As the lure of springtime temperatures takes hold and people begin to relieve cabin fever, experts warn those spending time in the outdoors to take precautions to prevent contracting Lyme disease.

The blacklegged tick is the primary carrier of the disease, which can cause flu-like symptoms, muscle pain and joint aches -- and, if left untreated, can cause nerve or brain damage.

The disease was first reported in Pennsylvania in 1985, but the disease could have occurred before this time only to be misdiagnosed or not properly reported, said Steve Jacobs, a senior extension associate in the department of entomology. Pennsylvania is now ranked third in the nation in Lyme disease cases per year.

The chances of being bitten by an infected tick in Centre County are only moderate compared to the most high-risk areas of the state, reports the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

People living in the southeast portion of the state are the most at risk, while Butler County and Erie County are also high-risk areas. Basically, any areas with a high density of deer in wooded, heavy undergrowth are prime tick habitats.

The risk of being bitten by a tick carrying Lyme disease in this state is relatively high compared to most areas of the country, explained Jacobs.

"Pennsylvania is right in the thick of things, the whole Northeast, from Massachusetts to Maryland and about as far west as the central part of the state is a hot spot," he said.

While most tick bites occur in wooded areas, ticks are also found in areas where lawns and forests border each other.

Mammals like deer and mice, which are often hosts to ticks, prefer these areas and as a result many ticks drop off the animals there. An untrimmed lawn could allow ticks to flourish and become a problem for families living in these areas, Jacobs explained.

Precautions should be taken to properly remove a tick from the body.

The tick must be removed with pointed forceps, grabbing the tick by the mouth parts and pulling it straight out.

Jacobs cautioned against pulling ticks out by hand, explaining that when the tick is squeezed, its stomach contents will be forced into the bite, including any Lyme disease bacteria that live in the tick's stomach, which will infect the host with the disease.

If a tick is removed properly, the chances of the disease's transmission are low.

It takes 24 to 36 hours for the bacteria to find their way from the tick's stomach to the person bitten.

Symptoms can develop anywhere from three days to a month after being bitten, but most often they begin to appear in about a week.

The most common reaction is a bull's-eye shaped rash, which can grow to a diameter of more than a foot if left untreated. Soon after, flu-like symptoms, nausea, joint and muscle aches occur.

In its early stages, Lyme disease can be easily treated with antibiotics. If left untreated recovery can be slow and difficult.

Jacobs said blacklegged ticks will probably continue to spread within the state and little can be done to curb the population statewide.

"We could get rid of the ticks in Pennsylvania; there are two things we would have to do: Cut down all the trees and kill all the deer," he said. "We know that's not going to happen."