Wood ticks, like the one pictured, don't carry the same pathogens that cause Lyme disease as smaller deer ticks.(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Even if you havent seen them outdoors this summer, you know they're there.
The vampiric little arachnids that hide in brush and leaves, waiting to burrow into a warm-blooded host to feed.
Ticks are just about everywhere in Wisconsin this time of year, so its important to keep an eye out for them. Depending on the species, they can carry pathogens that cause Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis and other serious illnesses.
Wisconsin averages 3,500 Lyme disease cases each year, putting it in the top 20%of the country, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
We talked to a few bug and medical experts at DHS and the University of Wisconsin to find out more about identifying ticks, what to watch out for if youve been bit and how to stay safe outdoors.
There are three types of ticks in Wisconsin: wood ticks, deer ticks and Lonestar ticks, but the latter are rare.
Deer ticks are smaller than wood ticks and carry most of the disease-causing pathogens. University of Wisconsin medical entomologist Susan Paskewitz said there are ecological differences in the animals they feed on, which influences the diseases they spread.
Whitetail deer are an important host for the namesake deer tick, but they're actually not where ticks get the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
In the case of Lyme disease, most of the source for ticks is actually coming from mice, Paskewitz said. It could be chipmunks, mice, shrews, or voles, but mostly mice are known to play an important role.
Wood ticks also feed on mice, Paskewitz said, but they have an immune reaction that prevents Lyme disease from taking hold.
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Theres some kind of internal immune mechanism that prevents the spirochete from becoming established in the wood tick, she said. There are just differences in their physiology that in one case makes (wood ticks) no good as a vector, and in the other case (deer ticks are) perfectly able to transmit Lyme and many other pathogens.
At this time of year, its important to watchout forjuvenile ticks, or nymphs, which are emerging in higher numbers and can be as small as a poppy seed.
University of Wisconsin entomologist PJ Liesch said about 20%of deer tick nymphscarry bacteria that causes Lyme disease, while closer to 40%of adults carry the bacteria. Despite the lower infection rate, nymphs can be much harder to spot on the skin, increasing the risk of infection.
People can overlook them in tucked away spots, like behind the knee, armpit, something like that, Liesch said. The longer a tick is attached, the greater the chance of transmission. When a tick is attached for 36 to 72 hours, thats the length of time where we really get worried about transmission.
When a tick attaches to an animal or human, its consuming a blood meal that contains the nutrition it needs to advance to its next life stage. Ticks consume about two blood meals during their two-year life cycle. They arent born with pathogens but contract them as they consume blood meals going from larva to nymph to adult stages.
Thats the nutrition they need if theyre a juvenile tick to advance to the next life stage, Liesch said. If theyre an adult tick, like an adult female, shes getting that blood meal to have nutrition so that she can produce a batch of eggs.
DHS medical entomologist Rebecca Osborn said you shouldnt panic if youve been bit, but monitor the bite closely. Watch for a red rash in the shape of a bulls-eye circle. The rash isnt always indicative of Lyme disease, but it'sa common symptom.
The rash comes from the disease-causing bacteria, or spirochete, moving from the site of the bite to the skin.
The "bull's-eye" pattern at the site of a tick bite on the back of the right upper arm of a woman who'd subsequently contracted Lyme disease.
Some people might develop Lyme disease and not develop a rash, or if they were bit in a place thats difficult to see, like the back of the head, they might not realize theyve been bit, Osborn said. Other symptoms include fever, fatigue, joint pain, headache and feeling unwell.
Diagnosing and treating Lyme disease early is crucial. Osborn said most people who are treated early with antibiotics fully recover, but some experience lingering symptoms. She said this probably isnt because an infection is persisting, but because of the effects the infection had on certain systems in the body.
Paskewitz said some lingering Lyme symptoms affect the nervous system, like the brain fog described by patients with long-term COVID-19 symptoms.
Those are things like fatigue and fuzziness in thinking, she said. You still have some of those ongoing repercussions of having been infected because of the changes in your body to try to deal with that infection.
While Lyme disease is the main concern associated with deer ticks, they also carry a host of other disease-causing pathogens.
Anaplasmosis is the second most common illness spread by ticks in Wisconsin, with about 600 to 700 cases on average each year, according to DHS data. If untreated, the disease can cause respiratory failure, bleeding problems, organ failure and death.
Babesiosis is another illness thats spread by deer ticks. The parasite attacks red blood cells of the infected host causing flu-like symptoms, anemia, trouble with blood clotting, jaundice, and spleen and liver enlargement. Severe symptoms can include heart attack, kidney failure, liver disease and death.
The symptoms can vary certainly, and none of the other diseases is it common for people to have the bull's-eye rash, Osborn said. What is common in all of these is they usually are accompanied by a fever, fatigue, malaise, headache and really feeling unwell.
While DHS numbers suggest that Lyme disease diagnoses have increased in the last 20 years, entomologists say its difficult to determine if there are more ticks across the state. Improved surveys and data gathering could explain part of the increase, and some areas can have much higher localized tick populations than others.
One thing I like to remind people with deer ticks, in Wisconsin we didnt find the first deer tick until the late 1960s, Liesch said. Overall, this is still an emerging and evolving situation, and were still watching them expand into new areas.
This photograph depicts a deer tick, or blacklegged tick, as it was questing on a blade of grass. The Lyme disease bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, is spread through the bite of infected ticks. (Photo: CDC photo)
Paskewitz said people can submit pictures of ticks to researchers online through The Tick App. The app has a Report-A-Tick function where users can share information about ticks they encounter. They can send in a photo of the tick to receive an expert opinion on what species it is.
Its a research tool, so it is a study where people can tell us about their exposures to ticks and where theyre picking them up, she said. That helps us a lot in terms of looking for hot spots and problem areas in Wisconsin.
Liesch said its a good idea to take precautions if youre going outdoors this summer.
The first is to avoid areas with high tick populations. Ticks like leaves and tall, weedy vegetation with more moisture, so they wont be as prevalent in sunny, dry areas.
Another precaution is to use clothing as a protective barrier. Wearing long sleeves and pants makes it harder for the creatures to bite through to the skin.
Insect repellants are another way to protect against ticks. Repellents with Deetand clothing treated with permethrin can be effective deterrents against ticks.
The Tick App includes guides on how to identify and remove ticks.(Photo: The Midwest and Northeast Centers of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease and the Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison.)
If you do have a tick embedded in your skin or a pets skin, the best way to remove it is with a slow, steady pull to avoid leaving bits of the mouth in the skin, Liesch said.
Grab some tweezers of forceps, grab the tick near the mouth parts as close to the skin as possible,he said. We dont want to do anything thats going to squish or crush the tick.
Osborn said you should wash the bite regularly and monitor it for a month. She said its also a good idea to save the tick and keep it in a plastic bag to give to your health care provider in case you develop symptoms.
Liesch said a final precaution is to do a tick check on yourself and any pets that went outside within 24 hours, shower and wash outdoor clothes.
Even if you got a deer tick on you but you come back and do a quick tick check and you are removing those ticks, they simply havent been attached long enough to transmit a disease like Lyme, Liesch said. For pets, talk to your vet and make sure that outdoor dogs and cats are getting an appropriate flea and tick treatment to help prevent issues.
Contact Jake Prinsen at jprinsen@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PrinsenJake.
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Have you seen ticks this summer? Here's what you should know about Lyme, Anaplasmosis, other diseases they spread - Green Bay Press Gazette
