Post by Odysseus on Jun 21, 2024 8:40:51 GMT
Ticks aren't known as beach-lovers, so ecologist Dan Salkeld and a colleague were surprised when they found 180 ticks in less than a mile on a coastal trail near Muir Beach in California one day in 2016.
"Contrary to most people, we were delighted at the high numbers of ticks! It was exciting in terms of sample sizes and data," says Salkeld, whose findings were published in June.
But it's also sobering. For years, people who track black-legged ticks — the kind that carry Lyme disease — have been finding them in further flung territory, though still in mostly traditional habitats of forested areas with tall grasses and leaf litter. ...
"Contrary to most people, we were delighted at the high numbers of ticks! It was exciting in terms of sample sizes and data," says Salkeld, whose findings were published in June.
But it's also sobering. For years, people who track black-legged ticks — the kind that carry Lyme disease — have been finding them in further flung territory, though still in mostly traditional habitats of forested areas with tall grasses and leaf litter. ...
While Lyme disease is by far the most prevalent, accounting for nearly 35,000 cases in 2019, ticks also carry pathogens that can make you allergic to red meat or cause acute respiratory distress. In rare cases, tick-borne diseases are fatal. Anaplasmosis is the second-most common tick-borne disease, with nearly 8,000 cases reported in 2019. ...
