The rate of tick-borne disease cases in America have been rising dramatically during the past decade. Tick populations are growing, and the diseases that they spread are occurring in regions that do not normally see many tick-borne disease cases. Many people assume that they are safe from tick bites as long as they do not venture into forests or heavily wooded areas. This may be the case for now, but given the current trend in tick-borne disease cases in America, you may eventually find yourself at risk of tick bites no matter where you live in the US. Although the northeast United States contains the largest disease-carrying tick population, the region where you live is not the only factor that determines a person’s chances of sustaining tick bites. Surprisingly, researchers have found that bloodthirsty ticks prefer to bite some people more than others. Unfortunately, researchers have confirmed that if you have type A blood, then you stand a greater chance of contracting a tick-borne disease than people who have different blood types.
Scientists in the Czech Republic have recently determined that ticks can sense the “physiological or biochemical profile of an individual, such as their blood group.” The study found that ticks prefer to feed on type A blood, and those who possess this blood type can be singled out by disease spreading ticks. According to the lead researcher, Alena Zakovska, from the University of Masaryk, those who have type A blood are at a greater risk of sustaining tick bites, and this risk should not be underestimated. This study should concern people living in America, as 17% of ticks carry lyme disease. Even wealthy celebrities who can afford top of the line healthcare suffer from lyme disease. These celebrities include Kelly Osbourne, as well as Bella Anwar and Yolanda Hadid.
The study demonstrated that ticks tend to ignore people with type B blood, but they gravitate toward people with type A blood. Not only can this information save lives by prompting people to take precautions against ticks, but researchers also believe that tick migrations can be better monitored by referring to data on people’s blood types. Those who have type A blood should never risk exposure to ticks.
Do you have type A blood? If so, does this recent study trouble you?