Table 2.
Native argasid tick species documented to bite humans in the United States (US).
| Tick speciesa | Total tick specimens recorded to infest humansc | Number (%) of ticks recorded to infest humans by life stage for a given speciesd | Geographical distribution in the US | Primary host preference | Associated human pathogens or medical conditions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Adult | Nymph | Larva | ||||
| Otobius megnini b | 69 | 30.0 | 9 (17) | 36 (69) | 7 (14) | Western | Ungulates, including cattle | Damage at external ear canal bite site |
| Ornithodoros coriaceus | 55 | 23.9 | 4 (40) | 4 (40) | 2 (20) | Far Western | Ungulates, including cattle | None |
| Argas monolakensis b | 41 | 17.8 | 23 (56) | 18 (44) | 0 (0) | Western | Birds | None |
| Ornithodoros hermsi | 38 | 16.5 | 5 (13) | 33 (87) | 0 (0) | Western | Rodents | Borrelia hermsii |
| Ornithodoros turicata | 5 | 2.2 | 0 (0) | 4 (80) | 1 (20) | Southerne | Rodents, Reptiles | Borrelia turicatae |
| Ornithodoros parkeri | 4 | 1.7 | 3 (100) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | Western | Rodents, Lagomorphs | Borrelia parkeri |
| Argas sanchezi | 3 | 1.3 | 1 (33) | 2 (67) | 0 (0) | Western | Birds, including domestic fowl | None |
| Ornithodoros capensis | 3 | 1.3 | 0 (0) | 3 (100) | 0 (0) | Southeast, Hawaii | Seabirds | None |
| Ornithodoros concanensis | 3 | 1.3 | 2 (100) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | Western | Bats, Birds | None |
| Ornithodoros kelleyi | 3 | 1.3 | 0 (0) | 2 (100) | 0 (0) | Widely in the US | Bats | None |
| Ornithodoros stageri | 3 | 1.3 | 1 (100) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | Southern | Bats | None |
| Argas miniatus | 2 | 0.9 | 0 (0) | 2 (100) | 0 (0) | Southern | Birds, including domestic fowl | None |
| Otobius lagophilus | 1 | 0.4 | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (100) | Western | Lagomorphs | None |
Based on taxonomic nomenclature presented by Guglielmone et al. (2010) and Nava et al. (2017). Some other authors (see Mans et al., 2019) place four of the Ornithodoros species (Or. capensis, Or. concanensis, Or. kelleyi, and Or. stageri) included in this table in the genus Carios.
Including synonyms for the following species: Argas monolakensis (=Argas cooleyi) and Otobius megnini (=Argas megnini, Ornithodoros megnini).
All life stages combined, based on data presented in Supplementary Tables 37–49. Percentages refer to contribution to human encounters across tick species. The data refer broadly to human tick encounters, as not all publications make it clear if ticks recorded to infest humans were biting/had bitten or were still crawling on clothing or skin.
Excluding specimens for which life stage was not defined (see Supplementary Tables 37–49). Percentages refer to contribution to human encounters across life stages for a given species.
Mainly southwestern, with a disjunct population in Florida.