Ticks and the changing landscape of tick-borne illnesses

Ticks and the diseases they carry have long been recognized as health concerns, especially in the warmer months when ticks (and humans) are more active. Ticks wait on grass tips or shrubs to latch onto new hosts when they brush by. Most of the hosts are animals, but a few tick species do bite and feed on humans. While doing so, they can transmit bacteria and viruses through their saliva.
But here’s what’s changing:

Tick species are being found in a wider geographic range.
The number of case reports of tick-borne illnesses is increasing.
Scientists continue to identify new pathogens (bacteria and viruses that cause disease) transmitted by ticks.

Many of these infections are reportable diseases on a state or national level, meaning that physicians and laboratories must notify public health officials of cases to facilitate tracking. Improved reporting may contribute to the increase in the number of cases, or perhaps doctors are testing more for infections that previously went undiagnosed, but it also appears that a greater percentage of ticks are now harboring certain pathogens.
Ticks as vectors (that is, carriers of disease)
Not all ticks are vectors (carriers) of disease, but those that are tend to spread specific infections; for example, the common deer tick transmits the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Like all organisms, certain types of ticks tend to thrive in specific environments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has maps showing regions where part...

Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 11, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Wynne Armand, MD Tags: Health Infectious diseases Prevention Safety Travel health Source Type: blogs