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Case of the Week 53

Welcome back to Case of the Week! It’s been a while since our last post due to the holiday, but now we’re back on schedule with a fun video for you:

The following insect was removed from the flank of a Medical Resident from Minnesota who had mistaken it for a ‘mole’ or ‘skin tag’. He notes that it had been present for at least 5 days. He is concerned that he is now at risk for an arthropod borne disease; specifically he is worried about Lyme disease. What should you tell him?

Here are some accompanying images to aid in identification.

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Is this Dermacentor variabilis? In which case he shouldn’t be worried about Lyme disease, but what about Rocky Mountain spotted fever?