Do all ticks carry Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is one of the scariest tick-borne diseases you can develop from tick bites. It is a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi spread through bites of infected blacklegged ticks, aka deer ticks. Not all ticks carry Lyme disease though ticks in the Northwest, Northeast and parts of the midwest are more likely to carry the bacteria. A tick has to be attached to a person for at least 24-48 hours in order to transmit the bacteria.

If you do not know how long the tick has been there for certain, it is important to be watchful for signs of Lyme disease. There are many different types of ticks and though other types of ticks can carry Lyme disease, it is most common in the blacklegged deer tick. It has been estimated that 50% of these ticks carry Lyme disease. Medical professionals encourage anyone bitten by a deer tick to seek out medical attention and to start antibiotic treatment immediately to avoid and cure the upsetting symptoms of this disease.

Living in Pennsylvania, your chances of encountering a blacklegged tick infected with Lyme disease is very high. Tick prevention is absolutely paramount when striving to avoid these terrible tick-borne diseases. Ticks can also carry other diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, Powassan virus and Anaplamsa to name a few. Ticks are dangerous, parasitic pests and constant, routine inspections of your home, yard, body and pets is extremely important to avoid any nasty encounters.