BOZEMAN - When a Montana woman discovered an unusual looking tick on her dog, she submitted it to a research lab where they soon discovered that this was a type of tick that had never been confirmed in Montana.
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Mel and Kim Kotur were petting their dog Maisie after a hunting trip in eastern Montana when they felt something in her fur.
“I was petting her and just felt something on there. At first I thought maybe it was hounds’ tongue or some kind of weed seed, and turns out looking at it, it was a tick,” said Mel Kotur.
“It was right on her collar, on the front of her neck,” said Kim.
When the Koturs discovered the tick, they noticed it didn’t look like the ticks they’re used to seeing.
“You know, being outside a lot, we’ve seen a lot of ticks. They’ve all been wood ticks; this one just looked a little different,” said Mel.
What the Koturs didn’t know at the time was that they had found the first documented Black Legged Tick, commonly called the deer tick, in Montana.
Until this point, the tick has only been seen as far west as north-central North Dakota; this is now the first known tick in Montana that can carry Lyme Disease.
“What’s happening is that these ticks might be moving into Montana looking for hosts like a deer maybe in these riparian water corridors and then that’s kind of helping them migrate into the state,” said Marni Rolston, a a Lab Diagnostician at the MSU Schutter Lab.
The lab mainly focuses on plants, but they also work to identify ticks.
Deer ticks are much smaller than the usual kinds of ticks found in Montana.
“The nymphal stage can be small; it’s about only as large as a poppyseed and then the adult stages are a bit larger. But they’re still pretty small compared to our normal ticks. The adult stages tend to be the size of a sesame seed,” said Rolston.
While these ticks can carry Lyme Disease, not all of them have it. The ticks must be infected by another Lyme disease-carrying animal to keep spreading the disease.
Luckily, infection doesn’t happen immediately.
“It needs to blood feed for at least 24 hours before it can transmit the disease to you. So you have 24 hours to try and find these ticks once they’ve attached to you,” said Rolston.
The Koturs always take extra precaution when going on their hunting trips, using sprays and special clothing made for warding off ticks.
“So you put that over your socks and you put that over the outside, and the ticks crawl up and get stuck in there and they come all the way up your leg,” said Kim.
Ticks are most present in the early summer months, but deer ticks may extend this time period.
FROM THE MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES:
Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPPHS) officials are alerting the public about the recent identification of a tick new to Montana known as Ixodes scapularis, commonly referred to as a “deer tick” or “blacklegged tick”.
State health officials report that over the past year three blacklegged ticks were identified in the state for the first time through active surveillance conducted by researchers and public health officials. The ticks were found in Dawson and Sheridan counties.
Blacklegged ticks are much smaller and darker in color than most other ticks in Montana that might feed on humans. The presence of blacklegged ticks in Montana may increase the risk of exposure to new tickborne illnesses in the state.
“Not all types of ticks carry all tickborne illnesses,” said Devon Cozart, DPHHS Vectorborne Disease Epidemiologist. “The presence of this new type of tick in the state could mean that Montanans have an increased risk of exposure to diseases that weren’t previously a threat in Montana.”
Blacklegged ticks are extremely common in Northeastern United States. Recently, these ticks have steadily expanded into other states.
Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Powassan virus, hard tick relapsing fever, and babesiosis are examples of diseases known to be transmitted by the bite of a blacklegged tick.
One tick collected in Dawson County was confirmed to be a blacklegged tick by Rocky Mountain Laboratories in 2024. DPHHS, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), confirmed in the fall of 2024 that two ticks found in Sheridan County were blacklegged ticks. These two ticks were tested by CDC and no pathogens that can cause illness in humans were detected, including Lyme disease.
Currently, there is no known increased risk in Montana for Lyme disease, or other pathogens transmitted by blacklegged ticks. However, the risk of encountering a blacklegged tick may be higher in Dawson and Sheridan counties.
Public health officials are conducting further investigation to determine whether these ticks are found elsewhere in Montana and whether they are establishing their habitat in the state. DPHHS will continue to monitor tick activity in select locations throughout the state and will adjust guidance as needed if blacklegged ticks become established.
“Currently, tick experts do not think that the blacklegged tick is present throughout Montana,” Cozart said. “These ticks could have been carried into the state by a host animal, or they could be active and reproducing here – we just don’t know yet. We will be conducting further investigations this spring.”
The tick species most common in Montana at this time include the Rocky Mountain wood tick and the American dog tick. These ticks can spread diseases such as tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Colorado tick fever.
This spring, DPHHS is launching a citizen scientist program and is requesting the public’s help in tick surveillance, especially in Dawson and Sheridan counties. Anyone who thinks they have found a blacklegged tick is encouraged to fill out this online form. The form is also on the DPHHS website and includes instructions on how to submit the tick for identification.
Cozart states the best way to reduce your chance of developing an illness from a tick bite is to reduce your contact with ticks.
“Preventing tick bites is important while spending time outdoors, especially when walking through brushy or wooded areas,” she said. “Though tick activity slows during winter months, ticks can be active any time temperatures are above freezing. Any outdoor activity in any season that disturbs leaf brush (such as yardwork or hiking) or contact with other animals (such as hunting) increases the risk of encountering a tick.”
To prevent tick bites, follow these tips:
- Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin
- Check for ticks often and carry a tick removal device such as tweezers
- Shower soon after being outdoors
- Put clothing in the dryer for 10 minutes after being outdoors to kill ticks
- Check pets regularly for ticks and talk to a veterinarian about tick prevention products
“If you find a tick, remove it safely and quickly,” Cozart added. “The less time a tick is attached, the less likely you are to develop an illness. If you have been bitten by a tick and start to feel sick with symptoms including fever, rash, body aches, and headaches, talk to your health care provider and let them know about your tick encounter.
