Thomas Mather, PhD, believes everyone should be better educated about ticks and able to identify the small number of tick species in the United States that threaten human health. “Different ticks carry different diseases in different parts of the country,” he explained.
. . . if <people> saw how many ticks are waiting on twigs and leaves and in the brush . . . they would never go outside again” – entomologist Thomas Mather, PhD
Source: JAVMA, January 15, 2020. Link. Since 1981 when Lyme was discovered, Mather has witnessed the discovery of several new blacklegged tick diseases, including anaplasmosis, Powassan virus disease, and ehrlichiosis. And in that time, he has watched the tick’s habitat in the Northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and upper Midwestern regions of the United States expand as a result of human activities.
INSIGHTS: This is an important resource for ALL animal health pros. Educating pet owners and the public is a critical role inherent in our industry’s responsibilities.
If you have a dog maintained on tick control, the ticks the dog encounters are killed, and they’re not in the home or in the environment and able to transmit infection. It’s a perfect example of one health.” – Susan Little, DVM