The leg bearing section is denoted the podosoma while the head region, the gnathosoma. When removal is attempted, the target region for contact with any removal instrument should be between the podosoma and gnathosoma at the basis capitulum. QuickTime movie of a tick feeding. Other tick-borne diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, babesiosis, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis tend to be of regional significance. Ticks, potentially infected with disease causing agents, present an often-unrecognized risk associated with the wilderness habitat.
Many people neglect to do frequent tick checks to interrupt feeding.
The most effective method of interrupting tick feeding and stopping potential disease agent exchange is to mechanically remove the tick. The attachment period required to initiate an infection varies for each pathogen. These transmission times are not absolute and can be shortened if a tick has a systemic rather than the more typical gut infection. Much more information is needed to account for many unknown variables before reliable safety intervals can be established. Part of the lag interval associated with pathogen transmission is likely a result of the continual attachment process.