Over 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is spread by the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis.
The blacklegged tick is commonly found in northeastern and midwestern states. In addition to Lyme disease, blacklegged ticks also spread anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan disease. Blacklegged ticks are most likely to bite during the spring, summer and fall, but adults have been known to seek a host during winter months if the temperature is above freezing.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN WOOD TICK
The Rocky Mountain tick is responsible for the spread of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado spotted fever, and tularemia to humans. These ticks are most often located in Rocky Mountain states at elevations between 4,000 and 10,500 feet.
AMERICAN DOG TICK
Most commonly found east of the Rocky Mountains, the American Dog tick, also referred to as the American Wood Tick, is responsible for the spread of Tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Most bites occur in spring and summer.
BROWN DOG TICK
Found throughout the world, the Brown Dog Tick primarily seeks dogs as its host; however, humans and other mammals have been bitten. The disease most commonly attributed to the Brown Dog tick is Rocky Mountain spotted fever, though mostly isolated to southwestern states and along the US-Mexico border.
GULF COAST TICK
As its name would suggest, the Gulf Coast tick is found along the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coastal states. Adult Gulf Coast ticks feed mainly on deer and wildlife, but can spread Rickettsia parkeri, a form of spotted fever, to humans.
LONE STAR TICK
The Lone Star tick is known for its aggression and irritating, sometimes painful bite. These ticks live primarily in the southeastern and eastern United States and can transmit erlichiosis, tularemia, and STARI to humans. This tick can be easily identified by the single white spot on the female's abdomen.
WESTERN BLACKLEGGED TICK
Located along the Pacific coast and in Utah, the Western blacklegged tick is known to spread Lyme disease and anaplasmosis to humans. Infection rates in humans tend to be low as nymphs often prefer to feed on lizards and small mammals.
If you find any ticks on your body or your pets, you should remove them immediately as tick-borne diseases can be transmitted to humans in 24 hours.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE BITTEN BY A TICK
• If you find a tick anywhere on your body, you should remove it immediately to reduce your chance of getting a serious disease such as Lyme. Use fine-point tweezers such as TickEase to grip the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible, then pull away from the skin firmly and steadily until it releases. Clean the bite area with rubbing alcohol, iodine, or soap and water. Submerge the tick in rubbing alcohol to kill it, then flush it down the toilet or place it in a sealed plastic bag to show a doctor or testing facility.
• There are several folk remedies for removing and/or killing a tick, but there is no evidence that covering the tick in clear nail polish, smothering the tick in petroleum, or attempting to light the tick on fire will cause it to release from the skin. These tactics are not advised.
• If you notice a fever or rash within days or weeks of removing a tick, contact a doctor and explain you have been bitten recently by a tick.
HOW TO REMOVE A TICK FROM YOUR DOG
To safely and properly remove a tick from your pet, you will need the following equipment:
• GlovesClean tweezers / tick remover
• Disinfectant or antiseptic cream
• Isopropyl alcohol
Stay safe! Always wear gloves while handling ticks to avoid contact with your skin.
USING A TICK REMOVER:
We recommend using a remover such as TickEase. With tick removers you are much less likely to pinch your pet by accident.
• Gently press the remover against your pet’s skin near the tick.
• Slide the notch of the remover under the tick, pulling it free.
CLEANUP AND AFTERCARE
Drop the tick into isopropyl alcohol and note the date you found the tick. If your pet begins DISPLAYING SYMPTOMS of a tick-borne illness, your veterinarian may want to identify or test it.
Wash your hands, clean your pet’s wound with antiseptic and make sure to clean your tweezers with isopropyl alcohol.
Keep an eye on the area where the tick was to see if an infection surfaces. If the skin remains irritated or infected, make an appointment with your veterinarian.
Now that you've removed the tick from yourself or your pet, you are probably wondering if it carries diseases.
Fortunately there are a few labs in the US that can answer that question.
The UMass Laboratory of Medical Zoology offers reliable, high quality tick testing to see what disease causing microbes the tick may be carrying.
For more information, go to TICKREPORT.COM