In Iowa there has been an upward trend in the number of cases of Lyme disease. Due to this increase, it is important to understand the transmission pattern and the factors that play a role in the spread of this disease. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, and is transmitted by Ixodes scapularis, within the United States. I. scapularis has a two-year life cycle that includes three life stages: larva, nymph, and adult, and requires a blood meal between each stage. Ticks can pick up B. burgdorferi through a blood meal at any stage. It is the nymph stage that is the most active and most likely to infect humans. The final blood meal, taken as an adult, usually occurs upon the reproductive host, Odocoileus virginianus, (white-tailed deer). Since white-tailed deer play such an important role in the life cycle of I. scapularis, it is essential to get a better understanding of this relationship. 111 ticks were collected from 60 harvested deer, during the first shotgun season of hunting in December 2018, from Northeast Iowa. The deer were from 11 different counties throughout Iowa, 5 of these counties having deer with infested adult I. scapularis. 96 of the total ticks tested positive for the presence of B. burgdorferi. Of the counties with I. scapularis collected, all had at least one tick positive for B. burgdorferi.

Borrelia burgdorferi, harvested deer, Iowa, Ixodes scapularis, Lyme disease, Odocoileus virginianus, PCR, tick, tick-borne