Abstract
Ticks are a relatively common carrier of infections. In most cases, ticks are a vector of infection that mediates the transmission of the pathogen from animal reservoirs to humans.
They are also a limited source of infection. This is a situation where the pathogenic microbe can be transmitted transovarianly to the next generation of ticks.
Our most common and typical tick-borne diseases include Central European tick-borne encephalitis (MEK) and Lyme disease (LB). Ehrlichiosis and babesiosis are infections that are rare and do not have a significant health problem in our country or in the world.
Outside our territory, ticks are carriers of other infections, which, however, are important only as imported diseases. Due to the usually short incubation period of these infections, their Florida occurrence is absolutely rare in our territory.
These include infections with Bunyaviruses, which cause Crimean (Congolese) and Central Asian hemorrhagic fevers. Flaviviruses cause Omsk hemorrhagic fever (Siberia, Central Asia) and Kyasanur forest disease (India) with a clinical course very similar to MEK.
Mites are also carriers of some rickettsial infections. Specifically, the ticks are in the Rocky Mountains (Rickettsia rickettsii, a tick of the genus Dermatocentor) and in the African (Marseille, Mediterranean) fever (Rickettsia conori, a tick of the genus Rhipicephalus).
These infections can be mild and can heal without treatment. However, these are often severe infections with a picture of septic diseases accompanied by a hemorrhagic rash caused by the multiplication of rickettsiae in the capillary endothelium.
Early antibiotic treatment is essential. Doxycycline, spiramycin, from the older drugs chloramphenicol can be given.