ABSTRACT
Importance and physical description Ticks are bloodsucking ectoparasites (Figure 10.1) that are efficient vectors of several different types of disease agents, such as bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, and protozoans. In fact, they are second only to mosquitoes as arthropod vectors of human disease. In addition, tick bites may cause a variety of acute and chronic skin lesions, as well as a paralysis syndrome resulting from salivary toxins injected during feeding.
