Editing Tick (section)

==Relationship with humans==

===Tick-borne disease===
{{Main|Tick-borne disease}}
[[File:Erkinis encefalitas, Pašušvio miškas.JPG|thumb|upright|A sign in a Lithuanian forest warning of high risk of [[tick-borne encephalitis]] infection]]

Ticks can transmit many kinds of [[pathogen]]s, such as [[bacterium|bacteria]], [[virus]]es, and [[protozoa]], that [[Infection|infect]] ticks’ hosts.<ref name="NYT-20210611">{{cite news |last=Wenner |first=Melinda |title=Let's Do a Tick Check - These pervasive bloodsuckers can give you more than just Lyme disease. Here's how to protect yourself. (Interactive) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/06/11/well/tick-disease-lyme.html |date=11 June 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=19 June 2021 }}</ref> A tick can harbor more than one type of pathogen, making diagnosis more difficult.<ref name="Chrobak">{{cite journal |last1=Chrobak |first1=Ula |title=Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are on the rise. But why? |journal=Knowable Magazine |date=3 February 2022 |doi=10.1146/knowable-020222-1 |doi-access=free |url=https://knowablemagazine.org/article/health-disease/2022/lyme-other-tickborne-diseases-rise |access-date=4 March 2022}}</ref> Species of the bacterial genus ''[[Rickettsia]]'' are responsible for [[typhus]], [[rickettsialpox]], [[boutonneuse fever]], [[African tick bite fever]], [[Rocky Mountain spotted fever]], [[Flinders Island spotted fever]], and [[Queensland tick typhus]] (Australian tick typhus).<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Unsworth NB, Stenos J, Graves SR, Faa AG, Cox GE, Dyer JR, Boutlis CS, Lane AM, Shaw MD, Robson J, Nissen MD | title = Flinders Island spotted fever rickettsioses caused by "marmionii" strain of Rickettsia honei, Eastern Australia | journal = Emerging Infectious Diseases | volume = 13 | issue = 4 | pages = 566–73 | date = April 2007 | pmid = 17553271 | pmc = 2725950 | doi = 10.3201/eid1304.050087 }}</ref> Other tick-borne diseases include [[Lyme disease]] and [[Q fever]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Q fever| url=https://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/qfever |publisher=[[Centers for Disease Control]] |access-date=7 November 2010}}</ref> [[Colorado tick fever]], [[Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever]], [[tularemia]], tick-borne [[relapsing fever]], [[babesiosis]], [[ehrlichiosis]], [[Bourbon virus]], and [[tick-borne meningoencephalitis]], as well as bovine [[anaplasmosis]] and the [[Heartland virus]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Heartland virus|url=https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dvbd/heartland/|date=2018-11-08}}</ref> In the United States, Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the country.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Eisen RJ, Kugeler KJ, Eisen L, Beard CB, Paddock CD | title = Tick-Borne Zoonoses in the United States: Persistent and Emerging Threats to Human Health | journal = ILAR Journal | volume = 58 | issue = 3 | pages = 319–335 | date = December 2017 | pmid = 28369515 | pmc = 5610605 | doi = 10.1093/ilar/ilx005 | issn = 1084-2020 }}</ref>

Some species, notably the [[Ixodes holocyclus|Australian paralysis tick]], are also intrinsically [[venom]]ous and can cause [[tick paralysis]]. Eggs can become infected with pathogens inside a female tick's [[ovary|ovaries]], in which case the larval ticks are infectious immediately at hatching, before feeding on their first host.<ref name="Aeschlimann-182" /> [[Tropical bont tick]]s transmit the [[Ehrlichia ruminantium|heartwater]], which can be particularly devastating in cattle.<ref name=Texas/> The ticks carried by migratory birds act as reservoirs and vectors of foreign infectious diseases. In the Egyptian migratory bird study, over 20 strains of pathogenic viruses were detected within the tick sample from autumn.<ref name=Hoogstraal/>

Not all ticks in an infective area are infected with transmittable pathogens, and both attachment of the tick and a long feeding session are necessary for diseases to be transmitted.<ref name=CVBDtransmission/> Consequently, tick bites often do not lead to infection, especially if the ticks are removed within 36 hours.<ref>{{cite web | vauthors = Feldman G, Feldman L, Macnair P |title=All about ticks: why it's so important to remove a tick |url=http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/conditions/infections/a5559/tick-removal/|publisher=Netdoctor |access-date=8 December 2016 |date=6 March 2014}}</ref> Adult ticks can be removed with fine-tipped tweezers or proprietary tick removal tools, before then disinfecting the wound.<ref name=cdc>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/removing_a_tick.html |title=Tick removal |publisher=[[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] |access-date=24 October 2014}}</ref><ref name="Pace2020">{{cite journal |vauthors=Pace EJ, O'Reilly M |title=Tickborne diseases: diagnosis and management |journal=American Family Physician |volume=101 |issue=9 |pages=530–540 |date=2020 |pmid=32352736 |doi= |url=https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2020/0501/p530.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717113305/https://www.aafp.org/dam/brand/aafp/pubs/afp/issues/2020/0501/p530.pdf |archive-date=17 July 2023}}</ref> In Australia and New Zealand, where tick-borne infections are less common than tick reactions, the [[Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy]] recommends seeking medical assistance or killing ticks [[In situ|in-situ]] by freezing and then leaving them to fall out to prevent allergic/anaphylactic reactions.<ref>{{cite web |title=New Animation - How to Safely Remove Ticks |url=https://www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/info-updates/how-to-safely-remove-ticks-animation |website=www.allergy.org.au |publisher=Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327131921/https://www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/info-updates/how-to-safely-remove-ticks-animation |archive-date=27 March 2023 |date=13 April 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ascia2019">{{cite web |title=Tick Allergy |url=https://www.allergy.org.au/images/pcc/ASCIA_PCC_Tick_Allergy_2019.pdf |website=Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy |access-date=17 July 2023 |date=21 May 2019}}</ref> Professor [[Sheryl van Nunen]], whose research in 2007 identified tick-induced mammalian meat allergy, famously said "[[Rhyme-as-reason effect|tweezers are tick squeezers]]",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tiara.org.au/|title=TIARA - Tick Induced Allergies Research and Awareness|website=TIARA - Tick Induced Allergies Research and Awareness|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-02-15}}</ref><ref name="Salleh_2020">{{cite web | vauthors = Salleh A |date=2020-01-01|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-01-01/what-do-you-do-when-you-have-a-tick/11789538|title=Tweeze vs freeze: Here's the lowdown on how to get rid of a tick|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|access-date=2020-02-15}}</ref> referring to the tick toxins squeezed into people attempting to remove ticks with tweezers. Ticks can be disposed of by flushing them down the toilet, placing them in a container of soapy water or alcohol, or sticking them to tape that can then be folded over and thrown away.<ref name=illinois/><ref name=cdc/>

[[Bifenthrin]] and [[permethrin]], both [[pyrethroid]]s, are sometimes used as tick-control measures, although they have the disadvantage of being [[carcinogen]]ic and able to attack the nervous systems of other species besides ticks. Those who walk through tick-infested areas can make it harder for ticks to latch onto them by tucking their trousers into boots made of smooth rubber, which ticks have trouble climbing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pressherald.com/2016/01/03/the-pesticides-bifenthrin-and-permethrin-may-get-rid-of-ticks-but-at-what-cost/| vauthors = Atwell T |date=3 January 2016|publisher=Press Herald|title=Pesticides may get rid of ticks, but at what cost?}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.syracuse.com/outdoors/2014/06/what_do_the_experts_do_to_keep_ticks_off_themselves.html|title=Outdoors experts: Keep ticks off by spraying repellent on your clothes| vauthors = Figura D |publisher=Syracuse.com|date=4 June 2014}}</ref>

Research since 2008 has documented red-meat allergies (mammalian meat allergy and [[Alpha-gal allergy]]) in the U.S. due to [[Amblyomma americanum|lone star tick]] bites. The range of the problem has been expanding with the range of the tick.<ref name="Chrobak"/> Other species of ticks are known for being responsible for meat allergies in other countries, including Sweden, Germany, and Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/06/25/621080751/red-meat-allergies-caused-by-tick-bites-are-on-the-rise|title=Red Meat Allergies Caused By Tick Bites Are On The Rise| vauthors = Aubrey A |date=June 25, 2018|publisher=NPR|access-date=June 26, 2018}}</ref>

Many tick-transmitted viruses, such as [[Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus]], [[Kyasanur Forest disease virus]], [[Alkhumra hemorrhagic fever virus]], and [[Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus]], are classified as dangerous enough to require [[Biosafety level#Biosafety level 4|biosafety level 4]] precautions in laboratory environments. This includes five levels of containment, viz., storage vials within humidified [[desiccator]]s, within [[environmental chamber]]s, within a tick suite, within a BSL4 laboratory. Precautions such as [[glove box]]es, sticky pads, Vaseline barriers, safety suits, gloves, sticky tape, silicone [[vacuum grease]], sticky trap paste, and micro mesh are used to safely contain ticks and prevent them from escaping.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Thangamani S, Bente D | title = Establishing protocols for tick containment at Biosafety Level 4 | journal = Pathogens and Disease | volume = 71 | issue = 2 | pages = 282–5 | date = July 2014 | pmid = 24838773 | pmc = 4107070 | doi = 10.1111/2049-632X.12187 }}</ref>

===Population control measures===
[[File:Tick dragging.jpg|thumb|Researcher collecting ticks using the "[[tick dragging]]" method]]

With the possible exception of widespread [[DDT]] use in the [[Soviet Union]], attempts to limit the population or distribution of disease-causing ticks have been quite unsuccessful.<ref name="Dennis-3">[[#Dennis|Dennis & Piesman, 2005]]: [https://books.google.com/books?id=dKlUARLKT9IC&pg=PA3 p. 3]{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 
The parasitoid [[Encyrtidae|encyrtid wasp]] ''[[Ixodiphagus hookeri]]'' has been investigated for its potential to control tick populations. It lays its eggs into ticks;<ref name="Plantard2012">{{cite journal | vauthors = Plantard O, Bouju-Albert A, Malard MA, Hermouet A, Capron G, Verheyden H | title = Detection of Wolbachia in the tick Ixodes ricinus is due to the presence of the hymenoptera endoparasitoid Ixodiphagus hookeri | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 7 | issue = 1 | pages = e30692 | date = 2012 | pmid = 22292021 | pmc = 3266912 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0030692 |doi-access=free| bibcode = 2012PLoSO...730692P }}</ref>{{efn|Micrographs of the wasp laying eggs into a tick, and the hole by which the young wasps emerge from the tick's dead body, are available in Plantard et al 2012.<ref name="Plantard2012"/>}} the hatching wasps kill their hosts.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Tijsse-Klasen E, Braks M, Scholte EJ, Sprong H | title = Parasites of vectors--Ixodiphagus hookeri and its Wolbachia symbionts in ticks in The Netherlands | journal = Parasites & Vectors | volume = 4 | pages = 228 | date = December 2011 | pmid = 22152674 | pmc = 3248373 | doi = 10.1186/1756-3305-4-228|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Predators and competitors of tick hosts can indirectly reduce the density of infected nymphs, thereby lowering tick-borne disease risk by lowering the density and/or tick burden of reservoir-competent hosts. A study in the Netherlands found that the number of larval ticks on bank voles and wood mice was lower at sites with significant red fox (''[[Vulpes vulpes]]'') and stone marten (''[[Martes foina]]'') activity.<ref name="Hofmeester et al">{{cite journal | vauthors = Hofmeester TR, Jansen PA, Wijnen HJ, Coipan EC, Fonville M, Prins HH, Sprong H, van Wieren SE | title = Cascading effects of predator activity on tick-borne disease risk | journal = Proceedings. Biological Sciences | volume = 284 | issue = 1859 | pages = 20170453 | date = July 2017 | pmid = 28724731 | pmc = 5543215 | doi = 10.1098/rspb.2017.0453|doi-access=free }}  [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Material was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License].</ref>

This supports the results of a study from the [[northeastern United States]], in which the incidence of Lyme borreliosis was negatively correlated with the density of red fox, possibly because foxes decrease the density of [[white-footed mice]] (''Peromyscus leucopus''), the most important reservoir-competent host for ''[[Borrelia burgdorferi]]''.<ref name="Hofmeester et al"/><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Levi T, Kilpatrick AM, Mangel M, Wilmers CC | title = Deer, predators, and the emergence of Lyme disease | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 109 | issue = 27 | pages = 10942–7 | date = July 2012 | pmid = 22711825 | pmc = 3390851 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.1204536109 | bibcode = 2012PNAS..10910942L | doi-access = free }}</ref>

Another natural form of control for ticks is the [[helmeted guineafowl]], a bird species that consumes mass quantities of ticks.<ref>[[#Duffy|Duffy et al. (1992)]]</ref> [[Opossums]] groom themselves, swallowing many ticks; they are net destroyers of ticks, killing around ninety percent of the ticks that attempt to feed on them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boston25news.com/news/dont-hit-that-opossum-how-opossums-help-fight-ticks-and-lyme-disease/768984007|title='Destroyers of ticks': How opossums help fight ticks and Lyme Disease| vauthors = Main D |date=13 June 2018|publisher=Boston 25 News}}</ref> More generally, high [[biodiversity|animal diversity]] has a strongly protective effect against tick-borne disease.<ref name=dirt>{{cite web|title=The tick-resistant yard|publisher=Dirt Magazine|date=11 May 2018| vauthors = Tucker B |url=http://www.dirt-mag.com/article/20180511/STORIES01/180519997/0/peopleanimals02/The-tick-resistant-yard}}</ref>

Topical tick medicines may be toxic to animals and humans. The [[synthetic pyrethroid]] insecticide [[phenothrin]] in combination with the hormone analogue [[methoprene]] was a popular topical flea and tick therapy for felines. Phenothrin kills adult ticks, while methoprene kills eggs. Some products were withdrawn,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/flea-tick-drops.htm |publisher=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] |title=Hartz flea and tick drops for cats and kittens to be phased out |year=2005 |archive-date=11 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111070012/http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/flea-tick-drops.htm}}</ref> and others are known to cause adverse reactions.