Ticks carry a range of bacterial, parasitic, and viral diseases. In Southeast Pennsylvania, the most significant are Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus (carried by blacklegged ticks), along with Rocky Mountain spotted fever (carried by the American dog tick) and ehrlichiosis and alpha-gal syndrome (associated with the lone star tick).
If the idea of tick bites makes you nervous, then you’re not being unreasonable. Ticks carry many different diseases, and some individual ticks carry more than one at a time. So if you plan to spend a lot of time outside in Southeast Pennsylvania, it helps to know what the risks are and how you can prevent them.
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in the United States, and it’s seen more in Pennsylvania than nearly any other state. It’s caused by a bacterium transmitted by the blacklegged tick, usually 36–48 hours after being attached. Early symptoms include a spreading rash (though not everyone develops one), fever, fatigue, and joint pain. When caught early, it often responds well to antibiotics. But if left untreated, it can progress to chronic joint, neurological, and cardiac complications.
Anaplasmosis is transmitted by the same blacklegged tick. It attacks white blood cells and produces flu-like symptoms like fever, headache, muscle aches, and chills. Most cases respond to antibiotic treatment, but it can become serious in older adults or people with compromised immune systems.
Babesiosis is a parasitic infection, also from the blacklegged tick, that destroys red blood cells. Many people who contract it have no symptoms. For those who do, it can cause fatigue, fever, and anemia. This is most dangerous for the elderly, the immunocompromised, and people without a spleen.
There is also Powassan virus, which is rare but severe. Unlike most other tick-borne diseases, it can transmit within minutes of tick attachment. It can cause inflammation of the brain and has no specific treatment. It’s rare, but has been documented in the mid-Atlantic region, including Pennsylvania.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever, carried by the American dog tick, causes fever, headache, and a distinctive spotted rash. It requires prompt antibiotic treatment and can be fatal if untreated.
The lone star tick, whose range has been expanding into southeastern Pennsylvania, is associated with ehrlichiosis and alpha-gal syndrome, the latter of which is an allergic reaction to red meat triggered by compounds in the tick’s saliva.
If you want to reduce tick exposure on your Southeast Pennsylvania property, Mosquito Squad of Southeast PA can help. Mosquito Squad targets the shaded edges, ground cover, and transmission zones where ticks wait for hosts. With each treatment, the tick population can be cut by up to 90% with re-treatments every 21 days.
