A doctor has called for the mapping of tick-borne diseases in Scotland after encephalitis carried by the parasitic creature was confirmed in the UK.
The spider-like creature can spread both viral and bacterial infections to humans through their bite.
A Fort William-based GP who also works in Lyme disease research issued the call to the BBC.
Dr James Douglas believes ticks in particular areas to be regularly sampled to create a resource similar to how hazards are tracked by the Scottish Avalanche Information Service.
READ MORE: 'Probable' case of potentially deadly tick-borne disease detected in Scotland
"Longer term we need systematic analysis a bit like the avalanche service in winter time," he said.
"We need a similar sort of service that's sampling the ticks all the time in particular areas so we know what germs are in the ticks and how we deal with them."
The call comes after tick-borne encephalitis was confirmed in the UK with another probable case in Scotland.
A man in Yorkshire fell ill following a tick bite, with a second case also believed to have occurred in the Loch Earn area of Scotland.
Public Health Scotland urged people to be "tick aware" but said that the risk remains "very low".
Ticks tend to be active from early spring to late autumn and are traditionally found in grassy ad wooded areas.
Sampling of ticks has been carried out before, however, Dr Douglas said it was sporadic.
He urged people who work outdoors such as gardeners, dog walkers and forestry workers to regularly check themselves for ticks.
Earlier this week, Dr Nick Phin, director of public health science at PHS said: “While the risk of acquiring tick-borne encephalitis in Scotland is very low, we know that ticks can cause other infections, such as Lyme disease.
“We would encourage everyone to familiarise themselves with the steps we can all take to avoid bugs and germs outdoors.
"This is particularly important as Spring approaches, and we begin to spend more time outdoors.
"Being tick aware, trying to avoid being bitten by ticks and removing any ticks that do bite as quickly as possible, are all important precautions.”
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