This was, as the title of a New York Times Magazine article put it, “the summer the ticks took over.” Tick populations have surged in some parts of the U.S. in recent years. And in April, the Centers for Disease Control announced a spike in emergency room visits for tick bites. Media coverage and public concern about tick-borne illnesses rose to a crescendo.
Reassuringly, that same article declared that “the least ticky place in the mainland United States is West Texas.” But what risks exist in our region, and what precautions should we take?
Dr. Chris Ritzi is an entomologist at Sul Ross State University. He specializes in ectoparasites, specifically the group of blood-sucking arthropods that includes ticks.
“What most people are concerned about is if I get bit by a tick, I'll never be able to eat steak again,” Ritzi said. “Particularly in the Southwest and Texas, where we are beef country, that is a horrifying concept for many people.”
Ticks have long been recognized as a major vector for diseases, with Lyme Disease at the top of the list. But, as Ritzi notes, this year’s anxiety has centered on another condition.
Alpha-gal Syndrome is a potentially dangerous allergy to red meat, and it’s transmitted by the lone star tick. The tick gets its name not from our state, but from the single white spot found on the backs of females.
They’re most abundant in the Southeast. But Ritzi routinely collects them in the Trans-Pecos.
“They're not a very abundant tick,” he said. “I don't catch them a lot, but they are regionally capable of being found. When you look at distributions of lone star ticks, it very much shows them across Texas.”
But – Ritzi said West Texans shouldn’t be unduly alarmed. Tick populations have not surged here as they have elsewhere.
“As far as the number of ticks that are out there, I don't think we’ve necessarily seen a surge in tick numbers,” he said. “I don't think ticks have increased in abundance in the environment per se.”
Ticks thrive in wet conditions, with are mostly seasonal in our arid landscape. And surging tick numbers in the eastern U.S. are linked to surging white-tailed deer populations. Our region simply doesn’t have the density of large, warm-blooded creatures that would allow ticks to boom and proliferate.
So, while it might be possible to contract Alpha-gal Syndrome here, or even Lyme Disease, it’s unlikely.
Still, Ritzi suspects West Texas is not necessarily any less “ticky” than other parts of the arid Southwest; rather, there are simply fewer researchers here, and fewer people to report bites.
And there are factors that could increase ticks and other parasites in our region. Exotic game introduced to local ranches could bring exotic parasites. And booming aoudad populations could mean more ticks.
Ticks feed through what Ritzi described as a “reverse well-injection effect”: to force our blood up, they push their own saliva into our bodies. It’s the saliva that transmits alpha-gal. Removing the tick promptly – with tweezers, to extract the entire tick – is the best way to reduce exposure to the illness-causing molecule.
When Ritzi travels to wetter climes for research, he applies the tick repellent permethrin to his boots and clothes. He doesn’t apply the repellent for his work in West Texas.
“That being said, is it a good idea if you have a pair of boots or a pair of legwear that you're going to be using outside a lot to possibly treat with permethrin and give that spray down?” he said. “It probably doesn't hurt to use that.”
The increase in tick-borne illnesses is serious. For now, at least, we’re safer here than most.
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