Dr. Katie Clow on Black-legged Ticks and Lyme Disease (from the archives)

Last week I was getting ready for bed when I found a Black-legged Tick (Ixodes scapularis) with their head embedded in my back. I got a little bit anxious, but immediately went for my phone to take some photos. My partner removed helped me remove the tick and I didn’t feel too anxious about it after that. Last week we found a number of ticks around town, or heard co-workers found some, or were visiting some spots where I had encountered ticks in the past. Today when I got home from teaching a class, I saw a massively engorged tick on my cat while she was laying about in the backyard.

All of these recent sightings or memories have got me thinking about ticks, so I wanted to rebroadcast this episode from 2020. I bet a lot of the information is still very relevant, so listen up, get stoked on how cool ticks are, and continue to check yourself.

Dr. Katie Clow is an assistant professor at the Ontario Veterinary College, and Vet by training, and expert in zoonotic epidemiology. Today we talk about ticks and tick borne diseases such as Lyme disease. You may need to take notes for this one as Katie has a lot to share.

Originally aired on July 20, 2020.