Image by U.S. Agricultural Research ServiceImage by 200901420-lyme.jpg They're tinny, but be sure to get tested if you develop a large rash at the bite site..

Lyme disease: It's more commonly associated with the northeast, but ticks do still carry the debilitating disease in South Carolina.

And champion runner Perry Louis Fields of Columbia was hit hard and unknowingly by it. So now she's spreading the word for greater awareness and testing.

You can read about her case over at The Post and Courier, and be sure to glance at the useful tips at the bottom.