Tick-Borne Diseases

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Ticks are almost everywhere, and wherever they go, they are out for blood. With so many ticks in woods and fields across the country, there is a growing risk of tick bites. They can transmit disease.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is more common in the southeastern states than the Rockies and it can be lethal if it is not treated promptly. Lyme disease is named after a town in Connecticut, but it is found much more widely.

Scientists are also studying other pathogens that ticks can transmit. Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are recognized, though not well known. What about infection with Bartonella, the cause of cat scratch fever?

Guests: Edward Breitschwerdt, DVM, is Professor of Medicine at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center. He is one of the country's experts on tick-borne diseases. The photo is of Dr. Breitschwerdt.

David Walker, MD, one of the country’s leading experts on rickettsial diseases, is Chairman of the Department of Pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He also serves as Executive Director of the Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases