Ticks: Identify, Prevent Bites & Avoid Diseases

Understanding Ticks and Bug Bites

As the weather gets warmer, many people look forward to spending more time outdoors hiking, camping, gardening, and participating in other outdoor activities. However, the warmer months also bring out pesky bugs like mosquitos, flies, and ticks. While mosquito and fly bites can be annoying, tick bites require more caution as they can transmit dangerous diseases.

What Are Ticks?

Ticks are small, spider-like bugs that feed on the blood of animals, birds, and humans. They are external parasites that bite their host and remain attached for several days while feeding. There are over 800 tick species worldwide, but only a handful bite and transmit disease to humans.

Ticks go through four major life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. Only the nymph and adult ticks feed on blood. After hatching from the egg, ticks must eat a blood meal at every stage to grow into the next one. Ticks can live up to several years depending on environmental conditions.

Common Tick Species

Common tick species in the United States that bite humans include:

• Blacklegged tick
• Lone star tick
• American dog tick
• Brown dog tick
• Rocky Mountain wood tick
• Gulf coast tick

Of these species, the Blacklegged tick and Lone star tick are most concerning as they can transmit dangerous illnesses like Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, and alpha gal syndrome.

Identifying Tick Bites

Tick bites often go unnoticed because they are typically painless and the tick can attach firmly without causing irritation. The first sign of a tick bite is usually spotting the tick itself on the skin.

Some key identifying traits of a tick bite include:

• Seeing the tick burrowed into the skin
• A small red bump where the tick is attached
• A ring-like rash around the bite
• The tick may be swollen from feeding

Ticks like to attach in moist, hidden areas of the body like the groin, armpits, and scalp. Check carefully all over the body after spending time outdoors.

Diseases Transmitted by Ticks

There are many dangerous pathogens and parasites that ticks spread through their bites. The most common tick-borne diseases in the United States include:

• Lyme Disease - Caused by bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. Transmitted by blacklegged ticks and western blacklegged ticks. Symptoms may include rash, fever, chills, headache, fatigue.
• Anaplasmosis - Caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum bacteria. Transmitted by blacklegged ticks and western blacklegged ticks. Symptoms are similar to flu.
• Ehrlichiosis - Caused by Ehrlichia chaffeensis, E. ewingii, or E. muris eauclairensis bacteria. Transmitted by lone star ticks, blacklegged ticks, and western blacklegged ticks. Flu-like symptoms occur.
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever - Caused by Rickettsia rickettsii bacteria. Transmitted by American dog ticks, brown dog ticks, and Rocky Mountain wood ticks. Symptoms include fever, rash, muscle pain, vomiting.
• Alpha Gal Syndrome - Caused by galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose sugar molecules transmitted by lone star ticks. Symptoms include severe reaction to red meat consumption.
• Tularemia - Caused by Francisella tularensis bacteria transmitted by dog ticks, wood ticks, and lone star ticks. Flu-like symptoms occur.
• Tick Paralysis - Caused by a neurotoxin transmitted by engorged female ticks. Symptoms include weakness, tingling, paralysis in legs that can spread.

These illnesses have serious impacts if left untreated from joint pain and arthritis to neurological issues and organ damage. Seek medical care immediately if any symptoms appear after a tick bite.

Preventing Tick Bites and Diseases

While tick bites can't always be prevented, there are important steps you can take to reduce your chances of getting bitten and lower your risk of contracting a tick-transmitted disease:

Avoid Tick Habitats

As ticks live predominately in grassy, brushy, or wooded habitats, the best prevention is to avoid areas that ticks may populate. This includes:

• Tall grasses
• Brush
• Overgrown vegetation
• Leaf litter
• Wood piles

When hiking, walking, or playing in wooded, bushy places, try to stay in the center of trails as ticks tend to live on the edges.

Use Repellent

DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus are registered insect repellents that can be applied to skin or clothing. Treat shoes, socks, and clothing with permethrin for extra protection. Reapply as needed during outdoor activity.

Wear Light Colored, Protective Clothing

Wearing light colored pants and long sleeves makes it easier to spot ticks. Tuck pants into socks and shirt into pants to keep ticks on outside of clothing. Examine clothing carefully for ticks during and after being outdoors.

Check Your Body and Conduct Tick Checks

Carefully check entire body including under arms, in and around ears, inside belly button, behind knees, in hair, between legs, and around waist. Have a partner check your backside as well. Shower soon after outdoor exposure and check again as ticks may still be crawling.

Talk to Your Vet About Pet Preventatives

Dogs and cats can bring ticks into the home after being outdoors. Consult your veterinarian about products to repel ticks and prevent tick bites for your furry friends.

Keep Yard and Play Areas Clear

Trimming vegetation, removing leaf litter, clearing tall grasses and brush will eliminate tick habitats in your backyard and recreational spaces. Put a barrier of wood chips or gravel between wooded areas and lawn or play spaces.

Create Tick Safe Zones

Place a table and chairs in the center of your yard for eating, lounging and playing away from tick habitats. Surround the area with wood chips or gravel to further prevent ticks from getting into the space.

What to Do After Finding a Tick

If you find a tick has latched onto your skin, proper tick removal is important to avoid leaving the ticks mouthparts embedded in your skin or squeezing more pathogens into the bite. Follow these steps:

1. Use fine-tipped tweezers and grasp the tick close to skin surface.
2. Pull slowly and steadily upward with even pressure. Do not twist or jerk.
3. After removal, wash bite area and hands thoroughly with soap and water.
4. Save the tick in a sealed plastic bag to show doctor in case you develop symptoms later.

Contact your doctor promptly after tick removal to discuss potential exposure, symptoms to look for, and potential preventative antibiotic treatment.

Monitor the bite area closely in the following weeks and note any expanding skin rash which could indicate Lyme disease or other illnesses. Early diagnosis and treatment is key to effective management of many tick-borne diseases.

When to See Your Doctor

You should make an appointment with your healthcare provider if:

• Bitten by a tick and unsure if it was removed properly or mouthparts broke off under the skin
• Develop any rash, fever, chills, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes or other symptoms in the weeks following tick bite
• Have been diagnosed with a tick-borne illness like Lyme disease in the past

Your doctor can provide guidance on prevention, diagnose any diseases, and prescribe appropriate treatment medications like antibiotics or other therapies based on test results and symptoms present.

The Takeaway on Ticks and Tick Bites

Enjoying the great outdoors goes hand-in-hand with preventing ticks and the diseases they transmit. Taking preventative measures and prompt tick removal can reduce likelihood of contracting illnesses through tick bites. Pay attention for symptoms post-bite and seek medical care if anything unusual appears.

While ticks may try to dampen outdoor adventures, don't let them! With some vigilance about ticks and the diseases they can spread, you can confidently explore the wilderness and return home healthy.

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.