Insect disease borne by mosquitoes is not an uncommon topic these days.

West Nile Virus will be mentioned on the news at least once a week during the summer. Seldom, though, are ticks mentioned as a cause of human disease.

While similar to insects and often mistaken for an insect, ticks are arachnids, more closely related to spiders, another creature that is not an insect.

Ticks have eight legs and two body segments, while insects have six legs and three segments.

These are not the only differences but are the most easily identified.

Both ticks and mosquitoes can introduce disease-producing microorganisms into humans during the act of attaching and feeding on human blood.

There are about 15 species of ticks known in Indiana.

Fortunately, only four of these species are usually encountered by people or their domestic animals. The other 11 are found primarily on wild animals.

This leaves just four species for us to worry about.

The most common tick encountered by Hoosiers is the American Dog Tick. It is the largest and most widespread of the four of concern in Indiana.

This tick is found in all 92 counties in our state.

The adult of this species feeds on humans, dogs and cats, and are most common from early spring to mid-summer but can be encountered at other times.

The number of ticks present in an area depends on soil type, amount of plant life, and the number of small hosts, such as mice and other rodents, for the ticks to feed on in early life stages.

The American dog tick has been known to carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which can be transmitted to humans.

The Lone Star Tick is smaller than the dog tick. It can be found on white-tail deer and is spread over large distances by this animal. It often attaches to birds, which also spread the tick over great distances.

The Lone Star tick has been found in more than half of Indiana’s counties, mostly in the southern part of the state, but this invertebrate also has a population in counties in the northwest.

This creature also carries the cause of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. While not a common disease in Indiana, there is an average of six cases per year in our state.

The Blacklegged Tick is a small tick. It is also called the Lyme Disease Tick or Deer Tick. This tick was first discovered in the Hoosier state more than 30 years ago.

In the past three decades, it has expanded its range to include more than half of our 92 counties.

If you draw a line straight down the middle of the state from Michigan to Kentucky, the counties on the east side of the line have almost no reported blacklegged ticks. This is fortunate for us, because this tick is the known carrier for Lyme disease.

As with other tick-borne diseases, cases of Lyme disease are increasing.

While it was first discovered in Connecticut in 1975, it was found in Indiana just eight years later. In the ’90’s, about 25 cases per year were reported in our state.

Most of the disease contracted in the Hoosier state happens in the northwest counties.

The fourth tick known to feed on humans is the Brown Dog Tick. While it is not native to Indiana, it is sometimes brought here on dogs and becomes established in homes and kennels.

To avoid being bitten by ticks, stay away from where they frequent, which is mostly woods, shrubby areas or heavy grassland. These areas are mostly encountered by people who frequent the outdoors.

If you are in these areas in early spring to late fall, wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Tuck the shirt into the pants and the pants into heavy socks. Apply an insect repellent to your clothes, especially around the openings. When possible, check your body for ticks as soon as possible.

While most people who spend time outdoors have a favorite way of removing an attached tick, the recommended way is to grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible with a pair of tweezers, and gently pull away from the skin. Try not to squeeze the body of the tick as this may push the disease organisms though the mouthparts and into your body.

When you remove a tick from your skin, save it in a small bottle or container with the date and location you found it. If you become sick later, this may help the doctor determine the type of disease you have encountered.

The author may be reached at [email protected].