Nearly 40% of deer ticks tested positive for Lyme disease in the largest countywide study of the parasitic arachnids ever conducted in Pennsylvania.
Among 1,000 deer ticks tested, 38.77% were found to be carrying the pathogen, according to a report released Wednesday by Pike County’s Tick Borne Diseases Task Force. They also are known as blacklegged ticks.
Batonellosis, which causes a range of diseases in humans, including cat scratch fever, trench fever and Carrion’s disease, was the second most found pathogen, carried by 18.52% of the ticks.
And 123 ticks were discovered to be carrying two or more diseases. The presence of multiple diseases, known as coinfection, can complicate medical diagnosis and treatment.
The baseline study involved the collection and testing of 1,000 deer ticks for seven disease-causing organisms, called pathogens, that the ticks might carry. The intent was to assess disease and infection rates to provide educational outreach to the public and medical professionals on the risks and prevention of tick-borne diseases.