According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), ticks carry and transmit pathogens, including rickettsiae, viruses, toxins, and bacteria. However, many tick bites do not result in an infectious disease.
Types of Ticks
There are five varieties of ticks, the western blacklegged tick, the Rocky Mountain wood tick, the lone star tick, the brown dog tick and the blacklegged tick. Each carry its own infectious disease and can transmit the disease to a human host.
Symptoms
Symptoms of tick-borne disease can range from malaise (feeling ill), fever, headache, nausea, muscle aches, and vomiting. A rash resembling a ring or circle with a clear center may appear on the body.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of tick-borne disease can be difficult. However, a blood test can help detect tick-borne disease if caught within a few days of the infection.
Treatment
Treatment of tick-borne disease usually consists of antibiotic treatment such as doxycycline.
Prevention
While prevention may not always stop a tick from finding and attaching itself to a human host, some precautions may help. The CDC recommends wearing clothes light in color. Applying insect repellents may be helpful in wooded areas. And checking yourself and your clothing after you've been outside in a garden or a wooded area is suggested.
Tags: tick-borne disease, blacklegged tick, human host, infectious disease