Tick Identificaton - Preventing Lyme and Tick-borne Diseases

Written by: Linn David Haramis, Ph.D., Curt Colwell, Ph.D., Illinois Dept. of Public Health, Environmental Health Division

• Tick borne Diseases
• Lyme Disease
• Deer Tick Identification
• Deer Tick Life Cycle
• Lone Star Tick Rash (STARI)
• Tick Mis-Indentificiation
• Preventing Tick Bites
• Safe Tick Removal
• Tick Management
• Tick Identification Resources

Tick-borne Diseases

Lyme Disease

Lyme Disease is caused by a bacterial spirochet carried by the blacklegged deer tick. It is the most common arthropod-borne disease in the United Stated. The risk of Lyme Disease appears to be increasing in some areas such as Illinois.

• Affects humans and dogs but not deer or rodents
• Incubation: 3 - 32 days
• Non-specific and variable symptoms
• Most cases improve, some deteriorate
• If diagnosed early, treatment with antibiotics is generally successful

Lyme Disease: Clinical Stages - First Signs

• Stage 1 - "Bulls-eye" rash in about 75% of cases, flu-like illness without cough
• Stage 2 - Affects skin, musculoskeletal, nervous systme, lymphadenopath, heart, facial palsy and meningitis
• Stage 3 - Chronic arthritis or encephalitis

Black Legged Deer Ticks - Primary Transmitters of Lyme Disease

Black Legged Deer Tick Hosts

Larva: Small rodents such as the White-Footed mouse, chipmunks
Nymph: Small rodents, dogs, humans
Adult: Deer, occasionally horses and humans

Black Legged Deer Tick Life Cycle

Larvae hatch in the summer
Nymphs emerge the following spring
Adults emerge in fall, oviposit eggs in spring

Peak Tick Activity Occurs April through mid-July

Nymphs are capable of transmiting the most disease to humans during their appearence in spring and early summer. Most Lyme disease transmisson to humans occurs from nymphs infected the previous season from small rodents such as the the white footed mouse.

“STARI” also known as Lone Star Tick Rash (Mimics Lyme rash)

Female & Male Lone Star Ticks

Lone Star Tick is MUCH more common in the southern 2/3 of the Southern United States. Early symptoms of STARI (Borrelia lonestari) are similar to the first symptoms of Lyme disease. The same antibiotic therapy for Lyme disease is prescribed to treat STARI.

Tick Mis-indentification - Black Legged Deer Tick or Lone Star Tick?

Both the stages of both tick are very similar in size and appearence.

Preventing Tick Bites

• Avoid woodlands especially in spring
• Wear light colored clothing, tuck pant legs into socks or boots
• Walk in middle of paths away from dense vegetation
• Wear repellents containing DEET 20-30 percent

Tick Feeding and Pathogen Transmission

First 48 hours: Tick penetrates and prepares bite site
After 48 hours: Rapid uptake of blood

Probability of Lyme disease transmisson is very low during the first 48 hours of feeding but rapidly increase after 48 hours. Always check for and remove ticks as soon as possible

Safe Tick Removal

• Use forceps or tweezers
• Grasp the tick close to the skin
• Pull out S-L-O-W-L-Y and steadlly
• Do not squeeze the tick
• Use antiseptic on the bite
• Wash hands

Tick Management

• Treat pets with flea and tick medications
• Eliminate, trim and/or treat vegetation along paths and forest borders
• Fence yards to keep out deer and other animals
• Several residual insecticides can be applied to ecotones along the edge of the densely vegetated areas
• Use cotton balls impregnated with insecticide. Mice will use the cotton balls as nesting material, and the insecticide protects mice against ticks.

Tick Identification Resources

University of Iowa: U. of Iowa:
http://ent.iastate.edu/imagegal/ticks/

University of Nebraska: U. of Nebraska:
http://entomology.unl.edu/images/ticks/ticks.htm

University of Rhode Island: U. of Rhode Island:
http://riaes.cels.uri.edu/resources/ticklab/ticks.html

Tick Management Handbook, Connecticut Experimental Station:
http://caes.state.ct.us/SpecialFeatures/TickHandbook.pdf

For more Lyme disease information and counseling call Dr. Wells at: 480-607-0299

What about dog ticks and Lyme disease?

In 2003, an animal medical center in Wentzville, Missouri confirmed 100 active cases of tick-borne diseases among client dogs. Of those, 80 dogs tested positive for Rocky Mountain spotted fever, 19 were positive for ehrlichiosis, and one dog had Lyme disease. Two of the dogs with ehrlichiosis died.

Rural clients usually know about ticks and the diseases they carry. However, pet owners moving from urban areas to the country may not be as aware as they should be. Dog owners should have their pets tested using what's called a titer test, and take action to protect their pets from ticks. - Missouri Department of Conservation

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