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Wildlife & Encounters

Ticks & disease — the everyday hazard worth a few good habits

Ticks are Missouri's most serious everyday wildlife hazard. A few simple habits cut the risk, and many tick illnesses are treatable when caught early.

Ticks, in plain terms

The plain answer: A tick bite is common and usually harmless, and you don't need to live in fear of the woods. This page is about prevention — the habits that keep ticks off you and the right way to pull one off. For diagnosis and treatment, see a doctor.

Most tick bites cause nothing more than a small itchy bump. The point of this page is to lower your odds even further and to help you spot the rare bite that needs a doctor's attention. Think of it as everyday gear and good habits, not a reason to stay indoors.

The ticks to know

Missouri's common ticks

A few kinds of tick do most of the biting here. Knowing them helps you understand the risks below.

Lone Star tick

Missouri's most common tick, and the one tied to alpha-gal syndrome. A white dot marks the female's back.

American dog tick

Common in grassy, open areas; can carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia.

Blacklegged (deer) tick

The Lyme-disease carrier; less common in Missouri than farther north.

Gulf Coast tick

Found in places around the state.

What ticks can carry

The tick-borne illnesses here

These are the illnesses tied to tick bites in Missouri. The good news in the list: the bacterial ones respond well to antibiotics, and catching them early matters most.

Ehrlichiosis

A bacterial illness; treatable with antibiotics, especially early.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (spotted-fever group)

A bacterial illness that can become serious — early treatment matters.

Tularemia

A bacterial illness also linked to handling sick rabbits and rodents.

Lyme / Lyme-like illness (STARI)

Less common here than in the Northeast, but present.

Heartland virus

A virus first identified in Missouri.

Bourbon virus

A newer regional virus that has caused illness and death.

Alpha-gal syndrome

An allergy, not an infection — see below.

Two Missouri stories

Alpha-gal syndrome & the Heartland virus

Alpha-gal syndrome is an allergy to mammal products — beef, pork, lamb, and often dairy and gelatin, but NOT poultry or fish — triggered by Lone Star tick bites. It's increasingly diagnosed in Missouri.

The Heartland virus was first identified right here in Missouri. It's another reason the same simple habit matters most: keep ticks from biting in the first place.

Prevention

Prevention — a few habits that cut your risk a lot

Found one attached?

How to remove a tick the right way

Stay calm — a careful, steady removal is all it takes.

  • Use fine-tipped tweezers.
  • Grasp the tick as close to the skin as you can.
  • Pull straight out with steady pressure — don't twist or jerk.
  • Clean the area with soap and water or rubbing alcohol.
  • Skip the old tricks — no match, nail polish, or petroleum jelly.

When to see a doctor

Watch for these after a bite

See a doctor if you get a fever, severe headache, body aches, nausea, or a rash after a tick bite or time in tick habitat — and mention the exposure. Bacterial tick diseases respond well to antibiotics, and starting early matters.

A quick word on chiggers and mosquitoes

Two quick neighbors: chiggers leave itchy welts but aren't dangerous and don't spread disease here, and mosquitoes can carry West Nile virus — cut down standing water around the house and use repellent.

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