Ticks are tougher, nastier than you thought

Ticks are nasty little survivors, outlasting even dinosaurs as they resist drought, tolerate cold and go for months without a blood meal. University of Cincinnati researchers are demonstrating just how hardy they are. Researchers at the UC McMicken College of Arts and Sciences are examining the tick’s defenses, looking for ways to prevent tick-borne illnesses, such as Lyme disease. They are studying the distribution of ticks in southwestern Ohio, the diseases they carry and their ability to withstand Midwest winters. “There are still so many things we don’t know about ticks,” said UC assistant professor Joshua Benoit, PhD, who is supervising the research. “They’re known for transmitting even more diseases than mosquitoes.” Four species are found in southwestern Ohio. They are shaped like a watermelon seed but can vary in size from a poppy seed to the head of a pushpin, with eight legs and a hard protective shell. Hungry for a meal,...