ABSTRACT
Ticks, eight-legged arachnids, are blood-sucking ectoparasites affecting humans and other animals worldwide. They are second only to mosquitoes as arthropod vectors of disease. Ticks may cause negative health effects by their nuisance biting, cutaneous reactions to their bites, allergic reactions, secondary infections (from scratching), and disease transmission. Some of the major tick-borne diseases are Lyme disease, spotted fever group rickettsioses, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, tularemia, and a large number of viral diseases such as tick-borne encephalitis, Powassan, Colorado tick fever, Heartland and Bourbon viruses. In addition, ticks may cause paralysis when feeding (tick paralysis). Tick surveillance and control are important components of public health programs. Therefore, it is imperative that public health entomologists know local and regional tick fauna, their habitats, seasonality, and control.
