The winter tick is which species?

The winter tick is which species?

• A. Dermacentor albipictus
• B. Ixodes dammini
• C. Dermacentor variabilis
• D. Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Answer: (A)

Winter tick is Dermacentor albipictus, a one-host tick that spends its entire life cycle on a single host, usually large mammals, and tends to infest animals during winter. This species is distinct from Ixodes dammini (now Ixodes scapularis), the deer tick associated with Lyme disease; Dermacentor variabilis, the American dog tick; and Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the brown dog tick, which have different host preferences and disease associations. So, the winter tick is Dermacentor albipictus.

Winter tick is Dermacentor albipictus, a one-host tick that spends its entire life cycle on a single host, usually large mammals, and tends to infest animals during winter. This species is distinct from Ixodes dammini (now Ixodes scapularis), the deer tick associated with Lyme disease; Dermacentor variabilis, the American dog tick; and Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the brown dog tick, which have different host preferences and disease associations. So, the winter tick is Dermacentor albipictus.