MODEL RELEASED. Tick bite on the skin of a 65-year-old man. Ticks are parasites which feed on human blood,using their hooked mouthparts to pierce the skin. After feeding,the tick drops off its host,leaving a small wound and an area of inflammation,as seen here. In some regions ticks are important carriers of disease,which they may transmit to humans when they feed. Tick-borne diseases include Rocky Mountain spotted fever,which causes a bleeding skin rash and a fever,and Lyme disease,which causes a fever,muscle pain and inflamed joints. This patient was bitten by a tick in South Africa |