Once largely isolated to the fringes of the Island, lone star ticks are spreading throughout Martha’s Vineyard, and health officials are advising extra vigilance to avoid the unpleasant consequences of their bite.

Just as medical professionals on the Vineyard are feeling encouraged by the start of a Lyme vaccine trial, Island doctors are reporting numerous instances of itchy, painful rashes caused by lone star tick larvae in so-called “tick bombs.”

Tick-borne illnesses on Martha’s Vineyard have reached possible record highs this year, as lone star ticks and their larvae spread in the Island’s outermost reaches.

Discovering an engorged tick on your body while taking a shower is the Vineyard version of the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

The rapid and unexpected expansion of the lone star tick into New England poses an ominous public health risk for coastal communities like Martha’s Vineyard.

As a particularly pervasive summer for ticks on the Island winds down, the Infectious Disease Society of America has released new draft guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.