Since I removed my first attached tick last Wednesday, it’s time for an update on ticks and the diseases they transmit. The tick was a larval American dog tick.
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The ticks I’ve seen at our place are American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) and lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum). Blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis), also called deer ticks, are in the area but I’ve never seen one.
The American dog tick transmits the pathogens that cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) and tularemia, also called rabbit fever. The disease is called RMSF because it was first described from the Rocky Mountains of Montana.
RMSF is the most common tick-borne disease in Oklahoma and Oklahoma usually ranks in the top three states in the U.S. for the number of cases. In the 25 years we’ve lived here in north Tulsa County, I’ve had RMSF five times, confirmed by serology. I had it last two years ago; maybe I won’t get it this year. Hope not. Doxycycline took care of it each time. I spray with Deep Woods OFF (25% DEET) before working outside, but I still get ticks. Bob Haggerty, my friend in New Hampshire, swears by Sawyer insect repellent, so I bought a couple spray cans. It’s for clothing and gear and is effective for six weeks through six washings. Sounds like a miracle repellent.
When a tick takes a blood meal, it injects a bit of saliva to keep the blood from clotting. The pathogens are in the saliva. The saliva of Dermacentor ticks can also cause a paralysis referred to as tick paralysis. In general, the tick needs to be attached for several days for symptoms occur, which include muscle weakness, then paralysis, beginning in the arms and legs and progressing inward toward the body. The ticks are often found in the hair, especially of children, where they go unnoticed. Treatment is removal of the tick. Full recovery occurs within a few days.
Lone star ticks transmit ehrlichiosis, a rash-less RMSF-like illness. They also transmit southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI) and tularemia. The bite can cause an allergy to red meat, known as alpha-gal syndrome (AGS). AGS is a serious, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Once developed, it tends not go away. In most cases, AGS is a lifelong condition. However, in some patients it does go away after a few years. Individuals with AGS must avoid all red meat, which includes beef, pork, lamb, venison, rabbit and so on. Poultry and fish are okay to eat.
Blacklegged ticks (deer ticks) transmit several diseases, including Lyme disease. After eggs hatch, all ticks go through three developmental stages – larva, nymph and adult. Each stage feeds on a different host. Larval ticks have 6 legs, nymph and adult ticks have 8 legs. The tick that transmits Lyme disease feeds on mice in the larval stage and large mammals, including deer, in the nymph and adult stages. Ticks become infected with Lyme while feeding on infected mice, the natural reservoir host for Lyme bacteria. Deer are not infected.
Lyme disease occurs in the northeast, the mid-Atlantic states and the upper north-central states. My understanding is that Lyme disease does not occur in Oklahoma because the larval ticks feed on lizards, not on mice.
Here’s how I remove a tick. It works great. Using a fine-tipped tweezer, I grasp the tick by the head as close to the skin as possible and gently pull. Usually the entire tick comes loose, head and all. Check Amazon for fine-tipped tweezers. You’ll see dozens of them.
