Abstract
Ticks transport and transmit microbial pathogens that inflict malevolent diseases
on domestic and wildlife animals, and humans. We reveal the first-time record of the
blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, in British Columbia (BC) and, concurrently, far western
North America. We unveil the primary tick-host record of I. scapularis parasitizing a Mallard
duck, Anas platyrhynchos. In our study, the most pronounced Ixodes species was I. scapularis
(61%) followed by the western blacklegged tick, Ixodes pacifi cus (34%). The most frequently
occurring mammalian host parasitized by I. scapularis was the eastern cottontail, Sylvilagus
floridanus, a lagomorph of grassland habitats. Healthcare professionals must be aware that
both I. pacificus, and I. scapularis bite humans in BC, and transmit at least six tick-borne
human zoonotic pathogens that cause insidious diseases.
