Ticks are small, insect-like creatures that live in woods and
fields. They can attach to people or animals as they brush past
bushes, plants, and grass. Ticks can be fairly large, as big as a
pencil eraser, or so small that they are almost impossible to see.
While most ticks do not carry diseases, some ticks can cause Lyme
disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, and
tularemia.
Review Date: 01/02/2011
Reviewed By: Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason
Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve,
MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
