A press release from UKHSA highlights the finding of a rare tick in Oxford: Hyalomma marginatum. Sometimes known as the Bont-Legged Tick it has been seen before in the UK [1] but its presence is rare. Rising temperatures caused by climate change may increase its presence in the UK, though it has been predicted that cold UK winters may prevent the tick becoming established. [2].

UKHSA press release:

In June 2025, a rare tick species not normally found in the UK (Hyalomma marginatum) was found crawling on a person in Oxford and submitted to the Tick Surveillance Scheme.

This tick species has distinctive stripy legs and is commonly found in parts of Africa, Asia, and southern Europe. H. marginatum is the primary vector of the human pathogen Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) and several bacterial pathogens of veterinary importance such as Anaplasma, Babesia and Theilera.

CCHS’s MEZE team rapidly responded to this incident and conducted tick surveys at two locations in Oxford using tick dragging and CO2-baited traps. Colleagues in the Virology and Pathogenesis Research Group also tested the submitted tick for CCHFV. We found no further evidence of native or non-native ticks at the sites in Oxford, and the submitted tick tested negative for CCHFV.

This will be the fourth record of a locally acquired Hyalomma species from humans and horses in the UK. We are now asking vets to be on the lookout for this tick, and request they send images or samples to the Tick Surveillance Scheme or you can email us directly at tick@nullukhsa.gov.uk.

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So keep your eye out, and carry on sending ticks to the tick surveillance team, especially those with stripy legs that do not look like the ticks you are used to!

References

1. McGinley, L., et al. 2021. “First Report of Human Exposure to Hyalomma Marginatum in England: Further Evidence of a Hyalomma Moulting Event in North-Western Europe?” Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases 12 (1): 101541. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101541.
2. Gillingham, Emma L., et al. 2023. “Modelling the Current and Future Temperature Suitability of the UK for the Vector Hyalomma Marginatum (Acari: Ixodidae).” Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases 14 (2): 102112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.102112.

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