Ticks are more than just annoying — they can spread serious diseases. Here’s a quick guide to 10 different tick species and what they can transmit to humans.
Black-legged tick or deer tick
The black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick, can spread parasites, bacteria and viruses through its bite.
It is known to transmit anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi disease, Lyme disease and Powassan virus disease.
Lone Star tick
The Lone Star tick can transmit several diseases, including ehrlichiosis, Heartland virus disease, Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), Bourbon virus disease and tularemia.
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It can also cause alpha-gal syndrome, which may trigger an allergic reaction to red meat and certain animal products.
American dog tick
The American dog tick can spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. These diseases can cause serious symptoms if not treated promptly.
Western black-legged tick
The Western black-legged tick is known for spreading diseases such as anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Lyme disease.
Rocky Mountain wood tick
The Rocky Mountain wood tick can carry and spread Colorado tick fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia.
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Brown dog tick
The brown dog tick can spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever. It is one of the few ticks that can survive and breed indoors.
Gulf Coast tick
The Gulf Coast tick can transmit a form of spotted fever called Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis, which may cause rash, fever and muscle aches.
Asian longhorned tick
The Asian longhorned tick can carry germs that cause anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and rickettsiosis.
Though the risk of these diseases in humans is still being studied, this tick species is spreading rapidly.
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Soft ticks
Soft ticks have a softer, leathery body and bite for only short periods of time. They mainly feed on rodents but can bite humans if nearby.
They can spread borrelia bacteria, which causes tick-borne relapsing fever.
How to prevent tick bites
Wear light-colored, long-sleeved clothes and tuck pants into socks to spot ticks easily.
Use tick repellents with DEET, permethrin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or picaridin as directed.
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Always check your body, children and pets after being outdoors.
Wash clothes in hot water and dry them on high heat to kill any ticks. If you find one, remove it carefully with tweezers and clean the bite area.
This article is based on information from Mayo Clinic.
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