The CDC May Have Ruined Poppyseed Muffins Forever With Gross Tick Photo

Be warned. This poppyseed muffin may come with some extra crunch.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  posted a gross photograph of the baked good covered in five ticks on Twitter last week:

“Can you spot all 5 ticks in this photo?” the caption asks.

The CDC linked to a page on its website  explaining how people can protect themselves from being bitten by the small arachnids, which can carry Lyme disease among other illnesses.

But the CDC’s use of muffin poppyseeds to show the tiny size of the critters caused consternation online and sent the post viral:

The CDC remained unrepentant, however, and on Monday shared this lighthearted apology:

The CDC’s tweets were an imaginative way to bring attention to the serious issue of tick, flea and mosquito bites. Earlier this month, the agency revealed the number of Americans contracting diseases from bites had more than tripled from 27,388 cases in 2004 to 96,075 in 2016.