoid ticks – and Lyme disease. A new Ohio State University study shows tick-related infection rates among some animals are inching upwards.

Between 2010 and 2025, there has been a 48% increase in Lyme disease reports in Ohio. And tick-bite infections have increased by nearly 61% in small mammals.

Timothy McDermott, DVM, is an assistant professor of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University Extension Division. He said the blacklegged tick can be especially dangerous.

"It is public health enemy number one in the tick world," said McDermott. "It causes the most tick vector disease to humans, companion animals and livestock. It is the tick that we get transmission of Lyme disease to people, but also to horses, dogs and cats."

McDermott said if bitten, it is important to know the correct way to remove the tick’s embedded head before the feeding process begins. Use tweezers or a pointy tick tool to remove the tick, place the bug in a baggie, and put it in a freezer to kill it.

Wearing permethrin-treated clothing, applying a topical repellent, and doing frequent tick checks are ways to help prevent tick bites. McDermott said a common myth is that ticks are only active in the summer – but Ohio has tick activity all year long.

"But the deer tick adult here in Ohio, its heightened period of activity is actually in the fall into the winter," said McDermott, "literally from Thanksgiving until New Year's Day. And we have positive cases in Lyme disease here in Ohio all 12 months of the year."

Deer ticks prefer to feed on the white-footed mouse and eastern chipmunks. As they mature, their preference turns to intermediate-sized mammals, people or dogs.

The Ohio State University offers the Buckeye Tick Test, a service that accepts captured ticks for pathogen testing, then provides a report to share with a physician or veterinarian for guidance.