Tick infestation

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Tick infestation
SpecialtyInfectious diseases Edit this on Wikidata

disease transmission, they are also known to cause direct harm to hosts through bites, toxin release, and infestation. Infestation can cause symptoms ranging from mild to severe and may even cause death.[2] Hosts can include any number of vertebrates, though humans and livestock are more likely to be the interest of researchers.[1]

Overview

There are two main categories of

Nuttalliellidae, is less commonly discussed.[3] The primary distinction between soft and hard ticks is the amount of time they stay attached to their host. Soft ticks remain attached on the order of a couple hours and may take multiple blood meals from the same host. Hard ticks on the other hand tend to stay attached for several days to weeks, feeding continuously.[3] The ticks that transmit Lyme disease are hard ticks.[4]

Ticks often have a preferred host, but may still attach to a different host when called for. Their preferred host may change depending on the tick's stage of development (eg

bacterium that causes Lyme Disease. The adult deer tick attaches to its namesake, but the deer does not carry the bacterium. Humans are not the preferred natural host, but the adult ticks, containing the bacterium known to cause Lyme disease, can attach to humans and allow for transmission of the bacterium.[5]

Ticks are found around the world, with suggestions that climate change and globalization of travel and commerce may be broadening their scope of residence.[6]

Ticks use various tactics to reach their target host. Sometimes they employ a crawl-like movement to move towards their host. Other times they may perch along blades of

physiology conditions, animals would form clots and prevent excess bleeding after damage from something like chelicerae. Ticks account for this by secreting compounds in their saliva that prevent normal healing and promote bleeding.[4]

Disease state

Ticks can cause

symptoms and greater levels of swelling and tissue damage.[8] Serious skin infections such as cellulitis can set in due to the tissue damage from tick attachment.[8] In rare cases, ticks infestation can result in paralysis, a loss of motor function that can be debilitating and may even result in death.[8]

Prevention

Preventing tick infestation is an important global effort. It is estimated that the worldwide cost associated with controlling tick levels and tick borne

CDC in 2021 for use in the US.[12] Though, this is not stated to prevent infestation itself, but rather a specific disease related to infestation.[citation needed
]

Some of the best preventive measures for humans to avoid infestation, outside of using pesticidal bug sprays, include avoidance, appropriate clothes, and skin checks after potential tick encounters.[10] Jobs or hobbies that involve outdoor activities are shown to increase the risk of infestation, and as such, avoidance can be as simple as not hiking in or visiting areas known to be home to lots of ticks.[9] Clothes that cover exposed skin can help limit tick attachment but should not be a substitute for thorough skin and hair checks following a hike in known tick-infested regions.[citation needed]

If someone comes in contact with a tick, they should remove it from their

matches) have been used in the past, but are not currently recommended.[13][tone
]

Tick-borne diseases

While ticks are most notable in the public view as the insects responsible for transmitting

rashes, such as the bullseye rash of Lyme disease, or the spotted rash of Rickettsiosis.[16] Symptoms are variable during these infections, ranging from self-limited to very severe disease.[16] Lyme disease, for example, is known to have potentially severe complications involving the heart, immune system, and neurological systems.[16]

Non-

co-infection with multiple types of pathogen.[14]

There is some evidence that Ixodes ricinus infected with Borrelia burgdorferi may become more efficient at infestation.[18]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tick infestation.
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  13. ^ "cipm.ncsu.edu". Retrieved 2009-08-09.
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External links
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