SCIENCE* LAB SCREEN : TROUBLESOME TICKS

Troublesome Ticks : For seven tiny stowaways - all routes led to Connecticut.

Ticks from different countries are turning up in the United States after hitching rides on international travelers, a new study found.

The study, published in the journal iScience, documented seven nonnative ticks that were carried by humans to Connecticut from 2019-23. The little arachnids were came from Belize, Costa Rica, Germany, Guatemala, Poland, Scotland and Tanzania.

'' The main finding is that we are facing an increasing risk of invasive ticks in the United States,'' said Goudarz Molaei, a study author who is a medical entomologist with the  Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

He added that the rate of intentional introductions of nonnative species appeared to be rising.

That could increase the number of tick-borne pathogens in the United States - which, the study notes, was already on the rise - and heighten disease risks for people across the country.

In recent decades, ticks of all kinds have been flourishing in the United States.

Some originated abroad, like the Asian long -horned tick. The Arachnids have been traveling domestically, too.

Ticks from the Gulf coasts are moving north. So is the lone star tick, a southern bug whose bite may trigger an allergy to red meat. And deer ticks, known for spreading Lyme disease, are moving farther north.

The United States is likely to be friendly to ticks that come from other continents. '' Because of the hospitable environment currently, there is no limit for these ticks to start establishing populations,'' Dr. Molaei said.

THE STUDY found more cause for alarm. Two of the ticks documented - nymphs from Costa Rica and Guatemala - tested positive for Rickettsia amblyommatis, a type of bacteria that could be linked to spotted fever, a potentially fatal disease.

The research does not necessarily suggest that the nonnative species are proliferating widely.  Still, the findings help to provide sketch - or an early warning - for experts who focus on tick -borne diseases. 

'' I do want to know, when these species pop up, to keep an eye out for them,'' said Megan Linske, a tick ecologist in Connecticut who was not involved in the  study. '' Because some of them look very similar to our species. Some of them have very similar behaviour and host dynamics.''

Ticks are generally more active, and more numerous, than they used to be. Climate change is partly to blame. When winters are warmer, ticks and the animals they depend on, like deer and mice, are more likely to survive.

And rising temperatures allow ticks to be active for longer parts of the year.

 The World Students Society thanks Jacey Fortin.