What diseases transmit ticks

Many of us see the ticks Like harmless insects, but they have the ability to stick to the skin of animals and feed on their blood, can even transmit certain diseases that if not properly treated can become dangerous conditions. I mean, it's a real blood sucker.

They belong to the same family of spiders and scorpions (arachnids), and we can mention two types of very common ticks: dog tick, also known as canine tick, and the deer tick, also called black-legged tick.

The canine tick is precisely one of the most common, which can reach up to 1.3 centimeters. In fact, it is likely that if you have a dog you have already seen some of these little insects in their fur.

While, the deer tick can reach the size of a pinhead or the approximate size of a sesame seed. It stands out for being a native of the United States, where it extends throughout the eastern and central part of the country, especially in areas where there are deer and rodents. On the other hand, the so-called western tick deer can be located west of the Rocky Mountains.

We can differentiate both types of ticks easily, since the deer tick has a reddish body on its back and marks on the back. However, the canine tick is usually reddish brown.

What are the diseases that can be transmitted by a tick bite?

Lyme's desease

Just in the mid-1970s ticks, and particularly the deer tick, became known because scientists discovered that the cause of an outbreak of cases of juvenile arthritis was precisely an infection caused by ticks.

That is, it was discovered that the tick is the main transmitter and carrier of Lyme disease, a debilitating infection that, although rarely fatal, when it is not adequately treated with antibiotics, people who suffer from it can develop arthritis, palpitations, facial paralysis, neurological disorders and intense headaches.

It does not always produce a rash in the form of a target that, from the place where the bite has occurred, spreads slowly. When this sign does not appear precisely the diagnosis is more difficult.

Precisely, his diagnosis is often complicated at first, especially because his initial symptoms are quite similar to those that occur when you have a flu, hence it is not diagnosed correctly.

Tularemia

It is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, being able to be contracted not only through the bite of a tick, but also by the bite of a mosquito or an infected borriquera fly.

Its symptoms tend to appear between 3 to 5 days after the exposure or bite, and they start suddenly, and may continue for several weeks after the symptoms have begun.

Among the symptoms it causes we can mention chills, fever, eye irritation, headache, muscle aches, joint stiffness, difficulty breathing, weight loss, sweating, and a red spot on the skin that grows to form a sore.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

It is an infection caused by the bacteria Rickettsia rickettssi, which is mainly transmitted by tick bites.

Its symptoms appear between 2 to 14 days after the bite, and usually include fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, confusion and rash. In addition, diarrhea, inappetence, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and thirst may also appear.

Colorado tick fever

It is another of the infections transmitted by the tick bite. This time it is a viral infection transmitted by the bite of a forest tick called Dermacentor andersoni, and present especially in the Rocky Mountains.

It usually appears between the months of March and September, and its symptoms begin 3 to 6 days after the tick bite.

The main symptom is fever, which has the peculiarity of appearing continuously for 3 days, to disappear and then reappear between 1 to 3 days later.

It also includes other symptoms, such as muscle weakness and pain, headache that is felt behind the eyes, rash, sensitivity to light, nausea, vomiting, sweating and pain in the skin.

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