The lone star tick, notorious for spreading disease and causing a red meat allergy called alpha-gal syndrome, has long plagued the eastern United States.

Now, UC Davis researchers warn it may be edging closer to establishing itself in California.

Their study uncovered seventy-six lone star ticks reported across the state, including recent finds in the Bay Area and San Clemente. While field teams in 2024 and 2025 didn’t recover any during surveillance, climate models show coastal California offers prime conditions for the species.

Experts say the tick isn’t officially established yet, but the risk is real. With climate change and increased movement of animals and people, scientists caution that Californians should stay vigilant, check for ticks after outdoor activities, and report unusual sightings.

Click here to read the study in the journal Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases.

Melinda

Reference:

https://www.lymedisease.org/lone-star-ticks-california/

Ten years ago, singer-songwriter Jesse Ruben was desperately ill with Lyme disease—wracked with pain, clouded by brain fog, and battling depression. In the midst of all that, he discovered that if he stayed up well past midnight, the fog would lift somewhat.

“So I’d keep myself up till 6, 7, 8 in the morning,” he recalls, “because it was the only time I had a cognitive thought.”

One morning in 2015, during one of those more lucid hours, he sang the beginning of a new song into his cell phone—and promptly forgot about it. Years later, he stumbled upon the audio file and decided to finish what he had started.

The result is Monster, a raw and powerful song that captures the pain, frustration, and mental anguish that so many Lyme patients know all too well:

“There’s something wrong here, doctor, and I don’t know what it is… 

But there’s a monster in my body and it’s living in my limbs… 

And it’s tearing through my system like a hurricane wind that won’t stop…”

First “We Can” and then he couldn’t

Before he became ill, Ruben was a rising star in the music world, with a popular song called “We Can.” It was a feel-good, upbeat tune that he wrote after running his very first marathon.

Then everything changed.

It started with flu-like symptoms that wouldn’t go away, followed by dizziness and nausea.

Doctors ran tests and told him everything looked fine. But Jesse knew something wasn’t right. He struggled to breathe and couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs. The brain fog got so bad he’d forget the lyrics to his own songs—music he’d poured his heart into.

He saw more than ten doctors. Each gave him a different answer: vitamin D deficiency, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome. None of it fit.

Eventually, Jesse found a doctor who properly diagnosed and treated him for Lyme disease, and he began to heal. He returned to music with renewed purpose—and his single This Is Why I Need You struck a chord around the world. It’s now been streamed over 70 million times across various platforms, a testament to how deeply his message resonates.

Alongside his musical comeback, Jesse became a passionate advocate for others facing Lyme disease. He co-founded Generation Lyme, a nonprofit created to combat the isolation and confusion that so many people with Lyme disease experience.

The organization hosts free Zoom gatherings for patients, parents, and supporters and also offers the Generation Lyme podcast.

And now, Jesse has finally released Monster, the song he rasped into his cell phone so long ago. Take a listen:

Monster drops as a single today and is also featured on Jesse’s new album Belong, set for release on October 10. The ten-song collection explores themes of mental health, chronic illness, long-term relationships, and the essential role of community in helping us heal and thrive.

Jesse Ruben’s journey—from misdiagnosis and despair to healing and advocacy—is a powerful reminder of what it means to keep going.

With Monster and Belong, he’s not just sharing music—he’s sharing what it feels like to fight for your health, your voice, and your place in the world. These songs speak to anyone who’s ever felt lost in their own body, and they offer something we all need: the feeling of being seen, heard, and believed.

Melinda

Reference:

https://www.lymedisease.org/jesse-rubens-monster/

From the University of North Carolina at Greensboro:

North Carolina is experiencing a surge in Lyme disease cases, and a new surveillance study from UNC Greensboro (UNCG) reveals that the primary vector of the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis), has been spreading into areas previously considered low risk.

“Currently, 16 states, mostly in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and upper Midwest, account for 95% of the reported LD cases,” says Dr. Gideon Wasserberg, a biology professor at UNCG and one of the research project leaders.

“However, low-incidence states to the south and west, including North Carolina, have experienced an increase in the number of reported Lyme disease cases since the early 2010s.”

With funding from Centers for Disease Control, administered by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, researchers from UNCG, North Carolina State University, and Appalachian State University conducted a five-year, statewide survey of blacklegged ticks and the pathogens they often carry.

Dramatic increase in density

“Our data shows a range expansion of these ticks into more counties in the Blue Ridge Mountains and the western Piedmont region and a dramatic increase in their densities in this area as a whole,” said Wasserberg. “These findings are consistent with increasing reports of human Lyme disease cases in these areas.”

Eastern Piedmont and the Coastal Plain, where blacklegged ticks and human Lyme disease cases have been historically noted, saw little change in tick density in comparison.

In the new study, ticks from the Blue Ridge Mountains were also more likely to carry Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria responsible for most cases of Lyme disease, compared to ticks from the Piedmont and Coastal Plain.

“Our analyses indicate that these ticks and the bacteria they carry moved into the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina from southwestern Virginia over the last 10 years, travelling along the Appalachian Mountains,” says Wasserberg.

The researchers say the findings have important implications for public health.

“Enhanced surveillance, increased public awareness, and updated guidance for healthcare providers are crucial to mitigate risk.” said Dr. Reuben Garshong, the lead author of the newly published article in PLOS One. Now a research scientist at the New Jersey Department of Health, Garshong participated in much of the study as a doctoral student in Wasserberg’s lab at UNCG.

Melinda

Reference:

https://www.lymedisease.org/tick-study-north-carolina/