When someone becomes ill from a tick bite, the clinical approach is multifaceted, requiring individualized treatment regimens. Ticks carry multiple bacteria and viruses. Co-infections are not uncommon. We have 20 years of experience with tick borne illnesses to provide you with optimal care. Our ongoing participation in basic research keeps us up-to-date on recent developments regarding diagnosing and treating tick borne diseases.

Fortunately, the majority of tick bites are benign, because they are discovered early enough that infection does not occur. Nearly all patients who come to our office with tick bites do not become ill. In fact, most cases of acute tick borne illness we see do not remember having a tick bite! Still, being bitten by a tick brings cause for concern and we are here to help. Doing your part by saving the tick so we can identify the species is invaluable. Each species carries different diseases. We can then help you understand what disease it could carry, the actual risk of transmission based on how engorged it is, and in the unlikely event that you actually do later become ill we can initiate the most appropriate antimicrobial treatment immediately. Symptoms can then resolve within a matter of a few days with no risk of developing chronic Lyme disease.

We generally do not treat every tick bite preventatively without identifying it microscopically first. One of the main reason is that the vast majority of tick bites now are from the Lone Star tick(Amblyomma Americanum). It does not carry Lyme disease but it is much more aggressive in finding a warm-blooded host. Unnecessary antibiotics do not need to be taken unless it is clearly engorged deer tick which is considered high risk. The approach has been shown to work very well for many years.

Also, since ticks carry multiple diseases, trying to prevent all possible types of diseases from a low risk bite would require multiple antibiotics at once, disrupt your microbiome, cause antibiotic resistance and have other untoward side effects. It should be reassuring to know that we have not seen any cases of chronic Lyme disease in this practice for many years. This is due to a high index of suspicion and timely treatment. The key is that we test our patients who have any symptoms that are unclear or are not responding to other diagnoses and treatments.

On this site are many resources and educational materials that you can rely on. They will help you better understand ticks and their diseases as they are part of our daily lives here.

-George P. Dempsey, M.D.