Ticks carrying Lyme disease are gaining ground in North Carolina, study finds - WRAL

New UNC-led research found that Lyme disease is spreading in western North Carolina, with roughly 40% of adult blacklegged ticks tested carrying Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes the illness.
Infection rates in the region now rival those in parts of the Northeast such as New York and Pennsylvania that have long been associated with tickborne illness, according to Dr. Ross Boyce, a UNC Health infectious diseases specialist.
The study centered on Biltmore Forest, a residential community in Buncombe County just south of Asheville, after residents reported getting sick; researchers identified 19 adults who reported a tickborne illness, 17 of whom self-reported Lyme disease.
From November 2024 through August 2025, the team surveyed 25 residential properties, dragging cloth across vegetation to collect and test ticks for bacteria harmful to humans.
Of the 373 ticks collected, about 75% were blacklegged ticks, the primary species that transmits Lyme disease, and three of seven blacklegged tick nymphs tested also carried the bacteria.
Boyce emphasized that conducting the study in a residential setting reflects the real risk people face, particularly those living near wooded areas with deer and small animals where the divide between wildlife habitat and yards has blurred.