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Charles B. Beard, Lars Eisen, Rebecca J. Eisen | Journal of Medical Entomology | (2021)
Primary Link Pubmed DOI Openalex Full text (OA)

Key Takeaways

Plain English Takeaway

Tick bites and the diseases they spread are becoming a bigger problem in the United States, and more action is needed to protect people and animals.

Study Aim

The paper aims to introduce and highlight the growing threat of ticks and tickborne diseases in the United States. It seeks to explain how this threat has changed over time due to shifts in the environment, animal populations, and human activities. The authors also want to stress the urgent need for more research, better surveillance, and stronger public health responses to address the increasing impact of these diseases. Simply put: This paper explains why tick-related diseases are getting worse in the U.S. and calls for more attention and action.

Study Design

This article is an introduction to a special series and does not present new experimental research. Instead, it reviews historical milestones, recent trends, and scientific advances in the study of ticks and tickborne diseases in the United States. The authors summarize key discoveries, shifts in research focus, and the development of new surveillance and diagnostic tools. They also discuss the expansion of tick species and the diseases they carry, drawing on published studies and national disease reporting data. Simply put: The authors review past and current research to show how tick problems have changed and why they matter now.

Findings

The paper reports that tickborne diseases now make up over 75% of all reported vector-borne diseases (diseases spread by organisms like ticks and mosquitoes) in the United States. The authors describe how new tick species and disease agents have emerged and spread, putting more people at risk. Improved surveillance and diagnostic methods have helped track these changes, but the number of cases—especially Lyme disease—continues to rise. The authors argue that without stronger and sustained efforts in research, surveillance, and prevention, the problem will likely get worse. They call for urgent investment and action to reverse these trends and protect public health. Simply put: Tick-related diseases are rising fast, and unless we act now, the problem will keep getting worse.

Abstract

No abstract available

Referenced In

Lee Johnson
16 days ago
A Scientific Review of Claims made by RFK Jr.

Claim: Ticks Weren’t a Problem Until the 1980s... and They Came From Plum Island

Verdict: False and misleading

“We didn't really have a tick problem in this country until the 1980s. [...] As those deer have proliferated and become very common, the ticks have also proliferated.”

WATCH LIVE: RFK Jr. announces new actions on Lyme disease during NH visit RFK Jr., May 29th, 2026

“[Lyme disease is] highly likely to have been a military weapon. We cannot say 100% for sure, but we do know that they were experimenting with ticks there, and the ticks - as you show - are [an] epidemic because of what happened in Plum Island and the other labs.”

Bioweapons and Lyme Disease with Kris Newby (from 8:00)

RFK Jr., January 19th, 2024

RFK Jr. spoke carefully during a recent announcement about new actions to combat Lyme disease, but just two years ago his opinions were far more extreme. But is RFK Jr. right about ticks not being a problem until the 1980s? How do his recent comments connect to his views from just two years ago?

Ticks Were Around Long Before the 1980s, Lyme Just Wasn’t Identified

Whether RFK Jr. was saying that there were very few ticks before the 80s or that the ticks just weren’t a “problem” until then, he is incorrect.

Ticks were first shown to transmit disease in 1893, when scientists showed Texas cattle fever spread through tick bites. Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia were linked to ticks in the early 20th century, and Lyme disease to the blacklegged tick in the 1970s.

However, he is correct to link the rise of tick populations to deer.

Did Ticks (or Lyme) Become a Problem Because of Plum Island?

So why did RFK Jr. suggest that ticks were only a problem from relatively recently? It’s possibly because it fits with a theory he touted on his podcast in 2024, just a year before starting his current role.

The Plum Island Animal Disease Center was at the centre of RFK’s theorizing. It’s proximity to Lyme, Connecticut and the secretive nature of the facility has spurred conspiracy theories. However, what we know about the facility suggests foot and mouth disease and swine fever were the main focuses of research, not Lyme disease.

Most damning of all, a study on the ancient history of Lyme disease traced the bacterial DNA back and suggested the disease is 60,000 years old. So neither Lyme nor tick issues began at Plum Island.

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