Arthropod Diseases

Text Box: Most commonly transmitted by the Asian Tiger Mosquito, this disease can be very common in untreated pets. This can be contracted by dogs as well as domestic cats and ferrets, as well as wild coyotes and foxes.

Diseases Transmitted by Arthropods

The diseases listed here are not necessarily endemic to Kentucky, but may be of major health concern to humans and animals worldwide. Click any of the disease captions to learn more about the disease and how it is spread.

Text Box: Considered to be a seasonal epidemic, this encephalitis causing virus is transmitted to humans by Culex mosquitoes which have fed on infected birds.

Text Box: A disease caused by several species of obligate intra-cellular parasites in the genus, Leishmania. Sand flies are known vectors of the disease. In Kentucky, this disease has only been reported in dogs and soldiers returning from the Middle East. However, nine human cases of the Mexican strain were reported by non travelers in northern Texas in 2007.

Text Box: Caused by the spirochete bacterium Borelia burgdorferi, and transmitted by infected ticks, this disease is often a concern of outdoor enthusiasts.

Text Box: A disease of deer vectored by biting midges, especially during droughts when deer congregate closer to smaller water sources.

Text Box: Includes: California serogroup viruses; eastern and western equine encephalitis viruses; and Powassan, St. Louis encephalitis, and West Nile viruses.

Photo: CDC, Department of Parasitic Diseases Database

Photo: CDC, Dr. Robert Gilmore