Tick Safety

Ticks are very abundant on Ft. Pickett. Of special concern is the deer, or black-legged tick Ixodes scapularis, pictured left. Deer ticks are vectors of the spirochete bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease. During the larval and nymphal stages of the deer tick's life, one of its primary hosts is the white-footed mouse. These mice are major host reservoirs for the bacteria, thereby passing it on to the deer ticks.

Studies show that the Lyme disease spirochetes are transmitted from the tick to the host via salivation or regurgitation while the tick is feeding.

Careful removal is necessary due to the fact that squeezing a tick's abdomen while pulling it off may actually introduce the contents of the tick's gut into the host (humans in this case).

Observe the bitten area throughout the following 3 days to 1 month.

Symptoms of Lyme disease include:

* Erythema migranes, a circular red rash
* Fatigue
* Chills and fever
* Headache
* Joint and muscle pain
* Swollen lymph nodes


The American dog tick is also found on Ft. Pickett.

These ticks have been known to carry the organism responsible for Rocky Mountain spotted fever.