I've heard on other type forums that there are a lot of tics out there. I do a lot of metal detecting and picked one up real early. so early I never thought about it. found it by a natural growth on my body about 3 days later. had a dark ring already. I fried it of and seared the area around it. All gone now but I should had it checked. Haven't had a tic since and i've been out a lot.