Final answer:
Yes, the time a tick remains on a host and its 'health' can vary depending on the location where it feeds on the host. The probability of infection also depends on the type of host upon which the tick develops.
Step-by-step explanation:
Yes, the time a tick remains on a host and its 'health' can vary depending on the location where it feeds on the host. Ticks go through different developmental stages and require a blood meal from a host at each stage. The feeding period can last several days to a week, and it typically takes 24 hours for an infected nymph tick to transmit enough B. burgdorferi to cause infection in a human host. The probability of infection also depends on the type of host upon which the tick develops: ticks that live on white-footed mice are more likely to carry the bacterium that causes Lyme disease in humans than ticks that live on deer.