Rare Species of Ticks May Be More Common Than Thought

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Thursday July 20 9:02 AM ET

Rare Species of Ticks May Be More Common Than Thought

By Margaret A. Varnell

ATLANTA (Reuters Health) - In an effort to develop better protective and tick

control measures, Dr. Jerome Goddard of the Mississippi Department of Health in

collected data for a decade (1990 - 1999) on which species of ticks were

biting individuals in his state. What he found were four species of

disease-carrying ticks not commonly seen in Mississippi.

" There are a lot of unusual tick species in places we don't expect them, "

Goddard told Reuters Health at the International Conference on Emerging

Infectious Disease, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC) and the American Society for Microbiology.

" It raises the questions of not only how did they get here, but what sort of

disease did they bring with them, " he said.

Seventy-three people contributed a total of 119 ticks to the research effort

during the 10-year period. The most common species recovered were the lone star

tick (Amblyomma americanum), the gulf coast tick (A. maculatum), the American

dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), and the black-legged deer tick (Ixodes

scapularis).

Among the unusual varieties collected from a man in north Mississippi, were 12

larvae of Amblyomma tuberculatum, a species generally associated with the gopher

tortoise. The man reported that he had not traveled to the coastal regions where

this tick is commonly found.

An elderly lady from , Mississippi, who rarely ventured beyond her

backyard, was found to have two Dermacentor albipictus larvae.

Another individual experienced a case of tick paralysis from the bite of an

adult female of the Dermacentor variabilis variety.

A man in central Mississippi was bitten by Dermacentor sp. nymph, a species of

tick not native to North America, but common in South America.

" It probably came to America as a larvae on a migratory bird, " Goddard

explained. " We can't be sure, but this is the sort of thing we are trying to

better understand. "

In the United States, ticks are the number one arthropod vectors of disease

agents such as those causing Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever,

babesiosis, Colorado tick fever, and tularemia.

The CDC recommends wearing protective clothing including long sleeves, shirts

and pants that fit tightly around the wrists, waist and ankles whenever going

into the woods. Tick repellents may also be an appropriate defense against

bites.

After outings you should check yourself and your companions for ticks. If you do

find a tick gently grasp the tick as close as possible to the skin and slowly

pull it away.

Fingers covered with tissue paper may be used. Petroleum jelly and/or hot

objects such as matches or cigarettes are inappropriate for the removal of

ticks. Proper hand washing with soap and water is also important after removing

a tick.