A New ‘Life-Threatening’ Tick Has Been Discovered in Maine

There has been a new normal for quite some time in Maine. That new normal is to be ultra aware of ticks and the potential dangers that carry for both humans and our beloved pets.

Lyme Disease is well-known issue caused by ticks throughout the state of Maine but the disease itself remains underdiagnosed and can leave people with long term issues.

While the complications from Lyme Disease can be painful and annoying, it's not typically fatal. Now, some recent research is sounding the alarm bells that some new ticks discovered in Maine could be carrying infections far worse than Lyme.

Uncommon Rabbit Ticks Discovered in Maine Makes Researchers Nervous

If you spend any amount of time in the woods of Maine, you become very common with deer ticks. They're the most common instigator when it comes to attaching to a human and passing along the bad stuff.

According to Boston.com, a recent study in the Maine woods yielded results researchers weren't expecting. Researchers discovered a substantial about of rabbit ticks that were carrying a rare microbe called Rickettsia. That microbe can become a bacterial infection that could prove fatal in humans.

Why Rabbit Ticks Could Prove to Be Incredibly Dangerous in Maine

Researchers conducting the study assert that rabbit ticks on their own rarely have any interest in humans. What makes them incredibly dangerous is more of a two-step process.

A rabbit tick can pass along the dangerous microbes to an animal and then a more common tick, the deer tick for instance, will feed on the infected animal and then pass long the bacterial infection to humans.

For now, the new rabbit ticks present a low danger to humans. But it's important to be aware that they exist.

Another Tick Borne Illness is Already Causing Issues in Maine

A rare syndrome plagued nearly 60 people in Maine last year and researchers remained mystified as to how. It's called Alpha-Gal syndrome and it's typically passed to humans from a lone star tick. As you might imagine, the lone star tick usually is found in Texas.

Maine had 57 reported cases of alpha-gal syndrome last year, which causes a severe allergy to red meat. It's highly unlikely that the lone star tick resides in Maine which means other ticks have picked up the disease and passed it on.