U of M Expert Alert: Tick season and Lyme disease
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (05/07/2024) — Minnesotans can expect to see ticks outdoors as the warmer months approach. Tick bites can transmit diseases — like Lyme disease — to people and animals.
Benjamin Clarke, PhD, with the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus, speaks about tick season, Lyme disease symptoms and how to prevent tick bites while outdoors.
Benjamin Clarke, PhD
“Lyme disease is a systemic inflammatory response to a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted through the bite of a blacklegged tick, also known as a deer tick. Often, a bull’s-eye rash will appear near the bite site. Lyme disease will start with flu-like symptoms of fever, head and muscle aches, and mild brain fog which progresses to fatigue, poor appetite, swollen glands and arthritic pain in the joints. If left untreated, the disease may progress to cause neurological problems like Bell’s palsy and inflammation in the brain and spinal cord.”
“It’s crucial to thoroughly inspect your body for ticks after a walk in the woods. The blacklegged tick is small — young deer ticks are about the size of a poppy seed and difficult to spot. As a preventative measure, avoid high brush and grass where ticks are found. Be sure to wear insect repellent when walking in the woods. Wearing light-colored clothing provides contrast for easier tick inspection, and tucking pants into socks prevents tick contact with the skin.”
“If a tick is attached to your skin, remove it carefully with tweezers and ensure the tick’s head isn’t still embedded in the skin, which can lead to other infections. The chances of getting an infection increase the longer the tick is attached. If you find a tick on your body, go to a clinic as soon as possible for appropriate treatment. If possible, bring the tick along for proper identification to confirm it is a blacklegged tick.”
Contact
Benjamin Clarke, PhD
Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus
Email: mednews@umn.edu
Download a high resolution photo of Dr. Clarke.
Dr. Benjamin Clarke is a professor at the U of M Medical School, Duluth Campus. His research interests include Lyme disease, immunology and endocrinology, and the development of active learning tools to teach biomedical concepts.
-30-
About “Expert Alert"
University of Minnesota experts can provide commentary, insights and opinions on various news topics. Find selected experts on UMN’s Experts Guide or send requests to unews@umn.edu.
About the University of Minnesota Medical School
The University of Minnesota Medical School is at the forefront of learning and discovery, transforming medical care and educating the next generation of physicians. Our graduates and faculty produce high-impact biomedical research and advance the practice of medicine. We acknowledge that the U of M Medical School, both the Twin Cities campus and Duluth campus, is located on traditional, ancestral and contemporary lands of the Dakota and the Ojibwe, and scores of other Indigenous people, and we affirm our commitment to tribal communities and their sovereignty as we seek to improve and strengthen our relations with tribal nations. For more information about the U of M Medical School, please visit med.umn.edu.