Background: COVID-19 vaccines have had expedited reviews without sufficient safety data. We wanted to compare risks and benefits.
Method: We calculated the number needed to vaccinate (NNTV) from a large Israeli field study to prevent one death. We accessed the Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR) database of the European Medicines Agency and of the Dutch National Register (lareb.nl) to extract the number of cases reporting severe side effects and the number of cases with fatal side effects.
Result: The NNTV is between 200–700 to prevent one case of COVID-19 for the mRNA vaccine marketed by Pfizer, while the NNTV to prevent one death is between 9000 and 50,000 (95% confidence interval), with 16,000 as a point estimate. The number of cases experiencing adverse reactions has been reported to be 700 per 100,000 vaccinations. Currently, we see 16 serious side effects per 100,000 vaccinations, and the number of fatal side effects is at 4.11/100,000 vaccinations.
For three deaths prevented by vaccination we have to accept two inflicted by vaccination.
Conclusions: This lack of clear benefit should cause governments to rethink their vaccination policy. View Full-Text
Makers of COVID-19 vaccines are now destroying long-term safety studies by unblinding their trials and giving the control groups the active vaccine, claiming it is “unethical” to withhold an effective vaccine
In so doing, they make it virtually impossible to assess any long-term safety and effectiveness, and the true benefit versus cost
It’s ironic, because vaccine mandates are being justified on the premise that the benefit to the community is more important than an individual’s risk of harm.
Vaccine makers are also very careful about only referencing relative risk, not absolute risk. By doing so, the vaccines appear far more protective than they actually are. It’s a commonly used statistical trick that makes them look more effective than they are.
When absolutely risk is taken into account, the effectiveness of the COVID injections is LESS THAN 1%.
PREVENTING TICK BITES ON A CHILD PROVES CHALLENGING
Children account for 25% of all Lyme disease cases in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Unfortunately, tick bite prevention methods are failing our children, as 5-to 9-year-olds continue to be at the highest risk for developing Lyme disease.
A study published in April 2021 looked at the frequency of emergency room visits due to tick bites. The authors examined “ED tick bite visits during January 2017-December 2019 by sex, age group, U.S. region, and seasonality,” writes Marx et al. [2] Their findings revealed that tick bites on a child under the age of 9 accounted for the highest number of ED tick bite visits.
During a 36-month period, there were 149,364 ED tick bite visits. The incidence was highest in the Northeast with the larger peak occurring during the spring and early summer, the authors write.
The findings support previous studies which explored the incidence of tick bites among various age groups and the associated risk of exposure to tick-borne diseases.
In 2016, more than 3,000 ticks (n=3551) were submitted to the University of Massachusetts Laboratory of Medical Zoology, as part of a passive surveillance study. The vast majority of ticks provided over a 7–year period were Ixodes scapularis ticks (or blacklegged ticks) from Massachusetts (N ≡ 2088). [3]
Tick bites on a young child pose dangers
Investigators found that children under age 9 had the largest proportion of tick bites. According to Xu and colleagues, 39.7% were identified as nymphs, while 34.6% were adult ticks.
Nearly 200 ticks were collected from children under age 5. Another 200 ticks were collected from children ages 5 to 9. Nearly 90 ticks were collected from adolescents.
Deer ticks were the most common ticks attached to a child. Out of the 3,551 tick bites, 89% were due to deer ticks.
Additionally, 98% of the 1700 adult ticks submitted were female.
The overall infection rate for Borrelia burgdorferi,Anaplasmosisphagocytophilum, and Babesia microti in human-biting ticks were 29.6%, 4.6%, and 1.8%, respectively, writes Xu. Tick bites on a child may lead to more than Lyme disease.
The authors reported ticks harboring multiple infectious agents:
1.8% were co-infected by B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum;
1.0% were co-infected by B. burgdorferi and B. microti;
0.4% were co-infected by A. phagocytophilum and B. microti.
Triple co-infections were found in 0.3% of the ticks.
Note: The investigators did not check for other infections, such as Bartonella henselae or Borrelia miyamotoi.
When do tick bites on children occur?
Tick bites on a child occurred most frequently in the Spring and Fall when children are participating in school activities and sports, explains Xu.
According to the authors, 1700 adult ticks displayed two discrete peaks:
April – June peak (representing questing activity of the overwintering population)
October – December peak (representing large autumnal populations)
Between April and October, 360 nymphs were received, with a clear peak in June.
How effective are tick bite prevention methods?
According to several studies, prevention methods are failing our children. One of the most effective ways of measuring whether tick bite prevention methods are working is to monitor the number of tick bites that involve an engorged tick. [4] This is because ticks typically do not become engorged for at least 24 hours.
READ MORE: The dangers in being bitten by a partially fed tick (not fully engorged), where infection is postulated to occur in less than 6 hours. Have you been bitten by a partially fed tick?
Unfortunately, Xu and colleagues found that 35.6% of ticks attached to children younger than 9-years-old were engorged.
This is particularly concerning given that an engorged tick increases your chances of developing Lyme disease by 20 times. [5]
Only 12% of children reported performing regular tick checks.
A school-based intervention program, offered to 1,562 elementary students, explored why children are more likely to get a tick bite. [6] The responses indicate a need for ongoing educational efforts on tick bite prevention measures.
Following are the responses to several of the questions:
How often do you check yourself for ticks?
56.8% = sometimes
12.0% = always
25.8% = usually
Who helps you check for ticks most of the time?
77.8% = grown-up at home
14.6% = themselves
2.0% = grown-up at school checked for ticks
4.4% = did not check at all
“As long as there are no effective measures for controlling tick populations and there is no vaccine available, we rely solely on health education and communication efforts to prevent tick bites and Lyme Borreliosis (LB)” writes Beaujean. [7]
“We call on researchers and funders to prioritize research in the field of public health interventions for tick bites and LB,” he writes, “because, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’”
UPDATED: June 21, 2021
References:
Bacon RM, Kugeler KJ, Mead PS. Surveillance for Lyme disease–United States, 1992-2006. MMWR Surveill Summ, 57(10), 1-9 (2008).
Marx GE, Spillane M, Beck A, Stein Z, Powell AK, Hinckley AF. Emergency Department Visits for Tick Bites – United States, January 2017-December 2019. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021 Apr 30;70(17):612-616. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7017a2. PMID: 33914718; PMCID: PMC8084121.
Xu G, Mather TN, Hollingsworth CS, Rich SM. Passive Surveillance of Ixodes scapularis (Say), Their Biting Activity, and Associated Pathogens in Massachusetts. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis, 16(8), 520-527 (2016).
Falco RC, Fish D, Piesman J. Duration of tick bites in a Lyme disease-endemic area. Am J Epidemiol, 143(2), 187-192 (1996).
Sood SK. Lyme disease in children. Infect Dis Clin North Am, 29(2), 281-294 (2015).
Shadick NA, Zibit MJ, Nardone E, DeMaria A, Jr., Iannaccone CK, Cui J. A School-Based Intervention to Increase Lyme Disease Preventive Measures Among Elementary School-Aged Children. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis, 16(8), 507-515 (2016).
Beaujean D, Crutzen R, Kengen C, van Steenbergen J, Ruwaard D. Increase in Ticks and Lyme Borreliosis, Yet Research into Its Prevention on the Wane. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis, 16(5), 349-351 (2016).
Study detects tick-borne illness in teens hospitalized for depression
June 10, 2021
By Daniel A. Kinderlehrer MD
Last month I posted an article on this website describing Diane, a teen-age girl suffering from anorexia nervosa.1 As it turned out, she had Lyme disease and was co-infected with Babesia, Bartonella and Mycoplasma. She responded well to antibiotics and three years later she still has no evidence of an eating disorder.
Dr. Nancy Brown, a colleague, was in my office during one of Diane’s appointments, and I commented to Nancy, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could test a group of people who suffer from anorexia nervosa for tick-borne infections?”
“Well,” she told me, “I’m the medical consultant at a residential treatment center for adolescents with mental health issues. Let’s see if I can get permission to do this.”
We did receive cooperation from the residential center. In addition, IGeneX Laboratory agreed to test a dozen patients free of charge for Lyme, Bartonella, and tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF). Moleculera Labs also generously agreed to test our patients with the Cunningham Panel. (The Cunningham Panel is a blood test which measures the levels of circulating autoantibodies associated with certain neurologic and psychiatric symptoms.)
Testing depressed adolescents
It was not difficult to get 10 volunteers at the residential center. None had eating disorders, since the center was not equipped to deal with that, but all 10 were diagnosed with DSM-5 Major Depressive Disorder, seven were additionally diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and three had made serious suicide attempts.
With the exception of one subject previously diagnosed with celiac disease, none had a known physical disorder. All of these teens had severe psychological dysfunction requiring intensive residential treatment—they could not hack it at home or go to school.
Here is what we found2:
Lyme disease immunoblot was positive by IGeneX criteria for three teens.
A more liberal interpretation of the test results consistent with analysis by most Lyme docs, indicated nine had antibodies to Lyme.
Antibodies to Bartonella were detected in three, and borderline positive in a fourth.
Antibodies to TBRF were detected in four subjects, and borderline positive in another two.
Antibodies to Streptococcus were detected in three subjects, and borderline positive in a fourth.
The Cunningham Panel was positive in nine of the 10 teens.
In all likelihood, nine of 10 had antibodies to tick-borne infections. And nine of 10 had evidence of autoimmune encephalitis.
Autoimmune encephalitis is the medical term for ‘Brain on Fire’: inflammation in the brain that can result in serious mood, behavioral and cognitive disorders.
PANS/PANDAS
Susan Swedo at the National Institute of Mental Health first described this condition in children who developed neuropsychiatric symptoms shortly after a strep infection. She termed it Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections—PANDAS.3,4
Not long afterwards, it became clear that other microbes besides Streptococcus can trigger autoimmune encephalitis. Hence, the name was broadened to Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Disorder—PANS.
The microbes that thus far have been shown to trigger PANS include several viruses including Epstein-Barr, the common cold, influenza, and chicken pox as well as Bartonella, Mycoplasma and mold.5-7
There was a recent report out of Italy describing two boys in whom SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, triggered PANS.8 It is likely, but not definitive at this time, that Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme pathogen, also triggers PANS.
In 2013, the PANS collaborative consortium published criteria for the diagnosis of PANS.9 These include the sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or severely restricted food intake, without a known medical disorder that would account for these symptoms. In addition, the case definition requires two of the following seven criteria to make the diagnosis:
Motor or sensory abnormalities including tics and involuntary movements
Somatic signs and symptoms—like sleep disturbances and bed-wetting
It is important to have clear diagnostic criteria so that researchers studying this condition are always studying the same population of subjects, but not all kids with autoimmune encephalitis will fulfill these criteria. In particular, most of my patients do not have an acute—i.e, sudden—onset of their symptoms. Instead, the onset may be stuttering or slow.
An epidemic of mental illness in adolescents?
According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, nearly one-third of all adolescents ages 13 to 18 will experience an anxiety disorder, and 8% of those will become severely impaired.10
The NIMH also reported that the prevalence of major depressive disorder in adolescents in 2017 was 13.3%, with nearly three-quarters of those becoming severely impaired.11 Suicide has replaced homicide as the second most common cause of death for teenagers ages 10 to 19 in the United States.12
In other words, we have an epidemic of mental illness in adolescents.
Our investigation was small. Ten adolescents picked at random with mental illness severe enough that they required institutionalization—nine of them had evidence of tick-borne infections and nine had evidence of autoimmune encephalitis.
Clearly there is a need for more investigation, but I suspect that many of the teens afflicted with mental illness in the U.S. are suffering from brains on fire. Their illness may present as emotional, but the cause may be organic. In the next installment I will discuss the diagnosis and treatment of PANS.
Kinderlehrer DA, Brown N. Microbial Induced Autoimmune Inflammation as a Cause of Mental Illness in Adolescents. Global J Med Res. 2021;21(1):1-13.
Swedo SE, Leonard HL, Kiessling LS. Speculations on Antineuronal Antibody-Mediated Neuropsychiatric Disorders of Childhood. Pediatrics. 1994Feb1; 93(2):323–6. 39.
Swedo SE, Seidlitz J, Kovacevic M, Latimer ME, Hommer R, Lougee L, Grant P. Clinical presentation of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections in research and community settings. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2015 Feb; 25(1):26-30.
Breitschwerdt EB, Greenberg R, Maggi RG, Mozayeni BR, Lewis A, Bradley JM. Bartonella henselae Bloodstream Infection in a Boy With Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome. J Cent Nerv Syst Dis. 2019Mar18; 11. DOI: 10.1177/1179573519832014.
Frankovich J, Thienemann M, Rana S, Chang K. Five Youth with Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome of Differing Etiologies. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2015; 25(1):31–7. DOI: 10.1089/cap.2014.0056.
Tisi G, Marzolini M, Biffi G. Pediatric acute onset neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with Epstein–Barr infection in child with Noonan syndrome. Europ Psychiatry. 2017; 41(Supplement): S456. DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017. 01.492.
Pavone P, Ceccarelli M, Marino S. SARS-CoV-2 related paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome. Lancet. 2021;5:e19-21.
Chang K, Frankovich J, Cooperstock M, Cunningham MW, Latimer ME, Murphy TK, Pasternack M, Thienemann M, Williams K, Walter J, Swedo SE, and from the PANS collaborative consortium. Clinical Evaluation of Youth with Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS): Recommendations from the 2013 PANS Consensus Conference. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2015; 25(1):3–13.
Curtin SC, Heron M. Death rates due to suicide and homicide among persons aged 10–24: United States, 2000–2017. NCHS Data Brief. 2019Oct;352.
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**Comment**
Very, very important work being done here with a dire need for more. Unfortunately researchers are choosing to go with the more popular and lucrative work surrounding “climate change,” despite the fact credible, independent work has been done disproving it of having anything to do with tick and disease proliferation.
Few understand the dark underpinnings of our public health ‘authorities’ and the research they pay for and control and the fact they own patents on everything from the organism, to the tests that reveal it, to the vaccines against it.
AFTER A TICK BITE, HOW LONG FOR DISEASE TRANSMISSION?
A single tick bite can transmit several diseases. But investigators continue to debate how long a tick must be attached before it can transmit the Lyme disease bacterium. While many believe a tick must be attached for at least 36 to 48 hours before transmission can occur, others say it can happen within several hours.
People often ask: How long does it take for disease transmission to occur after a tick bite? According to investigators, Lyme disease may be transmitted faster if the tick previously fed on another host.
However, in animal models, Cook found, “transmission can occur in less than 16 hours, and the minimum attachment time for transmission of infection has never been established.”
Have you been bitten by a partially fed tick?
Investigators suggest that transmission time may be shorter if a tick has already fed on a host. A study by Shih and colleagues, found that, “Partially fed nymphal ticks transmit spirochetal infection more rapidly than do ticks that have never been attached to a host.”¹
So, how quickly a tick can transmit Lyme disease may depend on whether the tick had been partly fed BEFORE it attached to its second host.
Shih et al. demonstrated that partially fed nymphal ticks (84%) were capable of transmitting spirochetes to a non-infected mouse within 24 hours. The authors discovered it took less time for an infected nymphal deer tick to transmit Lyme spirochetes to a mouse if the tick was partially fed.
Ticks spontaneously detach from hosts
Individuals may mistakenly believe that once a tick bites it will remain attached throughout the entire feeding or until it is removed. But this isn’t the case.
In the mouse study, Shih found that ticks can spontaneously detach during the feeding process. And this action can profoundly impact the time it takes for spirochetes to infect the host.
“Virtually all nymphal ticks that previously had fed for 16 hours reattached efficiently.”¹
“We found that nymphs do detach spontaneously from free-ranging mice in the laboratory, perhaps as frequently as 15% of the time,” the authors report.
“Indeed, about [one tenth] of questing nymphs in nature seem to be distended, and reattachment by partially fed sub-adult ticks commonly occurs.”
In the laboratory, partially fed ticks would reattach to a second host and commence feeding. “Virtually all nymphal ticks that previously had fed for 16 hours reattached efficiently.”
What happens in partially fed ticks?
The tick attaches to a host, feeds and the Lyme bacteria multiply rapidly in the tick’s mid-gut. Normally, the tick eliminates all of the bacteria, leaving behind only those spirochetes that survive in the mid-gut before they molt into an adult.
But, in a partially fed tick, spirochetes multiply in the mid-gut and then move to the salivary glands.
If the tick bites again, the spirochetes residing in the salivary glands can be transmitted more quickly. “Partially fed nymphs [ticks] are able to reattach to another host and Lyme disease spirochetes may be transmitted by partially fed nymphs more rapidly than by nymphs that have not already fed.”
Pet owners: be wary
Their findings are particularly relevant to people who own pets. “These partially fed ticks may already have acquired spirochetal infection and avidly seek other hosts,” writes Shih.
“Pet ownership appears to be a risk factor for human Lyme disease, and this may reflect contact with ticks that have detached from a cat or dog within the household.”
If an unfed tick attaches it can take up to 36 hours to transmit the Lyme spirochetes to a mouse, Shih claims. “The chain of events that culminates in migration of the spirochetes from the gut of the tick to its salivary apparatus begins within the first day of attachment and requires at least another day for completion.”
Note: The study by Shih and colleagues was conducted only with mice and has not been replicated with humans.
UPDATED: June 22, 2021
References:
Shih CM, Telford SR, 3rd, Pollack RJ, Spielman A. Rapid dissemination by the agent of Lyme disease in hosts that permit fulminating infection. Infect Immun, 61(6), 2396-2399 (1993).
Lyme borreliosis: a review of data on transmission time after tick attachment: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4278789/ The claims that removal of ticks within 24 hours or 48 hours of attachment will effectively prevent LB are not supported by the published data, and the minimum tick attachment time for transmission of LB in humans has never been established.
There are about 5 to 10 percent of infected ticks that have a generalized infection, including salivary glands and saliva at the time of attachment. In such cases, transmission of spirochetes would and does occur immediately at time of attachment.” —Willy Burgdorfer
A new Pest Alert from the North Central IPM Center focuses on the Asian longhorned tick, which is native to East Asia. This tick targets livestock and can reproduce even in the absence of male ticks.
“A single individual tick has the potential to establish entire new populations almost anywhere in the US, but if we are vigilant, we may be able to eradicate this tick from new locations,” said Scott Larson, co-leader for the Public Tick IPM Working Group and assistant entomologist for the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District.
The Asian longhorned tick pest alert includes details about the tick’s life cycle, identification, and management options. These ticks are a threat to livestock because large tick infestations on one animal can lead to stress, blood loss and even death. There is also concern that these ticks may be able to spread disease as they feed on multiple hosts throughout their lives.
“We felt this pest alert was needed to increase awareness of the Asian longhorned tick” said Leah McSherry, community IPM coordinator at the IPM Institute of North America, Inc and member of the Public Tick IPM Working Group. “We are optimistic that increased awareness of the Asian longhorned tick will lead to increased management and better control.”
The Tick IPM Working Group formed in 2013 and works to support a network of experts and interested partners that cooperate to reduce tick populations and reduce tick-borne disease risk. More details about this team can be found on the Public Tick IPM Working Group website.
The Public Tick IPM Working Group produced this pest alert with support from the IPM Institute and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Crop Protection and Pest Management Program through the North Central IPM Center (2018-70006-28883).
Contact ncipmmedia@gmail.com for free printed copies. Include in email: 1) Pest Alert name, 2) number of packs desired (only available in packs of 50) and, 3) the date they will be needed.
Contact northcentral@ncipmc.org for free printed copies. Include in email: 1) Pest Alert name, 2) number of packs desired (only available in packs of 50) and, 3) the date they will be needed.
Introduction
The Asian longhorned tick (ALT) is primarily a pest of concern in livestock (cattle, goats, sheep) and studies suggest there is a potential for the ALT to vector pathogens that cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other tick-borne illnesses. In its native range, the ALT can transmit Rickettsia japonica, which causes Japanese spotted fever, and the potentially fatal, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus, among others.
Asian Longhorned Tick Facts
Females can reproduce without mating with a male, which makes male ticks quite rare.
Ticks have one blood meal during each life cycle stage.
Females can lay up to 2,000 eggs.
Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis). Image by James Gathany.
Origin and Distribution
The ALT is native to East Asia, with established populations in China, Japan and South Korea, and is considered invasive in Australia, New Zealand and the United States. The ALT was first believed to be discovered in the United States in August of 2017 on a tick-infested female Icelandic sheep in New Jersey. An unidentified
tick specimen archived in Union County, New Jersey, now identified as an ALT, has moved the assumed introduction date to 2013. As of 2021, the ALT has been detected in primarily mid-Atlantic and southern states. For the current distribution, visit the USDA-APHIS website.
Size of Asian longhorned tick compared to a dime. Image by James Gathany at CDC.
Life Cycle
There are four life stages of the ALT. The ALT begins its life as an egg. The second life stage is the larval stage. At this point, the ALT is six-legged. The next life stage is an eight-legged nymph. The next and last life stage is the adult. Ticks take one blood meal as they transition to the next life stage. After each successful blood meal, the tick releases from its host, molts and then begins to quest for a new host. An interesting aspect of the ALT is that females can reproduce without mating with a male. This process is called parthenogenesis and as a result, male Asian longhorned ticks are rare.
Identification
The adult ALT resembles the adult brown dog tick shown below (Rhipicephalus sanguineus). To differentiate the two species, look for the presence of “eyes” on the sides of its body near the second row of legs, which is present on the brown dog tick.
Brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) with “eyes” on the sides of body. Image by Herlberto Verdugo M. & Darby S. Murphy.
Human Health Concerns
The first human ALT bite in the U.S. was reported in 2018 in Westchester County, New York, and did not result in the subject becoming ill. The ALT has not been found on rodents including white-footed mice, shrews and chipmunks, which are natural reservoirs for tick-borne pathogens. In one study, 120 ALTs were tested for pathogens that cause human disease including species in the following genera: Anaplasma, Babesia, Borrelia and Ehrlichia; all were found to be negative. In lab settings, ticks have been reported to transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever.Further testing is necessary to determine the maintenance and transmission of this pathogen in nature.In a recent study, 263 ticks were tested, and one adult female was positive for Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterial species that causes Lyme disease. Continued observation and testing of the ALT is imperative to monitor its threat to public health.
Animal Health Concerns
The United States Department of Agriculture and animal health officials have noted their concern about the ALT’s impact on livestock. The ALT is notorious for large-scale infestations with multiple ticks on one animal, which leads to stress on the animal and reductions in growth and production. A serious infestation can lead to death of the animal due to blood loss. The ALT has been linked to the death of five cows in Surry County, North Carolina, with one bull having over 1,000 attached ticks. Cattle tested positive for Theileria orientalis Ikeda at a Virginia farm where the ALT was found. The ALT is referred to as the “cattle tick” in New Zealand, where it has been linked to Theileria orientalis Ikeda outbreaks among cattle.
Integrated Tick Management Strategies
The strategies for avoiding the ALT are similar to techniques used for other tick species, including avoiding wading through the woods or grassy areas. If walking along a path, try to stay near the middle to avoid questing ticks along the grassy edges. It is also important to check clothes and pets after coming in from outdoors, especially after walking through wooded, brushy or grassy areas. Throwing clothes in the dryer on high heat for 10 minutes will kill any ticks that remain hidden on clothes. Check any items for ticks that cannot go in a dryer such as backpacks and shoes. The next suggested strategy is to take a shower and check your body for ticks. Be sure to inspect armpits, ears, bellybutton, back of knees, hair, between legs and waist. Lastly, Asian longhorned ticks can be avoided by purchasing and wearing permethrin-treated clothing or spraying clothes with an EPA-registered insect repellent such as DEET, picaridin, insect repellent (IR) 3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus. If bitten by a tick, remove immediately by grabbing the tick by the head with a tweezers as close to the skin as possible and pull upwards. Be sure to clean the bite with soap and water or rubbing alcohol.
Integrated tick management strategies for livestock include trimming grass, weeds and branches in and around pastures and ensuring wooded areas are at least 10 feet from fences. Visually check for ticks on animals daily on their chest, jaw, belly, ears, eyelids and elbows and use your hands to feel for embedded ticks. If ticks become a problem, apply a low-risk, EPA-registered insecticide while closely following the label instructions. Area-wide acaricides are another management strategy used to reduce tick populations.
For more information on the Asian longhorned tick, visit the USDA-APHIS website.
Collaborators
Authored by the Public Tick IPM Working Group. For more information see: tickipmwg.wordpress.com
Funding
This work is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Crop Protection and Pest Management Program through the North Central IPM Center (2018-70006-28883).
For information about the Pest Alert program, please contact Jacqueline Pohl, communications specialist for the North Central IPM Center at northcentral@ncipmc.org.
April 2021
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**Comment**
According to this study, the ALT contributes minimally, if at all, to transmission of Lyme disease spirochetes in the United States.
Please remember they’ve said this exact same thing about other ticks.
Transmission can still happen and if you are the sorry sucker it happens to – it makes all the difference in the world. Here’s the deal – ticks are not your friends.Take each and every tick bite as seriously as a heart attack. Little is known about the Asian Longhorned tick but in Asia it’s bite KILLS 15% of those whom contract it. Don’t take this lightly.
Several other human pathogens have been detected in the ticks, but it’s not clear the Asian longhorned species are able to transmit them to humans. They include Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, and Borrelia species. Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria.
She warned that the organisms are present in states where longhorned ticks have been found and that it’s possible that the tick—known to be an aggressive biter—might be able to transmit Heartland virus, given its close relationship to SFTS virus.
Pritt said it’s clear that the invasive species is here to stay for the foreseeable future, and next steps should include public awareness campaigns that incorporate the new information, easy-to-use resources for labs to identify the tick, and more research to understand the implications of the new findings.
