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Health News
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Beware of Ticks
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For anyone that spends
time outdoors, even in your backyard eventually you will
come in contact with ticks. The tick has been found to
be a carrier of up to seven different diseases. This article
will look at several of the diseases that should be a
concern for the taxidermist and outdoorsman.
Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease is the most well known disease that is transmitted
by ticks. Lyme disease is an illness caused by a spirochete
bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted to
animals and man through the bite of infected ticks.
The disease is reported worldwide and throughout the United
States. The states of New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut,
Rhode Island and New Jersey account for the majority of
cases in the United States. However, cases are reported
from all geographic regions of the country. Different
ticks are carriers in the different regions. Ixodes dammini
(the deer tick) in the Northeast and Midwest, Ixodes scapularis
(the black-legged tick) in the South, Ixodes pacificus
(the western black-legged tick) in the west and Amblyomma
americanum (the lone star tick) found in several regions
are all considered vectors. There is growing concern that
Dermacentor variablis (the American dog tick) may also
be capable of transmitting the disease. Transmission by
biting insects (flies, fleas, mosquitoes) is speculated
but appears to be rare.
Not all ticks are infected. Infection rates in tick populations
vary by tick species and geographic region from as few
as two percent to 90 percent or more.
The Deer Tick
Ixodes dammini is responsible for most of the cases of
Lyme disease in the northeastern United States. These
ticks are found in grassy areas (including lawns), and
in brushy, shrubby and woodland sites, even on warm winter
days. They prefer areas where some moisture is present.
The tick has three life stages: larva, nymph and adult.
Each stage takes a single blood meal. They feed on a variety
of warm blooded animals including man, dogs, cats, horses,
cows, and of course deer. The bite is painless so most
victims do not know they have been bitten. The nymphal
stage appears to be responsible for most Lyme disease
cases. Both the larval stage (about the size of a grain
of sand) and nymphal stage (about the size of a poppy
seed) attach to variety of small mammals, but prefer the
white-footed mouse, the main reservoir of the Lyme disease
bacteria. The entire life cycle requires three separate
hosts and takes about two years to complete. Immature
ticks bite most people during spring and summer. Adult
ticks are larger and can bite at other times of the year.
Larval and nymphal deer ticks also attach to birds. Indeed,
birds may be a primary means by which the ticks (some
infected) are spread from one area to another. Some species
of birds also function as a reservoir of infection.
Lyme Disease Symptoms in Man
In about 50% of the cases a characteristic rash or lesion
called erythema migrans is seen. It begins a few days
to a few weeks after the bite of an infected tick. The
rash generally looks like an expanding red ring. It is
often described as looking like a bull's-eye with alternating
light and dark rings. However, it can vary from a reddish
blotchy appearance to red throughout, and can be confused
with poison ivy, spider or insect bite or ringworm. At
about the same time that the rash develops, flu-like symptoms
may appear with headache, sore throat, stiff neck, fever,
muscle aches, fatigue and general malaise. Some people
develop the flu-like illness without getting a rash.
Seek prompt medical attention if any of these symptoms
appear, especially after being bitten by a tick or visiting
an area where Lyme disease is common. If possible document
the presence of the rash by taking a picture because it
may disappear before a physician can see it. A picture
in this case is worth a thousand words.
If ignored, the early symptoms may disappear, but more
serious problems can develop months to years later. The
later symptoms of Lyme disease can be quite severe and
chronic. Muscle pain and arthritis, usually of the large
joints is common. Neurological symptoms include meningitis,
numbness, tingling, and burning sensations in the extremities,
Bell's palsy (loss of control of one or both sides of
the face), severe pain and fatigue (often extreme and
incapacitating) and depression. Heart, eye, respiratory
and gastrointestinal problems can develop. Symptoms are
often intermittent lasting from a few days to several
months and sometimes years. Chronic Lyme disease, because
it's diverse symptoms, mimics many other diseases and
can be difficult to diagnose.
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever otherwise known as Spotted
Fever is another infectious disease transmitted by the
bite of ticks.
In the western U.S., the causative agent R rickettsii
is transmitted by the wood tick and in the eastern United
States by the dog tick. Other ticks transmit the infection
in the southern U.S. and in Central and South America.
Contrary to the name "Rocky Mountain" two-thirds of recent
cases have been reported in the eastern United States:
North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Georgia,
Tennessee, and Oklahoma. The incidence of infection is
8 out of 100,000 people. Most cases occur in the spring
and summer with about 1,000 cases reported per year. About
2/3 of the reported cases have been in children.
The incubation period of the illness is from 2 to 14 days
after the tick bite. Symptoms usually start suddenly with
a persistent fever. A rash will appear 2 to 5 days after
the onset of the fever. Symptoms include chills, fever,
severe headache, muscle pain, mental confusion, and a
rash, first appearing on wrists and ankles, then spreading
to most of the body. Additional symptoms that may be associated
with this disease may include excessive thirst, nausea
and vomiting, hallucinations, diarrhea, loss of appetite
and abnormal sensitivity to light.
If left untreated pneumonits, respiratory or cardiac failure,
or meningitis may occur. The death rate is 5 to 7% and
usually reflects a delay in treatment.
Ehrlichiosis and Babesiosis
Human ehrlichial infections are increasingly being recognized
as common tick-borne diseases in the United States. Because
the symptoms are nonspecific, tick-borne infections may
not be considered.
There are two species of ehrlichial infections; human
granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) and human monocytic ehrlichiosis
(HME). Roughly 150 cases of HGE have been diagnosed with
4 deaths resulting. HME has been diagnosed in 450 cases
with 13 deaths. Another recently discovered tick borne
disease called babesiosis has stricken 250 Americans,
killing at least 10.
The new maladies' Lyme-like symptoms (high fever, chills,
headache, muscle pain, fatigue) tend to be more severe
and develop sooner. People with suppressed immune systems
and those over 60 appear to be most affected by these
diseases. Left untreated the infection may damage many
internal organ systems but typically the lungs and kidney
are involved.
Compare Lyme disease symptoms with those of Ehrlichiosis
Lyme disease - gradual onset of flue-like symptoms:
Headache, nausea, chills, fever, malaise and fatigue,
muscle aches, rash (60 to 80% of cases), sore joints,
swollen lymph nodes, progresses in stages involving a
variety of tissues including joints, heart, and nervous
system, usually not fatal.
Ehrlichiosis sudden onset of flue-like symptoms:
Severe headache, nausea, chills, high fever (100 F +),
malaise, fatigue, major muscle aches, usually no rash,
drenching sweats, fatality rate = 5%
If you experience any of these symptoms after being bitten
by a tick or after having visited a deer tick infested
area, or worked on a deer that was heavily infested by
ticks, you should see your doctor as soon as possible.
Disease Migration
Tick-borne diseases are spreading as the deer population
grows and formerly wooded areas become more densely populated.
Cases of Lyme disease are clustered in the Northeast and
the upper Midwest, home of the deer tick - the same tick
that hosts babesiosis and HGE-and the spread of HGE seems
to be following a similar geographic pattern. Babesiosis
is still found primarily in coastal cities in New England
and New York. Most cases of HME, transmitted by the Lone
Star tick, are in the South.
Below is a sample of tick borne diseases and their central
location based on information derived in 1997 Lyme, HGE,
HME, babesiosis: Connecticut, New York
Lyme, HGE, babesiosis: California, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Rhode Island
Lyme, HGE: Wisconsin Lyme, HME: Delaware, Maryland, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia
HME: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas
Treatment
Tick borne diseases are treated with a variety of antibiotics.
Timely treatment increases chances of recovery and may
lessen the severity of any later symptoms in both animals
and man. The most effective treatment will be recommended
by your physician and will depend on the stage of the
disease. Treatment for later stages is more difficult
often requiring extended and repeated courses of antibiotic
therapy.
What is vexing in diagnosing tick borne diseases, a single
bite can cause simultaneous infections, each requiring
a separate blood test. And while these diseases almost
always can be cured if treated promptly, no single drug
treats them all. In any case prompt medical attention
once the first symptom appears is extremely important.
Unfortunately the treatment for a tick borne disease doesn't
have any residual affect causing immunity in the body.
Each tick bite exposure has to be treated separately.
There is no vaccine available to prevent these diseases.
How to Avoid Tick Bites
When out of door several precautions can minimize your
chances of being bitten.
Tuck your pants into your socks and your shirt into your
pants.
Wear light colored clothing. Dark ticks are more easily
spotted against a light background.
Inspect clothes often for ticks. Have a companion inspect
your back.
Apply repellents according to label instructions. Applying
directly to clothing appears to be most effective.
Upon returning to the home remove clothing and wash or
put it in the dryer for 30 minutes to kill any ticks.
When you get in from the field shower and inspect your
body thoroughly. Especially check groin, navel, armpits,
head, and behind knees and ears. Have a companion check
your back, or use a mirror.
Inspect children at least once daily for ticks. When in
heavily infested areas inspect children every three to
four hours.
When hiking stay in the middle of trails. Do not bushwhack.
Clear brush from around your premises and keep grassy
areas mown.
Avoid plantings that attract deer and other animals.
Keep bird feeders at edge of yard.
Limit watering lawns.
Judicious use of environmental insecticides to kill ticks
may be necessary in some areas
When working with tick infested hides freeze them completely
to kill ticks.
Removing attached ticks
Just because you get a tick bite doesn't means you're
going to get ill," says Jacqueline Dawson, a microbiologist
with the Centers for Disease Control. If a tick is removed
immediately, there's only a slight chance of disease (it
takes 24-48 hours to infect a human). The proper and easiest
method to remove a tick is to grasp the tick with fine
tweezers, as near the skin as you can and gently pull
it straight out. Be careful not to squeeze the tick when
removing it, which could result in more bacteria being
injected. Do not try to remove the tick with your fingers
or attempt to remove with lighted cigarettes, matches,
nail polish or Vaseline. Once removed wipe the skin near
the bite with an antiseptic and wash your hands with soap
and water.
After you remove the tick save it for identification and
record when the bite occurred. Accurate identification
becomes very important if you develop disease symptoms.
Proof of a bite and the kind of tick doing the biting
is especially important to document in areas where Lyme
disease is not considered prevalent and doctor suspicion
is low.
In most areas, ticks can be submitted for identification
through local or state health department offices. Many
physicians and veterinarians will also submit ticks. Put
the tick in a tightly closed container with a small amount
of alcohol (rubbing alcohol will do). Mark it with your
name, address and phone number, date collected, host collected
from (animal or man) and travel history of person or origination
of specimen (where the deer was shot for example).
For Additional Information
For additional information on tick borne diseases contact:
State and local health departments
Your veterinarian or family physician
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Health Departments-
You can get recorded information on Lyme disease by calling
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at
404-332-4555 or visit CDC on-line.
Arthritis Foundation- Contact a local chapter or write
to the
Arthritis Foundation at
PO Box 1900, Atlanta, GA 30326
Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc., 1 Financial Plaza, 18th
Floor, Hartford, CT 06103, or call 860-525-2000
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