Abstract
Tick borne diseases have become a public health crisis in endemic areas of the world. It is important for health care professionals to be aware of the clinical manifestations of tick borne diseases, and recommended practices for their diagnosis and treatment. It is also important to educate the public on signs of disease and how to mitigate exposure. An understanding about the life cycle of ticks and the interplay of the environment is also crucial to reduce morbidity and mortality. This article presents the most common tick borne diseases of hard bodied ticks in the United States which are transmitted by: deer tick: Ixodes scapularis and pacificus, dog tick: Amblyomma americium and lone star tick: Dermacentor variabilis. Diseases from infected ticks (bacterial, parasitic and viral) include Lyme disease, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, tularemia, Powassan virus (POW virus) and Southern Tick Associated Rash Illness (STARI). There is increasing concern with new and emerging strains of other tick borne diseases such as Borrelia miyamotoi.
Highlights
The incidence of tick borne diseases is on the rise
The spirochete infection is caused by the Borrelia species (B. bourdorferi, a spirochete related to the syphilis pathogen) and is transmitted by the bite of infected Ixodes ticks (Ixodes scapularis known as deer ticks or black legged ticks and Ixodes pacificusalso known as western black legged ticks)[2]
A rash with a very similar appearance to erythema migrans (EM) occurs with Southern Tick-associated Rash Illness (STARI), but is not Lyme disease
Summary
The incidence of tick borne diseases is on the rise. These trends result in larger numbers of persons requiring treatment, placing a greater financial impact on the healthcare system and individual patients creating a greater burden on society. Appearance of rash may occur less than fifty percent in Lyme disease infections. Larger mammals including deer and humans are considered dead end hosts (infection cannot be transmitted to feeding ticks) [7,8]. Lyme disease early signs and symptoms can occur three to thirty days after a tick bite.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Nursing & Clinical Practices
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
