Peromyscus leucopus , Mus musculus , and humans have distinct transcriptomic responses to larval Ixodes scapularis bites.

, with the natural host producing the smallest transcriptomic signature of a canonical proinflammatory immune response and the incidental human host producing the most robust signature of inflammation in response to the larval tick. These data expand our understanding of the pressures on ticks in the wild and inform our ability to model these interactions in laboratory settings.