The lone star tick exists in the south-central and southeastern states of Northern America. This species of tick will feed on livestock, pets and humans. Considered a woods tick, lone star ticks will latch onto a potential host when it comes near the tick.
Identification
Considered arachnids, a tick's body consists of one main body region, eight legs and a mouth part. Female lone star ticks have a distinctive white spot on their backs. Males will lack this spot. Instead, a male will have streaking or spotting along the posterior of its body. Lone star ticks also have longer mouth parts in comparison to other tick species.
Life Cycle
Lone star ticks have a four-stage life cycle consisting of an egg, larva, nymph and adult stage. Known as a three-host tick species, the lone star will feed from three different blood hosts before it becomes an adult. Adult ticks usually feed on large animals, such as cattle and humans. Nymphs, which look like small adults, feed on smaller animals, such as birds.
Feeding Habits
Lone star ticks make a small incision into their host. Ticks have barbed teeth within their mouth parts. The anchor onto the host and a salivary fluid secretes from the mouth part. This secretion anesthetizes the skin, so the host can't feel the biting and sucking. Once the tick removes itself from the host, the host might experience localized pain and inflammation at the bite site.
Disease
Because victims can develop a bullet-like rash similar to Lyme disease, the disease is often mistakenly associated with lone star ticks, states the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, lone star ticks cannot transmit the bacterium (Borrelia burgdorferi) responsible for causing the disease. Lone star ticks can transmit various other diseases of concern, such as tick paralysis and STARI. Tick paralysis disrupts the normal function of your nerves and muscles, resulting in temporary paralysis. Once the tick is removed, normal body functions resume. Southern tick-associated rash illness results in flu-like symptoms, such as fever and muscle aches.
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