Humans Can Be Infected With Deadly Ticks if Temperature Rises, Report Says
Ticks are placed in a container to be analyzed at GREFA hospital on March 16, 2017 in Majadahonda, near Madrid, Spain. The GREFA (Group of Rehabilitation of the Native Fauna and its Habitat) started in 1981, and has since treated over 40,000 animals, with 5600 last year. It is believed to be the largest group of its kind in Europe, treating around 14 wild animals across Spain each day, from endangered species like Black Vultures or Golden Eagles, to smaller birds, reptiles or other native species. Their aim is to release them back to their habitats, but when this is not possible the patients may be sent to fauna reserves, zoos or facilities for educational purposes. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

A deadly tick that causes Rocky Mountain fever has been found to change its feeding from dogs to humans especially when temperatures rise, a new study found.

The new study's findings show that climate change will have a negative impact on human health.

This as heat stress, extreme weather, and deadly illnesses become more common, according to scientists.

The disease can be treated with antibiotics, if identified in the first week of infection.

However, if discovery is prolonged the fatality rate for victims can surpass 20 percent.

"This study certainly shows that if we have hotter weather, and hotter weather is happening more often, we can expect more tick bites to humans," Laura Backus, affiliated with the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, was quoted in a Daily Mail report.

RMSF is caused by the bacteria Rickettsia rickettsia.

This is usually carried by dogs that feed on dogs.

Researchers conducted the study by building two three-foot tall boxes that were connected to each other with a clear plastic tube.

In doing the tests, researchers observed 20-minute intervals with humans in one box and a dog in the other to observe, which host the tick would be tempted to feed on.

The boxes were warmed to 74 degrees Fahrenheit and then 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The researchers placed 20 ticks in to each box at a time and watched to see which direction they would choose.

The ticks were not able to escape the box, but used the smell of human or dog to choose a direction.

The study used two types of ticks, which are tropical ticks and temperate ticks.

These ticks are both found in the United States.

The study followed 10 trials of each, in which they found that tropical ticks chose dogs from room temperature.

However, after increasing the temperature, an average of 7.5 ticks switched to human host and only 4.4 chose the dog.

Meanwhile, the temperate ticks did not seem to change preferences as drastically.

However, ticks choosing humans over dogs in a warmer environment "was not statistically meaningful."

Backus noted that the higher temperature was especially decisive in switching its preferences from dogs to humans.

The tropical lineage tick is a particular kind of tick that lives across the southern regions of the United States, particularly in Arizona, Florida, southern California, and southern Georgia.

Backus claimed that the creatures are expected to be seen in northern regions as climate change continues to raise average temperatures.

Backus said that they believed that fall in preference for dogs, with slight increase in preference for humans suggests that hot temperatures may also expand the risk of RMSF in areas where temperate ticks are found.

Researchers have yet to identify why ticks have more inclination to humans when it comes to warmer temperatures.

RMSF Cases

RMSF cases in the United States have increased in the last two decades.

This includes the deadly outbreak in the last 10 years in indigenous areas in Arizona and northern Mexico.

More than 6,200 RMSF cases were recorded in 2017. This compared to 500 in 2000, as reported by the Daily Mail.