- New research found that black-legged ticks are plentiful in the coastal brush, grasses, and sand around the beaches in California.
- Infectious disease doctors recommend taking preventive steps at the beach: Avoid grasses and brush where ticks live, scan your body for ticks, and wear repellant.
- If you find a tick on yourself, don’t panic. Remove the tick and save it for testing in case you develop symptoms.
Turns out the woodlands aren’t the only places ticks love to hide out. The tiny insects known for carrying the bacterium that causes Lyme disease can be spotted at beaches, too.
New research found that black-legged ticks are plentiful in the coastal brush, grasses, and sand around the beaches in California.
The findings, which recently published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology, also found that about 4 percent of ticks in coastal areas tested positive for the bacterium that causes Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi).
The study is the first to evaluate the bacterium carried by ticks in coastal areas.
Source: healthline