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Background  Powassan virus (POWV; genus  Flavivirus ) is the sole North American member of the tick-borne encephalitis sero-complex and an increasing public health threat in the USA. Maintained in nature by  Ixodes  spp. ticks, POWV has also been isolated from species of other hard tick genera, yet it is unclear if these species can serve as vectors.  Dermacentor variabilis  and  Amblyomma americanum  share geographic and ecologic overlap with  Ixodes  spp. ticks and POWV transmission foci, raising the possibility that POWV could become established in these tick species and leading to range expansion and increased human risk. Therefore, we assessed the competency of  Ixodes scapularis ,  D. variabilis  and  A. americanum  for POWV lineage II (POWV II).    Methods  Larvae from all three species were co-infested on POWV-infected Balb/c mice. The engorged larvae were allowed to molt to nymphs and screened for the presence of POWV II RNA by reverse transcription-qPCR. Eight infected nymphs from each species were allowed to individually feed on a naïve mouse. Mice were screened for the presence of POWV II RNA to determine infection status.    Results  The results demonstrated that larvae from all three tick species were able to efficiently acquire POWV II via feeding on viremic mice, maintain infection through molting and successively transmit POWV to naïve mice at the nymphal stage at comparable rates across all three species.    Conclusions  Our findings reveal that non- Ixodes  tick species can serve as competent vectors for POWV and highlight the potential role of these species in the ecology and epidemiology of POWV. Future studies examining the possible implications of these findings on POWV epidemiology and the adaptability of POWV in these new vectors are warranted.    Graphical abstract

Vector competence of human-biting ticks Ixodes scapularis, Amblyomma americanum and Dermacentor variabilis for Powassan virus