Relapsing-fever
Guides
Argas
Bat-ticks
Argas is a genus of soft ticks in the family Argasidae, containing 44 species across two subgenera: Argas and Persicargas. These ticks lack the hard dorsal shield characteristic of hard ticks (Ixodidae) and exhibit distinctive feeding behaviors, taking multiple short blood meals rather than prolonged single feedings. The genus includes species with exceptional longevity—Argas brumpti individuals have survived 27 years in laboratory conditions and endured eight years without feeding. Argas species serve as vectors for tick-borne pathogens including those causing tick-borne relapsing fever.
Ixodes affinis
Ixodes affinis is a hard-bodied tick species distributed across the southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. Unlike its congener Ixodes scapularis, this species does not bite humans but serves as a competent vector for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, the causative agent of Lyme disease. Immature stages feed on birds and small mammals, while adults parasitize larger mammals including deer and dogs. Its expanding range into southeastern Virginia and association with migratory birds has raised concerns about its role in pathogen dispersal.
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turicata
relapsing fever tick
Ornithodoros turicata is a soft tick (family Argasidae) found in the midwestern and southwestern United States. It is the primary vector of Borrelia turicatae, the spirochete agent of tick-borne relapsing fever in humans. The tick has been documented feeding on at least 27 vertebrate host species across mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. It exhibits autogenous reproduction (egg production without a bloodmeal) and transovarial transmission of spirochetes, enabling pathogen maintenance across generations.