Recently I realized how horrible tick-borne diseases are. Two weeks age, my dog quickly lost his sight. I took him to the vet, and he got diagnosed with two active tick-borne illnesses. This was a nasty wake up call to how horrible tick diseases are. It reminded me to take tick bites and preventative measures much more seriously. Although Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever seem to be the most well-known tick diseases, they are not the only ones to be concerned about. Read on to find out more.
Tick-Borne Diseases Resources
Start here to learn about disease transfer and transmission
PowerPoint Presentation (virginia.gov)
Ticks and tick-borne diseases in Virginia is a great resource. It Is very easy to use, and
it provides concise information in a simple format. Common tick vocabulary is defined,
which will help when reading other articles. This is a great first step resource.
Tickborne Diseases - Ticks (virginia.gov)
This is an amazing resource, even if you do not live in Virginia. It lists 11 tick borne
diseases, how they are transmitted, symptoms, possible lab testing, treatment, and
statistics for each. This is a very comprehensive resource.
Learn More About Specific Diseases and Preventative Measures
This resource expands on some ticks and tick diseases that are not present below
Pennsylvania but are common in the Western US. First, it provides some general
information about ticks , which is useful to know. Second, it details the most common
diseases. Finally, it provides great photos.
Guide to different tick species and the diseases they carry - Mayo Clinic
The Mayo Clinic Guide to different tick species and the diseases they carry is another
excellent resource. It provides good photos, distributions and prevalence, and disease
information. Plus, it provides general guidance for avoiding tick bites.
About Ticks and Tickborne Disease | Ticks | CDC
About Ticks and Tickborne Diseases from the Center for Disease Control provides a
comprehensive list of15 diseases transmitted by ticks. There is a link to each disease
that provides detailed information about the disease. This provides great in-depth
information about the diseases people or dogs can get from ticks.
Moving to the west coast, the California Department of Public Health has an excellent
resource for tick information. It too has detailed links to western state tick borne
illnesses and a host of other valuable links regarding ticks. This is definitely worth some
time to explore.
Colorado Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases - 5.593 - Extension (colostate.edu)
The Colorado State University Extension resource provides detailed information
regarding ticks and tick borne illnesses in Colorado. Lots of ticks and tick borne
illnesses cross state lines, however some ticks and bacteria are specific to certain
areas. Surprisingly, the article states that there are 27 species of ticks currently found in
Colorado.
Conclusion
There are lots of resources available on ticks. It’s interesting to search down a few
pages on the internet because some great resources don’t make the first page. It’s good
to read a variety of resources. They each have slightly different perspectives,
organization, and information.