Amblyomma americanum
Amblyomma americanum
Amblyomma americanum (pronunciation: am-bly-om-ma a-mer-i-can-um), commonly known as the Lone Star tick, is a type of hard tick native to North America.
Etymology
The name Amblyomma comes from the Greek amblys, meaning blunt, and omma, meaning eye, referring to the tick's blunt mouthparts. The species name americanum refers to its distribution across the Americas.
Description
The Amblyomma americanum is a three-host tick, meaning it feeds on a different host during each of its life stages: larva, nymph, and adult. The adult female is easily recognizable by the single silvery-white spot on her back, which is the origin of the common name "Lone Star tick".
Habitat and Distribution
The Amblyomma americanum is widely distributed across the eastern, southeastern, and midwestern United States. It inhabits wooded areas, particularly those with thick underbrush where potential mammalian hosts are likely to be found.
Medical Significance
The Amblyomma americanum is a vector for several diseases in humans, including ehrlichiosis, tularemia, and Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI). It is also associated with the development of a meat allergy known as alpha-gal syndrome.
Related Terms
- Tick: A small arachnid that is a parasite on mammals, birds, and occasionally reptiles and amphibians.
- Vector (epidemiology): An organism that does not cause disease itself but spreads infection by conveying pathogens from one host to another.
- Ehrlichiosis: A bacterial illness transmitted by ticks that causes flu-like symptoms.
- Tularemia: A highly infectious and lethal disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis.
- Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI): A rash illness that may be accompanied by fatigue, fever, headache, muscle and joint pains.
- Alpha-gal syndrome: A recently identified type of food allergy to red meat and other products made from mammals.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Amblyomma americanum
- Wikipedia's article - Amblyomma americanum
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