LoneStarMapTick-borne diseases
Tick-Borne Diseases: What Each Tick Can Carry
A plain-language, sourced overview of the illnesses ticks can transmit — what they are, the symptoms to watch for, how soon symptoms appear, and which tick carries each. The Lone Star tick's own illnesses are listed first. Educational only — not medical advice.
Symptom-onset comparison
Roughly how soon symptoms tend to appear after exposure, and the main tick vector. Ranges are approximate — see each page for sources.
| Disease | Typical onset | Main vector tick | Lone Star? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha-gal syndrome | Reactions are characteristically delayed. Per the CDC, symptoms usually appear about 2 to 6 hours after eating red (mammalian) meat or dairy products. This delay -- reactions can even begin during the night -- is a hallmark of AGS and is a big reason it can be hard to connect to food; individual timing varies and some clinical reports describe reactions appearing somewhat later. | Lone star tick | Yes |
| Bourbon virus disease | Not firmly established by CDC. In the small number of reported cases, symptoms have generally begun within days to a couple of weeks of a tick bite (broadly described as days to weeks). CDC has not published a precise incubation period for Bourbon virus. | Lone Star tick | Yes |
| Ehrlichiosis | Symptoms usually begin about 1-2 weeks (roughly 5-14 days) after the bite of an infected tick, according to the CDC. | Lone Star tick, Blacklegged tick | Yes |
| Heartland virus disease | A few days to several weeks after a tick bite. According to the CDC, the incubation period (the time from tick bite to feeling sick) ranges from a few days to several weeks. Most patients reported being exposed to ticks in the two weeks before their illness began, and most had illness onset from May through September. | Lone star tick | Yes |
| Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI) | The STARI rash usually appears within about 7 days of the lone star tick bite (CDC); in practice, reported timing can range from a few days to roughly two weeks. Individual cases vary. | Lone star tick | Yes |
| Tularemia | Symptoms usually begin 3–5 days after exposure, with a reported range of about 1–21 days, according to CDC clinical guidance. | American dog tick, Rocky Mountain wood tick, Lone Star tick | Yes |
| Anaplasmosis | Symptoms typically begin about 5–14 days (roughly 1–2 weeks) after the bite of an infected tick. Many people do not remember being bitten. | Blacklegged tick (deer tick), Western blacklegged tick | No |
| Babesiosis | Symptoms, when they appear, usually develop within a few weeks to a couple of months of exposure — often about 1 to 4 weeks after a tick bite. They can start around a week after infection and, especially in people with weakened immune systems, may first appear or recur months later (CDC). | Blacklegged tick | No |
| Lyme Disease | The erythema migrans rash typically appears 3 to 30 days after the tick bite, with an average of about 7 days (CDC). Later signs such as arthritis, facial palsy, or Lyme carditis can develop days to months after an untreated infection. | Blacklegged tick (deer tick), Western blacklegged tick | No |
| Powassan virus disease | For people who do develop symptoms, the time from an infected tick's bite to feeling sick (the incubation period) generally ranges from about 1 week to 1 month; many infected people never develop symptoms at all. | Blacklegged tick (deer tick), Groundhog tick, Squirrel tick | No |
| Rocky Mountain spotted fever | Symptoms usually begin about 3–12 days after the bite of an infected tick (per CDC). When a rash appears, it typically shows up 2–4 days after the fever starts, and the more distinctive spotted (petechial) rash often does not appear until day 5 or 6 of illness. | American dog tick, Rocky Mountain wood tick, Brown dog tick | No |
Alpha-gal syndrome
Lone StarAlpha-gal syndrome is a delayed allergy to red (mammalian) meat linked mainly to lone star tick bites. Learn the symptoms, the 2-6 hour onset, testing, and prevention. Educational, not medical advice.
Read about Alpha-gal syndrome →Bourbon virus disease
Lone StarBourbon virus is a rare illness believed to spread through Lone Star tick bites in the US. Learn the symptoms, the days-to-weeks onset window, testing, supportive care, and how to prevent tick bites. Educational, not medical advice.
Read about Bourbon virus disease →Ehrlichiosis
Lone StarEhrlichiosis is a bacterial illness spread mainly by the Lone Star tick. Learn the symptoms, the ~1-2 week (5-14 day) onset window, how it's diagnosed and treated with doxycycline, and where it occurs in the US. Educational, not medical advice.
Read about Ehrlichiosis →Heartland virus disease
Lone StarHeartland virus is a rare illness spread mainly by the lone star tick in the eastern, southeastern, and south-central U.S. Learn the symptoms, onset window, and how to prevent tick bites. Educational, not medical advice.
Read about Heartland virus disease →Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI)
Lone StarSouthern tick-associated rash illness (STARI) is an expanding rash that can follow a lone star tick bite. Learn how it looks, how it differs from Lyme disease, and when to see a clinician.
Read about Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness (STARI) →Tularemia
Lone StarTularemia is a rare but treatable bacterial infection spread by ticks (including the Lone Star tick), deer flies, and infected animals. Learn the symptoms, the usual 3–5 day onset, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Educational, not medical advice.
Read about Tularemia →Anaplasmosis
Anaplasmosis is a treatable bacterial tick-borne illness spread by blacklegged (deer) ticks, not Lone Star ticks. Learn the symptoms, onset window, and doxycycline treatment.
Read about Anaplasmosis →Babesiosis
Babesiosis is a red-blood-cell infection from Babesia parasites spread by the blacklegged (deer) tick — not the Lone Star tick. Learn the symptoms, the roughly 1–4 week onset window, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Educational, not medical advice.
Read about Babesiosis →Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by blacklegged (deer) ticks — not the Lone Star tick. Learn the erythema migrans rash timeline, symptoms, testing, treatment, and prevention.
Read about Lyme Disease →Powassan virus disease
Powassan virus is a rare tick-borne infection spread by blacklegged (deer) ticks in the US Northeast and Great Lakes — not the Lone Star tick. Learn the symptoms, the 1-week-to-1-month onset window, and prevention. Educational, not medical advice.
Read about Powassan virus disease →Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a bacterial illness spread by the American dog, Rocky Mountain wood, and brown dog ticks — not the Lone Star tick. Learn the symptoms, the 3–12 day onset window, treatment, and prevention. Educational, not medical advice.
Read about Rocky Mountain spotted fever →