DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A close friend was diagnosed recently with Lyme disease due to a tick bite. However, I recently read about some new type of tick-borne illness. My family loves to hike and be outdoors, but I'm nervous now about continuing our activities. How can I reduce our risk of illness from insect bites and protect my family?
ANSWER: Enjoying the outdoors is a wonderful way to spend quality family time together, but there are certainly some risks, especially from ticks. The tiny bugs, which are closely related to spiders, are nearly everywhere in the U.S. and can transmit several different germs to humans. Two new tick-borne pathogens were detected at Mayo Clinic in the past decade.
The most prevalent and commonly known tick-borne disease in North America is Lyme disease. It's caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia mayonii and is transmitted by a black-legged tick, also known as a deer tick.
