Ticks can carry and transmit a number of microbes that cause serious and potentially fatal disease, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and Tularemia. And new tickborne illnesses are being identified as recently reported in the journal 'The Lancet: Infectious Disease.'

To help doctors and other clinicians diagnose and treat tickborne illness, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recently released the Tickborne Diseases of the United States app. This free, quick reference tool has been designed to provide access to concise, comprehensive, and updated information about the prevention, identification, and treatment of tickborne diseases.

Key Features 

• Tick identification with vivid photos and illustrations
• Identification includes information about pathogens each species can transmit
• Summarizes information about signs and symptoms
• Provides information about diagnostic tests and ordering appropriate lab tests
• Provides treatment table summaries
• Allows users to determine which tickborne diseases are most common to a geographic area
• Prevention and prophylaxis recommendations
• Live links to additional journal articles and resources
• Customize the app using highlighting, annotation and bookmarks
• Share content via social networks
• Automatic updates whenever your device is connected.

The app provides grouped by disease, tick identification, and prevention. In addition to the features listed, clinical information for each disease includes incubation period, presenting symptoms, and patterns of symptom appearance.

The Tickborne Diseases App is a companion to the printed manual, 'Tickborne Diseases of the United States: A Reference Guide for Health Care Providers'.

Available for iOS Devices: $ Free

CDC Center for Tickborne Diseases in the U.S. (downloadable PDF)

Karen M. Rider, M.A. is a freelance writer who specializes in health news and technology, integrative medicine, wellness and health psychology.