Orkin Exterminator & Termite Control

Deer Ticks Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is a debilitating disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Deer ticks are the most common vectors of this bacterium. Lyme disease is easily transmitted to human and animal hosts through the deer tick's bite.

Although deer ticks do not jump or fly, they remain in grassy areas frequented by dogs, cats and other warm-blooded hosts. As these hosts brush against the grass, deer ticks cling to the coat of the animal and begin to feed. Because the ticks bite a different host for the next mal, infected ticks are capable of spreading Lyme disease quickly throughout a population.

The small size of the deer tick is also a factor in the prevalence of Lyme disease. Their bites are not painful and most victims do not recognize them until they have become engorged from prolonged feeding. However, Lyme disease is transmitted to the host within the first few hours of the bite.

Removal of deer ticks can be dangerous. If a specimen is crushed, infected bodily fluids are released and may further contaminate a bite victim. In the event that the barbed mouthparts of the deer tick remain within the victim's skin, Lyme disease bacteria are still capable of infecting the host's blood stream.

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