One tick bite may increase an individual’s risk of exposure to more than one pathogen at a time, new research finds. According to researchers, those who are bitten by a blacklegged tick have a higher than anticipated chance of exposure to Lyme disease and babesiosis.

The research, which was published in the June 19, 2014 online edition of the journal PLOS ONE, was conducted by scientists from Bard College, Sarah Lawrence College, and the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.

Co-author of the paper, Felicia Keesing, a professor of biology at Bard College, Adjunct Scientist at the Cary Institute, said in a statement, “We found that ticks are almost twice as likely to be infected with two pathogens—the bacterium that causes Lyme disease and the protozoan that causes babesiosis—than we would have expected.” She continued, “That means health care providers and the public need to be particularly alert to the possibility of multiple infections coming from the same tick bite.”

Nearly 30 percent of the ticks were infected with the Lyme disease agent. Additionally, one-third of the ticks were also infected with at least one additional pathogen. Both Lyme disease and babesiosis agents were found together in seven percent of the ticks.

According to the CDC: Babesiosis is caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells and are spread by certain ticks. According to the source, symptoms include fever, headache, chills, sweats, nausea, loss of appetite, and fatigue.