Deer tick. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a deer tick Ixodes sp., seen in front view. The tick's head (at centre) has a toothed proboscis which

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Deer tick. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a deer tick Ixodes sp., seen in front view. The tick's head (at centre) has a toothed proboscis which is used to penetrate human skin, attach the tick firmly, and suck blood. The tick has 4 pairs of legs. Ixodes sp. is a carrier of the spirochaete bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, cause of Lyme disease in humans. Lyme disease may undergo three stages of human infection, producing skin lesions, neurological or cardiac abnormality, and arthritis. Lyme disease is carried by various species of Ixodes tick: I. dammi and I. pacificus in the USA, and in Europe by I. ricinus. Magnification: x40 at 6x6 cm size. x60 at 4x5ins

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Size: 3072px × 3080px
Photo credit: © DAVID SCHARF/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: acari, animal, arachnida, deer, disease, fauna, invertebrates, ixodes, ixodidae, lyme, nature, parasite, scapularis, sem, sp., tick, vector, wildlife, zoological, zoology