Why do they say a tick must be feeding for over 24 hours before transmitting lyme disease?

Question

Ticks are especially bad this year and I always wondered why it takes so long for them to transmit a disease when you are bit.

In: Other

Answer 1

This article contains a pretty good explanation:

https://www.uptodate.com/contents/what-to-do-after-a-tick-bite-to-prevent-lyme-disease-beyond-the-basics

Basically, the tick needs to land, hook himself and then start feeding. Once they’re done feeding, they’ll release saliva into the wound, which is when the disease is transmitted.