The Ixodes spp. ticks are the transmitters of the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. These ticks are really tiny and very difficult to see. They are out in the spring and summer months looking for animals or people to bite. They are usually found in moist wooded areas, and crawl on to people when they brush against leaf litter, the tips of grasses and shrubs. These ticks also feed on animals such as deer, mice, squirrels, rabbits and birds, which all play a role in the cycle of Lyme disease transmission.

Here’s how to protect yourself from tick bites:

• Avoid tick-infested areas
• Modify your landscape to create Tick-Safe Zones
• Use insect repellent with DEET or permethrin
• Wear protective clothing
• Always check for ticks after being outdoors
• Remove attached ticks with tweezers

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to remove attached ticks with tweezers, use fine-tipped tweezers or shield your fingers with a tissue, paper towel

or rubber gloves. Grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible and pull upward with steady, even pressure. Do Not twist or jerk the tick. This may cause the mouthparts to break off and remain in the skin. Do not squeeze, crush or puncture the body of the tick. After removing the tick, thoroughly wash the bite site and wash your hands with soap and water. Save the tick in case you become ill. This may help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis. Place the tick in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer.

Children should be checked several times a day, if they are playing outdoors. Adults should help remove ticks from children. Also check pets carefully, especially around the ears and eyes. Brush off the ticks and remove any ticks that are attached.

You can tick-proof your yard by mowing the lawn, clearing away brush and leaf litter, keeping the ground under bird feeders clean, and stacking woodpiles neatly in dry areas. Ticks need moist environments. A dry area can be two to three feet wide, filled with wood chips or gravel and placed around the lawn that abuts the wooded areas of your property. Keep playground equipment away from yard edges and trees. You can use chemicals, but applications of chemicals should always be supervised by a licensed professional pest control expert. You can keep deer away by removing plants that attract deer and constructing physical barriers that help discourage tick-infested deer from coming near homes.

Lyme disease is often difficult to diagnose because its symptoms and signs mimic those of many other diseases. The early stage of Lyme disease is usually marked by one or more of the following symptoms and signs:

• Fatigue
• Chills and fever
• Headache
• Muscle and joint pain
• Swollen lymph nodes
• A characteristic skin rash, called erythema migrans

Erythema migrans is a red circular patch that appears usually 3 days to 1 month after the bite of an infected tick at the site of the bite. The patch then expands, often to a large size. Sometimes many patches appear, varying in shape, depending on their location. Common sites are the thigh groin, trunk, and the armpits. The center of the rash may clear as it enlarges, resulting in a bulls-eye appearance. The rash may be warm, but it usually is not painful. Not all rashes that occur at the site of the tick bite are due to Lyme disease. For example, an allergic reaction to tick saliva often occurs at the site of a tick bite. The resulting rash can be confused with the rash of Lyme disease. Allergic reactions to tick saliva usually occur with hours to a few days after the tick bite, usually do not expand, and disappear within a few days.

Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics under the supervision of a physician. Several antibiotics are effective. Patients treated in the early stages with antibiotics usually recover rapidly and completely. Most patients who are treated in later stages of the disease also respond well to antibiotics.