Understanding Ticks: How to Identify and Prevent Tick Borne Illnesses

Understanding Ticks and the Illnesses They Spread

Ticks are small parasitic organisms that feed on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians. There are over 800 species of ticks throughout the world, with different species prevalent across different regions. Ticks pose a significant health risk as they can transmit serious illnesses through their bites, including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and more.

Why Ticks Spread Disease

Ticks are able to spread disease because they feed on multiple hosts throughout their life stages. After taking a blood meal from one animal, ticks seek out and bite another animal, transferring pathogens in the process. Ticks are indiscriminate in selecting hosts and may feed on rodents, deer, pets, livestock, and humans over the course of their lifespans.

Many tick-borne pathogens also have sophisticated life cycles that involve transfer from one host species to another. For example, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease survives in white-footed mice populations between tick feeding cycles. Ticks acquire the bacteria when feeding on infected mice and then spread the pathogen to other animals.

Common Tick-Borne Diseases

The most common tick-borne illnesses in the United States and Canada include:

• Lyme disease: Caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria and spread by blacklegged ticks (also called deer ticks). Early symptoms may include rash, fever, and fatigue.
• Anaplasmosis: Caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum bacteria and spread by blacklegged ticks and western blacklegged ticks. Often causes fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, and headache.
• Babesiosis: Caused by Babesia parasites and spread by blacklegged ticks. Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, muscle pain, and hemolytic anemia.
• Ehrlichiosis: Caused by Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum bacteria and spread by lone star ticks and blacklegged ticks. Common symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and muscle aches.
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: Caused by Rickettsia rickettsii bacteria and spread by American dog ticks, brown dog ticks, and lone star ticks. Characterized by fever, headache, abdominal pain, rash, and possible organ damage.
• Tularemia: Caused by Francisella tularensis bacteria and spread by dog ticks, wood ticks, and lone star ticks. Symptoms may include skin ulcers, swollen glands, and fever.
• Tick-borne Relapsing Fever: Caused by Borrelia species bacteria and spread by soft-bodied ticks. Symptoms include recurring fever, chills, headache, muscle and joint pain.

Identifying Different Types of Ticks

Learning to identify the ticks in your region can help you assess your risk of potential tick-borne disease exposure. Some tips for identification:

• Use a magnifying glass and tick identification guide.
• Note the tick's size, color, and markings.
• Pay attention to the tick's mouthparts which can help distinguish species.
• Identify where on the body the tick was found which provides clues about likely tick species.
• Bring ticks to your local health authorities for analysis if desired.

Common ticks in North America include:

• Blacklegged tick: Small with black legs and reddish-black bodies. Found in forests and wooded areas and transmits Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis.
• Lone star tick: Named for white dot on females. Active March-October. Found in woods and grassy areas and may transmit ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia.
• American dog tick: Larger tick with ornate white markings. Found in forests, grasslands, along trails. Carries Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia.
• Brown dog tick: Smaller tick that feeds on dogs and sometimes people. Found on dogs, in kennels, yards. May spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever, canine ehrlichiosis.
• Rocky Mountain wood tick: Large tick with colorful markings on abdomen and behind head. Found in grasslands and wooded areas, often bites humans. Carries Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, tick paralysis.
• Western blacklegged tick: Closely related to blacklegged tick but found west of the Rocky Mountains. Spreads Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis.

Preventing Tick Bites and Tick-Borne Illness

You can take several important precautions to protect yourself from tick bites and potential tick-borne disease transmission:

Avoid Areas Where Ticks Live

As ticks reside in wooded, bushy areas with tall grass and brush, avoid these areas when possible or use caution when present:

• Stick to the center of hiking trails when in forests and parks.
• Wear protective clothing that covers arms and legs.
• Avoid sitting directly on the ground, brush, or fallen logs.
• Consider landscaping techniques like removing brush or wood/rock piles which may harbor ticks around your home.

Use Repellent and Pest Control Measures

Applying repellent and managing ticks around your home can also reduce exposure:

• Use EPA approved insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, some oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanone.
• Treat clothing, shoes, backpacks, etc. with 0.5% permethrin for extra protection.
• Keep grass mowed and remove leaf litter/brush around your home.
• Place a 3-ft wide barrier of wood chips/gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration.
• Use tick control products on pets and follow your veterinarian’s guidance to protect them as well.

Check for Ticks and Remove Properly

Carefully checking for and safely removing ticks can prevent transmission of pathogens:

• Check yourself, children, and pets thoroughly after potential tick exposure.
• Focus check on armpits, groin, scalp, back of knees and other tick hot spots.
• Use fine-tipped tweezers and grasp the tick close to skin surface.
• Pull upwards with steady pressure to remove the tick without crushing it.
• Thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands afterward.
• Save removed tick in alcohol for species identification and pathogen testing if desired.

Monitor for Symptoms

Being alert to common tick-borne disease symptoms can allow for rapid diagnosis and treatment if illness occurs:

• Watch for onset fever, chills, muscle/joint aches, swollen glands and other flu-like symptoms.
• Note appearance of any new rashes which may indicate Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
• Pay attention for symptoms like headache, fatigue and abdominal pain which are also common.
• Seek prompt medical attention if symptoms emerge within several weeks after tick bites.

Ticks and the pathogens they carry continue to pose increasing health risks. However, through awareness, preventative actions, and early recognition of illness, it’s possible to lower risk and achieve positive health outcomes if exposed.

Consult a doctor with any questions or concerns about tick exposure prevention and tickborne diseases in your area.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.