Although ticks get a bad rap, they themselves are harmless. I mean, sure they'll attach, secrete a neurotoxin to avoid detection, cement themselves in and then suck their hosts hard earned blood... But we've all got to eat and survive somehow!
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| This dog tick is probably pretty bummed he's on a trowel. |
The nasty part is not the engorgement of the tick, it's all the diseases that they act as vectors for. Ticks are eight legged
ectoparasites, meaning they remain outside of the host, but the parasites harbored within their guts and on their mandibles are
endoparasites, which make their way into the host tissues while the tick harmlessly feeds. Two common tick borne diseases are Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever; however, only the latter is transmitted by the dog tick shown above.
Resources:
Tickborne Diseases - CDC
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