Tick-borne Diseases

Lyme Disease is a bacteria transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected blacklegged tick (or deer tick). If not treated, the infection can spread to joints, heart and nervous system.  

Resources: 

Lyme Disease (CDC) 

Lyme Disease (MDH)

Early signs and symptoms that usually occur within 3–30 days after a tick bite might include:

• Fever, chills, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes
• Bulls-eye (Erythema migrans) rash
  • Occurs in approximately 70-80% of infected people.
  • Begins at the site of the tick bite.
  • Can expand over time to 12" or more.
  • May feel warm, but is rarely itchy or painful.

Lyme disease diagnosis is based on signs and symptoms and history of possible exposure. You and your health care professional will decide how to proceed after discussing these circumstances. Should treatment be necessary, those receiving antibiotics in the early stages of Lyme disease usually recover quickly and completely.

Treatment of Lyme disease- CDC

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is an infection caused by the bite of an infected tick. It affects over 2,000 people a year in the U.S. and usually occurs from April until September. But, it can occur anytime during the year where the weather is warm. It was first recognized in the Rocky Mountain states, but may occur throughout the U.S. The most common areas affected are in the southeastern and south central U.S. The disease is spread to humans through a bite from an infected tick. It is not spread from person to person. 

• Signs and symptoms begin 3–12 days after a tick bite. 

• Illness begins with sudden onset of fever and headache. 

• Rash typically occurs 2–4 days after the onset of fever. It is highly variable, and some people may fail to develop a rash. 

• Other symptoms include nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, body aches, and swelling around the eyes and on the back of hands. 

• RMSF is a rapidly progressive disease and without early administration of treatment, it can be fatal within days.  

If you believe you have been infected with RMSF, contact a medical provider immediately.

Protect yourself from ticks: 

• Wear long pants, long sleeves, and close-toed shoes. Tuck pants into socks. Tuck shirts into pants.

• Wear clothing/shoes treated with the tick repellent permethrin. It kills ticks on contact with the clothing. 

• Avoid sitting on logs, stumps, or the ground in brushy areas. Periodically inspect clothing and your body before ticks become attached. Use a lint roller brush to remove ticks from clothing. 

• Use insect repellents (such as DEET) according to label directions. Put sunscreen on first, then repellent. Never use DEET underclothing or on pets. 

• Shower when possible after being outdoors. 

• Throw clothes in a hot dryer for 10 minutes before washing, to kill any lingering ticks that may be attached to clothing. 

Resources:

• CDC
• MDH

• Disease caused by bacteria A. phagocytophilum. 
• Bacteria spread to people by tick bites. 
• Comes from the blacklegged tick and the western blacklegged tick. Blacklegged tick is common on east coast as shown below. 

• Symptoms begin 1-2 weeks after bite 
• Fever, headache, chills and muscle aches 

• See a doctor if you become ill after being bitten by a tick. Doctors can order certain blood tests to test for anaplasmosis. 
• Delaying treatment can lead to severe illness. Those 65 years of age or older and those with weakened immune systems are also at risk for severe illness. 
• Antibiotics should be prescribed while waiting for test results to return. Doxycycline for adults and children.

• In the U.S. most babesia infections are from blacklegged or deer tick bites. 
• Disease called by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells. A parasite is a living thing that lives on or inside another organism. Only a few types of Babesia that can be found in animals affect people. 
• Babesia parasites do not spread from person-to-person. 

• Many with Babesiosis have no symptoms, some people might get flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, loss of appetite, nausea or fatigue. 
• Since these parasites attack red blood cells this can lead to hemolytic anemia. 
• Symptoms, if they appear, may start about a week after infection, but usually develop over a few weeks or months, or longer. 

• See a doctor for a diagnosis who can collect a small sample of your blood to confirm the presence of the Babesia parasites in your red blood cells. 
• If diagnosis there is effective treatment available, but if you do not have signs or symptoms then usually treatment is not needed. 
• Babesiosis could become serious, even life-threatening, for people without a spleen, those with a weakened immune system, those with liver or kidney disease and those aged 50 years or older.