What Season Do Ticks That Carry Lyme Disease Thrive
Are ticks out in winter?
Ticks that carry Lyme disease are active year-round and can survive in below-freezing temperatures, although their peak season of activity begins in April and runs through September. During this time, the hungry nymphal tick actively seeks a host, and its bite poses the greatest risk.
Can A Person Contract Lyme Disease Anywhere In The United States
The states that it is not possible to contract Lyme disease anywhere in the U.S. Most infections occur in the:
- northeast and mid-Atlantic, which includes northeastern Virginia to Maine
- north central states, typically in Wisconsin and Minnesota
- West Coast, mostly in northern California
Two tick species can carry B. burgdorferi in the U.S.: the blacklegged tick and the Western blacklegged tick .
Some people refer to the blacklegged tick as a deer tick. They live in the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and north-central U.S. The Western blacklegged tick lives on the Pacific Coast of the U.S.
Warning Signs Of Lyme Disease
While Lyme disease is always transmitted by the deer tick, not all deer ticks carry Lyme disease. Due to their small size compared to other tick species, visual detection is unreliable. According to the CDC, it takes 24-36 hours after a deer tick attaches to the host to transmit Lyme disease. It is usually not the tick you see that spreads the bacteria it is the tick you do not. Therefore, the best way to detect Lyme disease is by looking for the warning signs of infection.
The first sign of a tick bite or removal is a small red bump. This is common for all tick bites and should resolve itself within a few days. Early symptoms that indicate Lyme disease occur within one month of being infected, and later signs may appear up to months after. Knowing the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease is crucial for your safety. Prompt treatment for Lyme disease will not only clear up the symptoms but can also save your life.
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Ticks That Can Transmit Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is spread through a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacteria is carried by around 50% of adult female ticks and nymphs, and can be spread to a host roughly 36 to 48 hours after the tick has bitten the host and begun to feed.
In the United States, two species of ticks are known to carry Lyme disease:
- Western blacklegged tick
Here in South Carolina , the deer tick, also known as the blacklegged tick — is capable of passing Lyme disease on to a host. On the west coast of the United States, the western blacklegged tick can carry and spread the disease.
If youre suffering from a tick bite, its important to remove the tick as quickly as possible. Heres a blog on how to remove a tick the right way.
Which Ticks Do Not Carry Lyme Disease
The U.S. has tick species that do not carry B. burgdorferi. These are:
- lone star ticks
- American dog ticks
- brown dog ticks
- Rocky Mountain wood ticks
CDC , scientists have discovered very few cases of Lyme disease not originating from tick bites.
- Person-to-person: It is impossible to contract Lyme disease through person-to-person contact. This includes touching, kissing, or engaging in sexual activity with a person who has Lyme disease.
- Via childbirth during delivery or breastfeeding: Lyme disease does not transmit to a child via delivery or breastfeeding. However, it is possible for untreated Lyme disease to affect the placenta. In rare cases, this can cause Lyme disease in the placenta.
- Blood transfusions: There are no known cases of Lyme disease from blood transfusions. However, Lyme disease can survive in donated blood. For this reason, people with Lyme disease should avoid donating blood.
- From pets: There is no evidence that Lyme disease can spread directly from pets to humans. This includes cats and dogs. However, it is possible for pets to bring infected ticks into the home.
- Air, food, or water: There is no evidence that Lyme disease can spread through the air, food, or water.
- Bites from other bugs: There is no evidence that Lyme disease can spread through other bug bites. This includes flies, fleas, and mosquitos.
recommends taking the following precautions:
While outdoors, people should walk in the center of trails and avoid high grasses and shrubbery.
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If Youve Been Bitten By An Infected Tick You May Not Develop A Rash
Following a tick bite, many people wait and see if they develop a bulls-eye rash. If not, they may wrongfully assume theyre in the clear.
In reality, less than 50 percent of people infected with Lyme disease have a memory of any rash. Other symptoms, like fatigue and aches, occur in many common illnesses. That can make obtaining an accurate diagnosis challenging.
How Long Does It Take The Tick To Transmit Lyme
Experts disagree about how long it takes a tick to transmit Lyme disease. The CDC says that in most cases, the tick must be attached more than 24 hours.
We think that gives people a false sense of security. In some research studies, 5-7% of nymphs transmitted the Lyme bacteria in less than 24 hours. One paper reported on a case of Lyme disease transmitted after six hours of tick attachment. The risk may be low the first day, but its not zero.
Furthermore, some studies show that only 30% of patients with Lyme disease recall a tick bite. If people dont even realize that they were bitten, how could they know how long the tick was attached?
The longer a tick stays on you, the more likely it will transmit disease. Its important to find and remove any tick as soon as possible.
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Treatment For Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is commonly treated with antibiotics, the most common being doxycycline. However, the specific antibiotic depends on many factors such as known allergies and interactions with other medications. All medications taken for any illness should be prescribed by a healthcare professional. While antibiotics like doxycycline may be easy to obtain online, exact dosages depend on the individual. Improper dosage of antibiotics can cause resistance, ineffectiveness, illness, or even death in some cases.
What Tests Are Available For Lyme Disease
When a person becomes infected, the body creates antibodies to protect itself from the bacteria. Certain blood tests are available to measure these antibodies. However, sometimes a false negative test can result if there are not enough antibodies in the blood for the tests to detect accurately. A doctor should also do a complete medical examination and gather information about your recent outdoor activities in order to make a clinical diagnosis for Lyme disease.
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What Is A Blacklegged Tick
A blacklegged tick is a tiny bug, about the size of a sesame seed, which feeds on blood. Blacklegged ticks are commonly found in woodlands, tall grasses and bushes. They cannot fly. They move about the ground slowly and settle on tall grasses and bushes until they attach themselves to a person or animal passing by. Ticks are most active in spring and summer.
Who Is At Risk
Many occupations may be at risk, including forestry, farming, veterinarians, construction, landscaping, ground keepers, park or wildlife management, and anyone who either works outside or has contact with animals that may carry ticks
Similarly, any person who spends a lot time outdoors , especially in grassy or wooded areas may also be at risk.
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Where Is The Blacklegged Tick Found In Ontario
The blacklegged tick is found sporadically throughout the province but is more commonly found in areas along the northern shores of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, Rainy River area of Northwest Ontario and Southwest Ontario. Blacklegged ticks spread to new areas of the province because of climate change and warmer winter temperatures, as well as, by traveling on deer and migratory birds.
Ticks In British Columbia
There are more than 20 species of ticks in British Columbia, but only three species normally bite humans. Although the bites are sometimes painful and slow healing, there is little danger of disease as long as they are removed promptly.
Adult ticks have eight legs, unlike insects, which have six. Ticks cannot jump or fly and do not drop from trees. They require blood as a source of protein for growth and egg development. A few simple precautions will decrease the likelihood of tick bites.
Learn more about ticks that are commonly found in B.C., how to remove attached ticks, and how to prevent tick bites:
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Keep A Lookout For Symptoms From Tick Bite This Summer
Have you checked yourself or your child for tick bites lately?
If you havent already heard, this summer is a particularly booming year for tick populations across the country and in the state of Ohio. A black-legged tick , the kind that sometimes carries Lyme disease, was spotted just to the east of us in Vermilion earlier this summer. And Ohio is on the list of 24 states that contains counties with newly documented populations of deer ticks.
Tick bites are common. Some people are unaware of a tick bite at first. Be sure to check yourself and your children often, especially throughout the summer months when tick populations grow. Ticks are especially attracted to warm, moist areas of the skin like armpits, groins, or hair. Once they bite you, a tick may stick around drawing your blood for up to 10 days. The sooner you spot and remove a tick, the better.
Protect Yourself From Ticks
Revised by Elmer Gray, Extension EntomologistPrevious versions of this manuscript were written by Burton Evans and Beverly Sparks, Former Extension Entomologists
Ticks are one of the most important groups of arthropods in Georgia because of their disease-transmitting capabilities. In Georgia, ticks are known to transmit several diseases, with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease being the most common. Tularemia is a long-recognized disease also transmitted by ticks, as are the more recently recognized diseases anaplasmosis, human ehrlichiosis , Southern tick-associated rash illness , and the recently found Heartland virus. Ticks also can cause infections if their mouthparts break off when they are removed from the skin and can leave persistent welts resulting from reactions to their saliva. If tick populations are high in recreation and camping areas, participation may drop off, causing monetary loss to the leisure industry. Costs to control ticks in yards and homes and on pets and people also can be significant.
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How To Safely Remove A Tick
Not all ticks carry Lyme disease, and some ticks carry other diseases. To avoid infecting yourself, never crush a tick with your fingers. For more information on the safe removal, disposal and identification of ticks visit CDC.gov/ticks.
How To Remove A Tick
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Blacklegged Ticks In Toronto
The risk of acquiring Lyme disease in Toronto overall is believed to be low. However, the risk for exposure is highest in wooded, brushy areas where blacklegged tick populations are established. Personal protective measures should be taken when visiting these areas. Ticks are found in wooded or bushy areas with lots of leaves on the ground or where there are tall grasses. Blacklegged ticks are not usually found on lawns, mowed grass, sports fields or paved areas.
Ticks cannot fly or jump. Instead they wait for a host , resting on the tips of grasses and shrubs. If a person brushes the spot where a tick is waiting, it quickly climbs aboard. It then finds a suitable place to bite. Ticks can attach to any part of the human body but, if found, may be in hard-to-see areas such as the armpits, groin and scalp.
Ticks are small, ranging in size from a poppy seed to a pea . The size of the tick varies depending on its life stage and whether it has fed recently. The nymphal stage typically occurs during the summer months and is the stage most responsible for human infections. This is due to their very small size which prevents people form noticing them on their body. Adult ticks can also transmit Lyme disease bacteria, but they are larger and therefore more likely to be discovered and removed before they have had time to transmit the bacteria.
If you find a tick on your body, it can be removed with fine-tipped tweezers.
Do not squeeze or try to burn it off
The Tickcheck Tick Identification Guide
Did you just find a tick on yourself or a loved one? TickCheck can test your tick and determine whether it carries the bacteria that transmit Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections.
Tick Species
There are hundreds of species of ticks throughout North America. Many species feed solely on wild animals or are found in very specific habitats and are rarely encountered by humans. Other species are commonplace and can be found inhabiting areas frequented by humans and their pets.
The most notorious tick species that come into contact with humans are the deer tick, American dog tick, lone star tick, brown dog tick, and Western blacklegged tick. These tick species have similar life-cycles and habitats, but each transmits a unique set of pathogens and inhabits different geographical regions.
Tick Life Stages
Ticks go through four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult. Larvae, nymphs, and adults all feed on the blood of vertebrate hosts and are capable of becoming infected with a pathogen while feeding. At their next blood meal, they may then transmit the acquired pathogen to the new host they are feeding on. It is important to be able to recognize the life stage of a tick in order to be protected from tick-borne disease.
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Regularly Check For Ticks
Deer ticks are less likely to transmit Lyme disease to you when removed within 24 hours after they have attached to you. So, regularly checking yourself and your loved ones for ticks can help. When outside, make sure to spot-check often. And when you get home, be sure to take a shower and put your clothes in a high-temperature dryer. Actionable tip: always check between your fingers and toes, your hairlines, your belly button, your underarms, and behind the ears. Thorough and frequent tick checks are one of the most effective ways to prevent Lyme disease transmission.
What Should You Do If You Find A Tick
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Don’t touch the tick with your bare hand.
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Use a pair of tweezers to remove the tick. Grab the tick firmly by its mouth or head as close to your skin as possible.
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Pull up slowly and steadily without twisting until it lets go. Don’t squeeze the tick, and don’t use petroleum jelly, solvents, knives, or a lit match to kill the tick.
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Save the tick. Place it in a plastic container or bag so it can be tested for disease, if needed.
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Wash the bite area well with soap and water and put an antiseptic lotion or cream on the site.
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How To Prevent Tick Bites
- Walk in the middle of trails away from tall grass and bushes
- Wear a long sleeved shirt and/or long pants tucked into high socks
- Wear white or light coloured clothing to make it easier to see ticks
- Spray repellent on clothes and shoes before entering the woods
- Wear shoes, not bare feet or sandals
- Check your clothing, body and pets for ticks when you return from being outdoors
- Having a shower will remove a tick if it has not attached yet
- Put your clothes in the dryer on high heat for 60 minutes to kill any remaining ticks
Do Black Legged Ticks Carry Lyme Disease
Asked by: Otho Hermiston
In the United States, Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia mayonii, carried primarily by black-legged or deer ticks. Young brown ticks often are no bigger than a poppy seed, which can make them nearly impossible to spot. To contract Lyme disease, an infected deer tick must bite you.
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Ticks That Dont Transmit Lyme Disease
While both the deer tick and western blacklegged tick can carry and transmit Lyme disease to humans, there are a large number of other tick species in the United States that dont carry or spread the disease. These include the following tick species:
- Lone Star ticks
- American dog tick
- Rocky Mountain wood tick
Keep in mind that just because a tick doesnt carry Lyme disease, doesnt mean that a bite from that tick is entirely without risk. For example, the Rocky Mountain wood tick, brown dog tick, and American dog tick are all capable of carrying and spreading Rocky Mountain spotted fever.