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Wood Tick Symptoms

The wood tick, also known as the American dog tick, is a commonly encountered tick of reddish brown coloring. Wood ticks will feed on any medium to large species, including humans. There aren't any symptoms specific to a wood tick bite. That being said, wood ticks can carry a host of diseases that can be transferred to humans. Each of these diseases has its own specific symptoms.

  1. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

    • Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a potentially fatal bacterial illness commonly found in the wood tick. People with this illness will often experience flu like symptoms, such as headache, fever, achy muscles, nausea, vomiting and nonspecific abdominal pain. Often times, a purple, spotted rash develops two to five days later. The rash, however, is not always present. In severe cases, neurological problems such as nerve paralysis or deafness and organ failure can occur.

    Tularemia

    • Tularemia, often called rabbit fever, is a bacterial illness that affects mostly rodents. Humans can be infected through wood tick bites. Tularemia can also be spread by direct contact with an infected rodent. Symptoms of tularemia often present themselves two to 10 days after being bitten. The most common symptom is an ulcer at the bite site. Swollen lymph nodes, especially in the armpit and groin, are also common. Other symptoms are generally nonspecific, and include fever, chills, headache, and extreme fatigue. Fevers can be quite high, sometimes reaching 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Ehrlichiosis

    • Ehrlichiosis is another bacterial infection commonly spread through wood tick bites. There are two types of ehrlichiosis; Human monocytic ehrlichiosis and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis. Symptoms are very vague and include fever, chills, achy muscles, and a general feeling of being unwell. Diarrhea and rash are less common symptoms. Loss of appetite, and accompanying nausea and vomiting are common in children, but not adults. Severe ehrlichiosis can mimic Rocky Mountain spotted fever and only lab tests can differentiate between the two.

    Tick Paralysis

    • Tick paralysis is unique in that it is directly caused by the tick and not by a bacterium the tick is carrying. Tick paralysis is caused by the toxins a female tick produces as it feeds. The first symptom is typically unsteady gait. This includes walking crookedly, wobbling, and stumbling. As the toxin in the bloodstream increases, the legs become numb and eventually paralyzed. The paralysis slowly moves up the body, causing trouble breathing, and numbness and inability to move the face and tongue. Untreated tick paralysis can cause seizures and respiratory failure, both which can lead to death.

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