put the Lyme in the coconut..

For the Zoonotic Disease course I'm TAing (for lack of a more accurate term), we took the students to a local elementary school to take part in a mock survey of the rodent population, as though we were looking for Hantavirus. We trapped mice and took measurements and blood samples.

I think it's interesting how I've overcome some of my aversion to field work. The summer I worked catching odonates, I was absolutely miserable...I couldn't stand the heat, the mosquitoes, the poison ivy, or the millions of larval lone star ticks. I definitely, definitely still prefer lab work, but I've become more comfortable with working in the field...particularly with dealing with ticks.

During the field exercise, we came across many adult blacklegged ticks. This species of tick, also known as the deer tick, is the one that can potentially carry Lyme disease. Some of the undergrads freaked out, but I didn't. Working with ticks every day, I now know how to keep from getting bitten:

• Be a lab rat. Not a viable option for most people, but if you're like me and prefer a nice dark lab to the great outdoors, there's much less chance of being bitten. ;)
  
• If you do venture out for a hike, avoid walking through leaf litter, where the humidity is high and ticks thrive. Try to stay on marked paths and short grass if you can.
  
• Tuck your pants into your socks and your shirt into your pants. Ticks crawl up from the ground. By tucking everything in, you ensure that they crawl on the outside of your clothes, instead of the inside. It's also a good idea to wear long sleeves and light colors, so you can easily see the ticks against your clothing.
  
• I'm personally not a fan of chemical warfare, but repellents are an option. There is commercial pre-treated clothing available, or you can treat your own clothing with a permethrin-based product (try looking in camping supply stores). DEET is great for mosquitoes, but doesn't really do anything for ticks.
  
• Check yourself daily. Infected ticks need to be attached for about 24 hours before they transmit Lyme. So if you make it a habit of inspecting yourself every day...say, before bed...you'll catch any ticks before they have a chance to infect you.
  
• Invest in a pair of fine-tipped tweezers...the pointier the better. If you do happen to find a tick on you, use the tweezers to grab it as close to your skin as possible, where its mouthparts are. Pull it straight out. Stick it in a plastic baggie in the freezer, just in case you start to come down with symptoms.
  
• If you happen to come down with flu-like symptoms or a bullseye rash, get to a doctor pronto and get tested.
  

Nothing too difficult, and most of it is common sense. TickEncounter.org is a very good resource if you want to arm yourself with even more knowledge. My favorite part is the tick ID guide:

.....which is available from http://www.tickencounter.org/education/tick_identification/. (You can click to get zoomed-in views of the ticks on the original site. Look at the fully fed lone star tick! They are enormous!!).


Time to get back to studying...I hate how finals are held during the peak of allergy season...