Your Health Matters
By Claudia Parks, R.N.

My recent article on "stingbites" stimulated a number of emails requesting information about ticks and the diseases which they may pass on to humans. I will barely be able to touch the surface, but for you that have access to a computer- just Google tick bites, ticks in Georgia, tick diseases, and you will get more info than you can comprehend. However, I will go forward here with a smattering of data.

While everyone is susceptible to tick bites, campers, hikers, and people who work in gardens and other leafy outdoor venues are at the greatest risk of being bitten by them. Ticks are not insects, and are closely related to spiders. Adult ticks have eight legs. All ticks are parasitic, feeding on the blood of animals.

Several species of ticks attack dogs, but cats are rarely infested. Many of the dog ticks are known as wood ticks and infest dogs when they run through the woods or fields. Ticks can also annoy people but humans are not the preferred host. The most common dog ticks are known as the brown dog tick and the American dog tick.

The brown dog tick seldom attacks animals other than dogs. It is most likely found where dogs are kept in or around the house. It is not known to transmit diseases to humans but may transmit disease among dogs. The adult female tick lays a mass of 1000-3000 eggs after engorging on a dog's blood. These eggs are often found in the house laid around baseboards, window and door casings, curtains, furniture, and edges of rugs. The eggs will hatch within 20 to 60 days. Outdoors, ticks hide near foundations of buildings, in crevices of siding, or beneath the porch.

The American dog tick is also a common pest of pets and humans. Sportsman and people who work outdoors frequently encounter the adult male and female ticks. Dogs are the preferred host, although the American dog tick will feed on other warm-blooded animals including humans. This tick may carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, and other diseases from animals to people. These diseases do not affect dogs, but people have become infected by picking ticks from dogs. People who may be in areas of ticks should inspect themselves several times a day. Early removal is important since disease organisms are not transferred until the tick has fed for several hours. These dog ticks are not considered important vectors (carrier of disease) of Lyme disease- the condition that we get panicky when mentioned.

Lyme disease is named after a town in Connecticut where, in 1975, it was first recognized. It is transmitted by a group of closely related species of ticks known as Ixodes. Ticks in this group- deer ticks, western black-legged ticks, and blacklegged ticks- are much smaller (barely as large as the closed tip of a ballpoint pen) than the common dog ticks, and attach to any part of the body, often to moist or hairy areas such as the groin, armpits, and scalp.

THERE'S A TICK ATTACHED TO ME. WHAT DO I DO? Remove it!! Don't panic! Ticks should be removed carefully and slowly. If the attached tick is crushed, the mouthparts left in the skin may transmit disease or cause secondary infection. Ticks should be grasped with tweezers at the point where their mouthparts enter the skin and pulled straight back with firm pressure. A minuscule amount of flesh should be seen attached to the mouthparts after the tick is removed. (You may need a magnifying glass.) Be sure to wash (scrub) the area with soap and water for at least 3- 5 minutes after removal.

You may wish to save the tick for possible identification by a doctor or the Georgia DHR Division of Public Health. ( http://health.state.ga.us/epi/vbd/t ick.asp ) Place the tick in a small, non-breakable vial of rubbing alcohol- similar to a small prescription bottle. If you don't have this available to you--place the tick in a plastic baggie and seal and then place in the freezer or cool place. Only whole, intact ticks with mouthparts attached can be identified.

Next week I will write more about Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever- symptoms, diagnosing and treatments and areas of the US where these diseases are more prevalent.

Claudia Parks, RN, is a former doctor's office and emergency room nurse and retired as an educator from Fulton County Schools. She writes Your Health Matters as a public service; the information here is designed to help you make informed choices about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your physician. Claudia and her husband make their home in the beautiful north Georgia Mountains, near Blairsville. Claudia can be reached at yhm@windstream.net