Protect yourself and your family from infectious insects

During the summer months, the great outdoors can be a wonderland for exploration. But some of nature’s inhabitants can be dangerous and even life-threatening. Though small, ticks are among nature’s most successful predators, with the capability to pass along numerous infectious illnesses to unsuspecting hosts. Knowing how to avoid ticks and their disease-spreading bites is as simple as learning the ABCs.

Special thanks to Bobbi Pritt, M.D., director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic. With extensive experience in clinical parasitology, ectoparasite-borne diseases, and emerging pathogens, Dr. Pritt shares weekly parasite cases from around the world in her interactive blog, “Creepy, Dreadful, Wonderful Parasites: A Parasitologist’s View of the World.”

Click each card to flip for more information.

Photo Credit:
"Infectious Agent" photo courtesy of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Claudia Molins through the Public Health Image Library; Photo ID# 13170.