Heartland virus was first identified in 2009 when two Missouri farmers who had been bitten by
ticks were admitted to a hospital.
Most of us are aware that
ticks can be infected with the spirochetes (microscopic bacterial organisms) that cause Lyme disease (for more information, see "Lyme Disease in Dogs," WDJ October 2018).
Ticks were considered as parasites of domestic animals as early as 400 B.C.
Ticks often repeat the act of attaching to various hosts as they travel around during their 'safari' lifecycle as they grow from nymph to adult stage to achieve their 'suck'-cess.
(3) evaluated 136 patients, and they reported that the rates of complications after the removal of
ticks by otorhinolaryngologists and non-otorhinolaryngologists were 15.7% and 68.1%, respectively.
At the practice I have been removing
ticks from as early as February.
Dog owners are being encouraged to be on the lookout for
ticks, as insurance claims for illnesses related to the parasite in pets have risen by more than 60 per cent in recent years.
Here in southeastern Oklahoma,
ticks tend to be a year-round problem, and they love to pester my farm animals.
Recent years of warmer and wetter winters (Beasts from the East aside) have led to a boom in the population of
ticks, parasitic spider-like creatures which feed on the blood of humans and animals alike.
You're not home free on
ticks just because we're moving into fall weather.