The pajaroello tick bite. The frightening folklore and the mild disease

The pajaroella tick (Ornithodoros coriaceus) has a fairly wide distribution in the coastal and mountainous areas of California and Mexico. Persons engaged in outdoor activities there, are frequently bitten. Little is written in the medical literature concerning the tick and its bite. What has been written is liberally injected with frightening folklore that sometimes results in overzealous treatment. Conservative and supportive therapy is advisable and only rarely should one have to resort to such treatment as excision of an area of tissue necrosis to prevent ulceration and prolongation of healing.