Lyme disease used to be regarded as a simple tick-borne illness. But with more and more cases and the long-term effects of Lyme disease becoming more widely known, it’s becoming clear that Lyme disease is a lot more severe than previously thought. While the infection starts with simple flu-like symptoms, it can quickly progress and cause issues with joint, heart, and brain health. But can a tick cause neurological problems, and how does Lyme disease affect the brain? Let’s investigate.
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How To Identify Different Types Of Ticks: A Beginner’s Guide
As the warm weather approaches and activities such as hiking become more inviting, many people will flock to wooded areas to enjoy the best Mother Nature has to offer. Research shows that being in nature is a great way to combat stress and improve overall levels of health – however, there are some risks associated with being in the great outdoors. One particular risk is getting bit by a tick.
A tick bite is no ordinary bug bite. This is because of the diseases ticks can carry. One such disease is Lyme disease, which, if left untreated, can lead to chronic health issues. Diseased ticks can also carry other types of infections such as anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Bourbon virus, Colorado tick fever, Heartland virus, Rocky mountain spotted fever, and Tularemia.
Ticks are small arachnids that thrive in wooded areas, grasslands, and forests. Their survival relies on their ability to find a host and feed on its blood. There are many different species of ticks that can be found in North America. Some exclusively feed on wild animals, but there are some that will latch onto a human to get their meal. Those types of ticks are the ones you’ll need to watch out for while you’re out enjoying the fresh air. But how can you spot a tick? And how do you know which ones pose the most danger? Read on for our beginner’s guide to how to identify different types of ticks.
Continue reading “How To Identify Different Types Of Ticks: A Beginner’s Guide”What Extreme Weather Conditions Will Mean For The Global Tick Population
For Lyme disease to thrive in the United States, tick populations also need to thrive. It’s a cyclical occurrence that when ticks have a “good” year, Lyme disease numbers tend to increase. With the global onset of environmental changes, though, the effects on the United States climate have been detrimental.
Consider the wildfires that rage through California. Although climate change may not be a direct cause, it is a threat multiplier, meaning that it increases the risk that such events will be worse than in previous years. But what does this have to do with tick populations and Lyme disease?
Continue reading “What Extreme Weather Conditions Will Mean For The Global Tick Population”Is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Caused By Ticks?
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF for short) is one of the most dangerous vector-borne diseases that humans can contract. Yet not a lot of people know how you catch it. Lyme is the heavy-hitter of vector-borne diseases, but there are countless more out there that humans can potentially contract from any given bite of a tick, louse, mite, or flea. Sometimes these can be transmitted simultaneously with Lyme disease, in which case they’re known as co-infections. Sometimes they are contracted singularly and do enough damage on their own. Unfortunately for doctors, many of the initial symptoms of these diseases present the same way. Knowing if you have come into contact with any ticks or fleas recently is key. But is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever caused by ticks? And if so, what tick causes Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever?
Continue reading “Is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Caused By Ticks?”How Do You Contract Rickettsia?
Most people know that you contract Lyme disease through a tick bite. But Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme-causative bacteria, is not the only pathogen that can be transferred via tick saliva. Other diseases can occur simultaneously with Lyme; these are called co-infections. Unfortunately, the public and medical professional education surrounding co-infections is scant at best. They can often compound the symptoms of Lyme disease, or cause disturbing new symptoms in their own right. Left untreated, they can also cause old symptoms to resurge, complicating treatment and prolonging patients’ suffering.
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