The following insect was removed from the flank of a Medical Resident from Minnesota who had mistaken it for a 'mole' or 'skin tag'. He notes that it had been present for at least 5 days. He is concerned that he is now at risk for an arthropod borne disease; specifically he is worried about Lyme disease. What should you tell him?
Here are some accompanying images to aid in identification.
(CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE)
5 comments:
A dermacentor. Not a Lyme tick, but he could get Rocky Mountain SPotted Fever or tularemia if he were EXTREMELY unfortunate.
Dermacentor variabilis. This one can transmit RMSF. We have alot of these (if I have id'd it correctly) in northern Vermont. Before about three years ago, I had encountered none since moving to VT in the early 70's. BW in Vt
Dermacentor viriabilis (American Dog Tic). Not known to transmit Lyme Disease to humans so no risk of Lyme. Could get Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever though. JH (Vermont).
Not Ixodes so not a Lyme risk, at least in CA as far as I know. I'm not sure I've ever seen one of these but think is a dog tick. Another very cool beast/creature!
Where did you get these pictures from? They're better than mine!
~Rachel.
Post a Comment