Lone Star Tick

The lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, is a species of hard tick widely distributed across the eastern, southeastern and midwestern United States and parts of southern Ontario, Canada, favoring wooded areas with thick underbrush where white-tailed deer, its primary host as an adult, are common. Females are identified by a single silvery-white spot near the center of their back, the marking that gives the species its name, while males show scattered white streaks along the margins of their shield. Besides transmitting several disease-causing bacteria, including the agents of ehrlichiosis, its bite is notable for triggering alpha-gal syndrome, a delayed allergic reaction to red meat confirmed to be caused by a sugar molecule present in the tick's saliva.