7 types of ticks that transmit diseases

The most feared type of tick the blacklegged tick transmits two bacteria responsible for Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi and B. mayonii, as well as other infections causing symptoms such as fever, chills, headaches and muscle aches. Also called the deer tick, the pest is mainly after the white-tailed deer, although there are 30,000 cases of Lyme disease in people reported to CDC each year. They are commonly found in hardwood forests.

Search: This tick is easily identified by its dark black legs, orange-red body and black scutum (present on the upper part of its shield).

Risk of illness: Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus

LocationYou will see this creature crawling around the eastern half of the United States, stretching from the coast of Maine to Florida, passing through parts of Texas, Colorado and even Dakota.

Have you heard of ticks that cause an allergic reaction to red meat (also known as alpha-gal allergy)? That's the good! Be warned: the CDC says it's "a very aggressive tick that bites the man"And transmits bacteria that cause a wide range of diseases.

Search: You can easily identify an isolated female tick with the white dot (or isolated star) on its back.

Risk of illness: Ehrlichiosis, tularemia, Heartland virus disease, Bourbon virus disease, Southern tick-related rash disease

Location: You can find this critter in the eastern United States, but more commonly in the southeastern states. It lies north of Iowa and Illinois in the Midwest, in parts of Maine and in the Gulf Coast states

Bitten by the American tick, it can cause the bacterial disease of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, whose incidence seems to increase. In 2017, 6,248 cases were reported, compared to 495 in 2000. Also known as wood ticks, you are most likely to suffer a bite from an adult woman in spring and summer.

Search: These ticks have a dark brown body. Adult females have an off-white portion on their shields, while adult males may appear gray-gray.

Risk of illness: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, tularemia

Location: The American dog tick has a wide range, with habitat in the East Rocky Mountains, as well as most of California.

Sorry to say that there is no place in the United States safe from the brown tick. Although these creatures are looking for your dog, they will be satisfied with you. The CDC notes that the southwestern United States and the Mexican border are the areas at risk of suffering from a disease transmitted by a brown dog. Mather adds that these ticks can "settle in your home" because they are a more robust species that can withstand the drought in the interior.

Search: The dog's brown tick is reddish-brown in color and narrower than other ticks.

Risk of illness: purple fever

Location: On the global scale

According to the National Environmental Health Association, these pests have their home on the shores of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. While their main "hosts" are animals such as deer, rodents and birds, they bite humans, as well. The tick of the Gulf Coast can transmit Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis, a less severe form of spotted fever in the Rocky Mountains.

Search: To spot this tick, look for a slightly lighter coloration in its paws, a brown body and silver-white linked lines on its shield.

Risk of illness: R. parkeri rickettsial

Location: Some states include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and Southern Arizona, among others.

These guys like that upstairs: Their the habitats are located in forested areas of the Rocky Mountains at an altitude of at least 4000 feet. Like many ticks, this brown-colored species transmits Rocky Mountain spotted fever, as well as Colorado tick fever (a rare viral disease), says the CDC. Expect to see these creatures go out between January and November because they are less active during the summer months.

Search: Although they look like dog ticks, adult males have a cream-colored portion on their backs.

Risk of illness: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Colorado Tick Fever, Tularemia

Location: Rocky Mountain states, such as Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico

Ticks on the Pacific coast are more likely to feed on lizards than you do, so it's pretty rare that they infect people, says the CDC. Nevertheless, it's worth staying away – the black-legged tick carries the bacteria that leads to Lyme disease and anaplasmosis, a bacterial disease that has increased sixfold since the year 2000. Be careful in forests and grassy areas all year round.

Search: These ticks have a reddish body with black legs.

Risk of illness: Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, Borrelia miyamotoi disease

Location: You can find them from the north coast of Washington to the Mexican border in California (plus most of Utah).

If you are visiting a habitat known for ticks, be sure to wear protective clothing, such as a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, a hat and long socks (preferably in your pants).

It is also wise to stock the best tick repellents, which contain ingredients such as DEET, lemon eucalyptus oil, picaridine and IR3535. Treating your clothes and equipment with a permethrin product can also help keep ticks away when you enjoy the outdoors.

Once at home, always do an entire body check – under your arms, around your ears, in your belly button, behind your knees, between your legs and in your hair – to make sure you do not have taken away stragglers. in your house.

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