Tick Borne Diseases
By Ralph Policichio
Tick Borne Diseases
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Ticks are external parasites that feed on the blood
of vertebrates
Tick-borne pathogens: fungi, bacteria, protozoa, and
viruses.
Ixodidae, or hard ticks, and Argasidae or soft ticks.
Tick-borne diseases are diseases which are spread
between animals by the bite of an infected tick
Ticks become infected by feeding on animals that
are either sick from disease, or are healthy but have
the parasite in their blood (carriers)
Ticks infect animals when they feed on them,
through their saliva
A single infected tick can pass disease on to an
animal
Lyme Disease
 Where
it occurs
 Caused by: a spirochete bacterium
(Borrelia burgdorferi)
 Carried by: deer ticks
 The tick’s hosts are many.
http://www.shore.co.monmouth.nj.us/06270_mcmec/tickborn.pdf
Babesiosis
 Where
it occurs
 Caused by: protozoans of the genus
Borrelia
 Carried by: brown dog ticks and deer
ticks
Ehrlichiosis
 Where
it occurs
 Caused by: the bacterial species
Ehrlichia
 Carried by: lone star tick
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
 Where
it occurs
 Caused by: a bacterium, Rickettsia
rickettsii
 Carried by: Rocky Mountain wood tick
and American dog tick
Relapsing Fever
 Where
it occurs
 Caused by: many spirochetes (a
bacteria) species from the Borrelia
genus
 Carried by: soft ticks of the
Ornithodoros genus
Tularemia (or Rabbit fever)
 Where
it occurs
 Caused by: bacterium (Francisella
tularensis)
 Carried by: Rocky Mountain wood
tick, lone star tick, and American dog
tick
Tick Paralysis
 Where
it occurs
 Caused by: a neurotoxin produced in
the salivary glands of a female tick
 Carried by: deer tick, dog tick, Rocky
Mtn. wood tick, and Lone Star tick
Conclusion
 These
diseases can cause severe
discomfort and sometimes even death
if left untreated.
 Caution should be taken when
entering likely tick habitats.
References
-American Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc
http://www.aldf.com/TickParalysis.asp
-Smith, Dwight. The Ugly World of Ticks. The
World & I. 2002
-New Jersey Department of Health and Senior
Services. Tick-borne Diseases of New Jersey.
1999.
http://www.shore.co.monmouth.nj.us/06270_mc
mec/tickborn.pdf
-http://gorp.away.com/gorp/health/ticks.htm