What Diseases Do Ticks Carry?

What Diseases Do Ticks Carry?

Spring is a time when many people spend more time outdoors, so it's important to remember how to prevent tick bites.

Some of the more common diseases that you can get from a tick bite include:

• babesiosis
• ehrlichiosis
• Lyme disease
• Q-fever
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• Southern tick-associated rash illness
• tick-borne relapsing fever
• tularemia

Other diseases that you can get from a tick in the United States include anaplasmosis, Colorado tick fever, and Powassan encephalitis.

Some species and some life stages of ticks are so small that they can be difficult to see, but all hungrily look for animals and, sometimes, people to bite. Depending on the species, you can find ticks in various environments, often in or near wooded areas. You may come into contact with ticks when walking through infested areas or by brushing up against infested vegetation (such as leaf litter or shrubs). Ticks also feed on mammals and birds, which play a role in maintaining ticks and the pathogens they carry.