Tick-Borne Diseases

On the June 2 broadcast of Mayo Clinic Radio, co-hosts Tracy McCray and Tom Shives, M.D., spoke with Bobbi Pritt, M.D., Director of the Mayo Clinic Clinical Parasitology Lab, about common tick-borne diseases and how to prevent them.

In this Mayo Clinic Radio "Health Minute," Bobbi Pritt, M.D., Director of the Clinical Parasitology Lab and Co-Director of Vector-Borne Diseases Lab Services at Mayo Clinic, explains how the lone star tick's bite can cause an allergic reaction to meat.

It's time to start preparing for what could be a bumper crop of ticks across the U.S. As the last of the winter's snow melts, ticks start coming up from under the grass looking for a blood meal. In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Bobbi Pritt, a Mayo Clinic parasitic diseases expert, explains an easy trick to remember the best ways to protect yourself from tick bites.

Illnesses caused by disease-infected ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas have tripled in the U.S. in recent years, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lyme disease is the most common illness attributed to ticks.

In the United States, Lyme disease is caused by "Borrelia burgdorferi" and "Borrelia mayonii" bacteria, carried primarily by "black-legged" or "deer ticks." To learn more about Lyme disease, the Mayo Clinic Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and its reference laboratory Mayo Medical Laboratories have developed “The ABCs of Lyme Disease” flash cards.

To help you learn more about Lyme disease, “The ABCs of Lyme Disease” flash cards include information about symptoms, treatment, and other important facts.

Once confined to the southern part of the U.S., the lone star tick is now being found further north and west, and so are reports of allergic reactions to meat following a tick bite. Bobbi Pritt, M.D., Medical Director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory and Co-Director of Vector-Borne Diseases Laboratory Services at Mayo Clinic, weighs in.

Bobbi Pritt, M.D., Medical Director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory and Co-Director of Vector-Borne Diseases Laboratory Services at Mayo Clinic, discusses why the role of the white-footed mouse is so important in spreading tick-borne diseases.

Despite what you may have been told when you were younger, smothering or burning ticks is not a good idea. The correct removal method is even easier. Watch this video to learn how from Bobbi Pritt, M.D., a Mayo Clinic parasitic diseases expert.

Whether you’re camping, hiking, or just playing near woods this summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says tick bites should be top of mind. Bobbi Pritt, M.D., a Mayo Clinic parasitic diseases expert, weighs in on ways to avoid ticks.

In a recent article in the Star Tribune, Bobbi Pritt, M.D., Director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory in Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, weighs in on bugs present in Minnesota to watch out for this summer.

Bobbi Pritt, M.D., a Mayo Clinic parasitic diseases expert, says, as the last of the winter's snow melts, ticks start coming up from under the grass looking for a "blood meal." She says that this year, after a relatively mild winter, ticks got an early start. This means that tick season could be particularly busy. In this "Mayo Clinic Minute," Dr. Pritt explains an easy trick to remember the best ways to protect yourself from tick bites.

On the April 22 broadcast of Mayo Clinic Radio, co-hosts Tracy McCray and Tom Shives, M.D., spoke with Bobbi Pritt, M.D., Director of the Clinical Parasitology Laboratory, about an update on Lyme disease predictions for 2017.