RUNNING A RISK: MOSQUITO AND TICK BITES RARELY SPREAD DISEASE BUT ARE NUISANCE

Summer is a time for enjoying the outdoors, and, as with most good things, there is a downside to venturing outside: insect bites.

There is an increase in insect bites during the warmer months, and this is certainly true of mosquito and tick bites. Not only do mosquito and tick bites provide a nuisance, but also a risk of disease.

Several diseases can be transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks. Ticks and mosquitoes themselves don't cause disease, they transmit certain diseases by biting infected animals. Mosquitoes transmit diseases such as malaria and meningitis while ticks can transmit Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Neither transmit HIV, as was once feared by the public.

But don't panic. The risk of getting any disease from the bites of mosquitoes and ticks is very small. "We don't want people to be scared," said Dr. Edwin Masters, who has published several papers on ticks and Lyme disease.

Masters said the odds of contracting a disease through a tick bite is 300-1 against it. "Enjoy the woods, just be sensible."

In fact, there haven't been any known diseases spread by mosquitoes in the area, said Dr. Christina Frazier, who studies mosquitoes at Southeast Missouri State University.

Both Frazier and Masters said the best way to avoid risk of a bite is through proper prevention.

MOSQUITOES

Only female mosquitoes bite, and they only bite when they are pregnant. Frazier said that while both the male and female mosquitoes obtain all their normal nutrients through tree sap, females also need nutrients found in blood. And those nutrients are only needed when she is pregnant.

Mosquitoes bite different types of animals, not just humans. Frazier said certain mosquitoes only bite certain animals. "Believe it or not, there are a lot of mosquitoes out there that don't even bite people," she said. Most mosquitoes do prefer to intake blood from vertebrates, or animals with backbones, though. The mosquitoes find their prey by following trails of carbon dioxide exhaled by vertebrates.

When a female mosquito finds her victim, she lands and starts taking in blood. Frazier said that people don't itch from the bite itself, but from the anticoagulant the mosquito uses to prevent the blood from clotting while the blood is being taken. This can cause a more common problem than contracting a disease.

"People can itch and scratch and open up sores," said Frazier. These sores can become infected if not treated properly.

Though there are no mosquitoes in the area that are known to spread disease, Frazier does offer some advice on how to cut down on mosquito bites.

First, there are many things a person can do to cut down breeding in a yard. Eliminate containers around the yard, such as tin cans and jars, because several types of mosquitoes breed in containers. Also, don't have any standing water around a yard, she said.

Frazier also said that people can avoid most mosquitoes by staying inside during the hours around dawn and dusk which are peak times for mosquito activity. Repellents, as opposed to citronella candles and other preventive devices, offer the best protection.

TICKS

Technically, ticks are not insects. They are arthropods and have eight legs instead of six.

Unlike mosquitoes, ticks depend on the blood and tissue of animals to survive. And also unlike mosquitoes, ticks are known in the area to transmit disease, though Masters said the risk is very low.

"We are concerned that ticks carry several different diseases here," he said. "But we don't want people to be alarmed."

Lyme disease is the most common insect-transmitted, or vector-borne infection in the United States and is transmitted via an infected tick. A bacteria named "Borrelia burgdorferi" causes the disease.

The disease often mimics other illnesses, and is thus often mistaken for another disease or just misdiagnosed. Symptoms of Lyme disease include a fever or flu-like symptoms, headaches, stiff necks, muscle aches or fatigue during the early stages. In later stages, paralysis of limbs, vision problems, irregular heart beats, joint pains and other symptoms may occur.

Though Lyme disease and diseases spread by ticks are serious, Masters said not to panic if bitten by a tick. "Of the diseases you can get here, they all cause a fever or a rash," he said. Even if you develop a rash within 24 hours, it is probably just a reaction to the bite itself, Masters said.

The signs people should look for are fevers above 100.5 degrees and an expanding rash that resembles a bullseye. "This usually develops six to seven days after the bite," Masters said. His clinic sees anywhere from 15 to 30 cases of these bullseye rashes yearly.

Masters said people who are bitten by a tick should remove the tick with a fine-point tweezer, grabbing the tick's mouth parts as close to the skin as possible, and place the tick in a zip lock bag with a blade of grass for moisture since ticks need moisture to survive.

Keeping the tick alive will let doctors test the tick for disease if symptoms occur in the person bitten. If no symptoms occur within 30 days of the tick bite, then throw the bag away, Masters aid.

Though contracting a disease from a tick bite is uncommon, Masters said that being prepared is the best thing.

Frequent checks for tick and using tick repellents are necessary, he said. He also recommends wearing light-colored clothing and long-sleeved shirt and pants when outdoors and to avoid tick-infested areas whenever possible.

One trick Masters offers for removing ticks, especially if you've walked through a tick nest, is to run any tick-covered clothing through a clothes dryer. The heat from the dryer removes all the moisture ticks need to survive.

"If there's one thing we want people to understand is that the risk is low and they can still enjoy the outdoors," Masters said. "But still be careful."

Editor's note: Dr. Edwin Masters retains copyrights for his photos used with this story.