Adult: The adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed, has six legs, and is tan to grayish-white. In persons with dark hair, the adult louse will look darker. Females lay nits; they are usually larger than males. Adult lice can live up to 30 days on a person's head.
The four tick-borne diseases are 1) borreliosis (including Lyme disease and related conditions), 2) Rocky Mountain spotted fever, 3) ehrlichiosis, and 4) tularemia, which is also known as rabbit fever.
Ehrlichia muris-like disease is related to another emerging tick-borne disease in Michigan transmitted by the blacklegged tick called anaplasmosis. Physicians in regions where blacklegged ticks are common in Michigan should be aware of the potential for EML or Anaplasmosis illness in their area.