Why tick-borne disease risk is becoming harder to map

Tick threats are shifting in ways veterinary teams can’t afford to treat as static. In the UK, recent veterinary and public health reporting points to a broader and more dynamic risk landscape: Ixodes ricinus remains the country’s most common tick and the main vector for Lyme disease, while Dermacentor reticulatus continues to matter because of canine babesiosis risk in parts of England and Wales. A 2026 UK Health Security Agency paper based on Tick Surveillance Scheme data from 2021 to 2024 recorded 3,182 tick records and 27 tick species, underscoring how surveillance is picking up a wider and better-mapped distribution picture. At the same time, UKHSA says rising Lyme disease totals likely reflect a mix of awareness, diagnostics, habitat change, wildlife shifts, and changing human behavior, while Vet Times and ESCCAP-linked commentary warn that pet movement and changing tick distribution across Europe are feeding into UK companion animal risk. (researchportal.ukhsa.gov.uk)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is less about a single new pathogen and more about a moving exposure map. Lyme disease remains the headline zoonotic concern, but babesiosis still deserves attention, especially where dogs have not traveled and clinicians might otherwise discount it. UK experience since the 2015-2016 Essex outbreak shows B. canis can emerge in local foci linked to D. reticulatus, and APHA has previously advised use of imidocarb under the cascade for canine babesiosis treatment. That means parasite prevention, travel history, local habitat exposure, tick identification, and early diagnostic suspicion all need to be part of routine case assessment and pet parent communication. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

What to watch: Expect continued updates from the UK Tick Surveillance Scheme, more localized risk mapping, and ongoing pressure on practices to tailor tick prevention advice to where pets live, travel, and work. (researchportal.ukhsa.gov.uk)