title: Use of a tick-borne disease manual increases accuracy of tick identification among primary care providers in Lyme disease endemic areas.
abstract: Given the high incidence of tick bites and tick-borne diseases in the United States, it is important for primary care providers to recognize common ticks and the pathogens they may transmit. If a patient has removed and saved an attached tick, identifying the tick helps guide clinical management and determine whether antibiotic prophylaxis for Lyme disease is appropriate. To investigate providers' ability to recognize common ticks and the pathogens they may transmit, we asked 76 primary care providers from Lyme disease endemic areas to identify the common name or genus of preserved ticks found in their area. At baseline, 10.5%, 46.1%, and 57.9% of participants correctly identified an adult female blacklegged tick (engorged), dog tick, and lone star tick, respectively. Less than half of participants identified the three pathogens most frequently transmitted by blacklegged ticks. Use of a reference manual with tick photographs and drawings substantially improved identification of ticks and associated pathogens and therefore should be encouraged in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research and Innovation, Danbury Hospital, 24 Hospital Avenue, Danbury, CT 06810, United States. Electronic address: amber.butler@wchn.org.
authors.forename: Amber D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.affiliation: Physician Assistant Department, Drexel University, 1601 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, United States. Electronic address: mcarlson318@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Meredith L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.affiliation: Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3156 Rampart Road, Fort Collins, CO 80521, United States. Electronic address: wje1@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Christina A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008193:Lyme Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008370:Manuals as Topic; D009726:Nurses; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care; D017282:Tick-Borne Diseases; D013987:Ticks / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*
keywords: Lyme disease; Tick identification; Tick-borne disease