Ixodes scapularis, the Black-legged Tick (often known as the
"Deer Tick"), is best known as an important vector in the
eastern United States of Lyme borreliosis (Lyme Disease), the
most prevalent tick-transmitted infection not only in this
region but, more generally, in temperate areas of Europe, North
America, and Asia. (In the western United States and Europe, the
main Lyme disease vectors are the related ticks I. pacificus and
I. ricinus, respectively.) This tick was formerly known as I.
dammini, but in 1993 this name was shown to be a junior synonym
of I. scapularis. Lyme disease occurs only sporadically in the
southern United States. (Patnaude and Mather 2000 and references
therein) The distribution and abundance of I. scapularis is
closely tied to that of its primary reproductive host, the
White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus). As large-scale
changes in the landscape of the eastern United States have led
to large increases in deer populations, I. scapularis
populations appear to have increased as w