LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In some cases ticks can carry life-threatening diseases and the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness has discovered one in two Louisville zip codes. 

For pet owners like Larry Chamberlin and Robert Clark, walking their dogs is a daily occurrence. Just like avoiding tall grass and wooded areas as much as they can to steer clear of ticks.

“I usually walk all the trails, stay on the paved trails as much as I can and that's about it as far as avoiding ticks,” Chamberlain said.

“I'm cautious, period, on having ticks. So I've had them before just running through the fields. I try to stay mostly on the asphalt but that doesn't totally eliminate it and so you just have to be vigilant,” Clark said.

Early spring and late fall are times with the greatest risk of being bitten. The Department of Public Health and Wellness has recently identified ticks infected with Rickettsia bacteria. Rickettsia is a bacterial disease that is spread through the bite of any infected tick, the causal agent for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

The ticks were discovered in the two Louisville zip code areas of 40229 and 40223.

“What makes this a little different is that the ticks that we collected that were positive for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever were lone star ticks. If you look through the literature they are not listed as a primary vector for the disease,” said Matthew Vanderpool, environmental health specialist for Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness.

The adult female lone star tick can be identified by a white dot on her back. The nymph and adult females are the ones who most frequently bite humans.

Those who get sick with RMSF will have a fever, headache and rash. The disease can also be life-threatening if not treated early with the right antibiotic.

“Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever patients develop a rash approximately 2-4 days after the fever. That's sort of the unique thing about this disease, it has a rash that is kind of a splotchy looking red to purple rash and that's the critical piece for diagnosis,” said Sarabeth Hartlage, interim medical director for Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness.

The department is stressing the importance of checking your clothing, gear and pets and making sure to shower within two hours of coming indoors. According to the health department, it can reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease and is effective in reducing the risk of other tick-borne diseases.

That's something Clark already considers a routine  

“I also brush out my dog everyday, just to make sure that's the best way really to get them off and take a look at that and he has tick and flea medication he takes but they still get on there occasionally,” Clark said.

So far there have been no human cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Louisville. There was one confirmed case in 2020 and another in 2018.