Archive for the ‘research’ Category

When Do Ticks Quest, Waiting For Their Next Blood Meal? (Hint: It Has Nothing To Do With the Climate)

https://danielcameronmd.com/when-do-ticks-quest-next-meal/

WHEN DO TICKS QUEST, WAITING FOR THEIR NEXT MEAL?

By

When ticks are questing, they hold onto leaves, grass and other objects with their third and fourth pair of legs. They hold their front legs outstretched, waiting to climb onto the host as it passes by. But, when do ticks quest?

So far, research has focused on questing behavior primarily in the laboratory.

“Ticks must balance the need to quest for blood meal hosts with the risk of desiccation, all on a fixed energy budget,” writes Thomas from Washington State University. ¹

But Thomas and his team wanted to investigate questing patterns in a natural habitat.

“We measured questing activity of nymphs and larvae throughout the day and night and over several weeks in enclosures across a range of suitable tick habitats within a site in the Northeast,” he writes.

A new study finds some ticks quest most of the time, regardless of weather conditions or time of day. 

They found that the activity of nymphs increased slightly during dawn and dusk, the opposite of larvae. But their findings could not be replicated at other sites. Questing behavior was also not impacted by temperature, relative humidity, light-dark cycles and energy reserves.
“Rather it appears a fraction of ticks were questing most of the time, regardless of conditions,” he writes. “Our study suggests neither climatic conditions or light-dark cycles have appreciable influence on tick questing behavior.”

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For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/13/study-shows-lyme-not-propelled-by-climate-change/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/07/ticks-on-the-move-due-to-migrating-birds-and-photoperiod-not-climate-change/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/06/17/ontario-public-health-officials-called-out-on-shoddy-biased-research-utilizing-an-erroneous-climate-change-model-to-program-a-futuristic-tick-problem/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/17/uw-madison-phd-in-ecological-climatology-climate-change-computer-models-fudged-except-russian-model/

Category:

research, Ticks

Suspect Lyme Carditis? Start Empiric Antibiotics, Case Report Suggest (And Lyme Carditis is Not Rare!)

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/920145

Suspect Lyme Carditis? Start Empiric Antibiotics, Case Report Suggest

By Jennifer Garcia

October 21, 2019

Lyme carditis, caused by infection with the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, is a rare but potentially fatal complication that may be prevented with rapid empiric antibiotic treatment.

In a new case report, public health officials describe two patients from areas where Lyme disease is endemic. The patients presented with vague, nonspecific signs and electrocardiogram (ECG) changes suspicious for Lyme carditis.

Although borreliosis was suspected and was tested for, neither patient received antibiotic therapy while awaiting test results, and both subsequently died.

“Guidelines recommend simultaneous initiation of empirical antibiotic therapy and Lyme serologic testing when Lyme carditis is suspected. Lyme carditis can progress rapidly, and waiting for confirmatory diagnostic therapy to initiate antibiotic treatment may result in negative outcomes,” write Grace E. Marx, MD, MPH, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Fort Collins, Colorado, and colleagues.

The authors note that their objective in reporting the cases was

“to remind clinicians of the importance of early recognition and treatment of Lyme carditis.”

The report was published online today in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The first patient was a 57-year-old man from Vermont who had a 1-week history of fever, fatigue, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Erythematous macules were noted on the trunk, and ECG revealed first-degree atrioventricular block. Despite consultation with an infectious disease physician and positive results for B burgdorferi, antibiotic therapy was not initiated, and the patient died 12 days after initial presentation.

The second patient was a 49-year-old woman from Massachusetts who presented with nausea, vomiting, and severe headache. A CT scan and an ECG were normal. The patient was discharged with antiemetics and analgesics. Two weeks later, she reported syncopal episodes, fatigue, as well as bladder and bowel incontinence. An ECG demonstrated atrioventricular dissociation. Continuous cardiac event monitoring and Lyme testing were ordered. Two days later, results of Lyme testing came in positive, and antibiotics were dispensed. The patient died the following day, before the first antibiotic dose was taken.

Postmortem histopathologic evaluation of heart tissue in both patients revealed

“lymphohistiocytic pancarditis with immunohistochemical and molecular evidence of B burgdorferi.”

The authors acknowledge that Lyme carditis is rare and that only nine other fatal cases have been reported in the literature. However, given the risk for rapid progression in these patients, current guidelines recommend

“temporary pacing by an external pacemaker for patients with symptomatic or high-risk electrocardiographic features.”

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**Comment**

I pray to God that this information is getting to doctors.

Please know Lyme carditis is NOT RARE!  It’s just rarely reported. Also, the fact there are already nine known fatal cases in the literature should cause every doctor to pause and consider. ER doctors also need to know this as many people start off in the ER with heart symptoms but are sent home when they can’t seem to find anything initially.  Unfortunately it isn’t until the heart issues become much more severe or end in death that they are taken seriously.

How many more have to die before doctors wake up?

I personally know patients with serious heart issues that were pooh poohed by doctors. I hope they are still alive.

In this article, CDC expert Dr. Forrester comments that 4-10% of Lyme patients get carditis.  If we take the CDC’s estimate that 300,000 people contract Lyme each year, that’s 12,000 –  30,000 with Lyme carditis. https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/21/diagnosis-treatment-of-lyme-carditis/

Does that sound rare to you?

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/09/with-unexpected-death-autopsies-should-look-for-lyme-carditis/

Excerpt:  “Lyme expert Dr. Daniel Cameron has done a nice job of summarizing five cases in a blog. http://danielcameronmd.com/autopsy-study-reviews-cases-due-to-sudden-cardiac-death-from-lyme-disease/
Cardiac Tropism of Borrelia burgdorferi: An Autopsy Study of Sudden Cardiac Death Associated with Lyme Carditis. (March 2016)
http://ajp.amjpathol.org/article/S0002-9440(16)00099-7/abstract
Excerpt:

“Fatal Lyme carditis caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi rarely is identified. Here, we describe the pathologic, immunohistochemical, and molecular findings of five case patients.”

Please get the word out.  Enough people have died.

Category:

Heart Issues, Lyme, research, Treatment

Giving Ticks Drymouth to Prevent Lyme Disease

 Approx. 2.5 Min

Researchers at Louisiana State University are working on a way to kill ticks by targeting their saliva. Using a potassium channel inhibitor they developed, the ticks drank dramatically less blood and died within twelve hours, which prevents ticks from transmitting pathogens like Lyme disease. These research findings were presented at the American Chemical Society’s Fall 2019 National Meeting and Exposition in San Diego.
Produced by the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences.
This article in Forbes explains more:

 

Category:

Lyme, research, Ticks, Transmission

Invasive Tick Detected in 6 Additional Tennessee Counties

https://www.tn.gov/agriculture/news/2019/10/17/invasive-tick-detected-in-six-additional-tennessee-counties.html

Invasive Tick Detected in Six Additional Tennessee Counties

Thursday, October 17, 2019
Asian_Longhorned_Tick2

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Tennessee Department of Health, and University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture today announced the detection of the invasive Asian longhorned tick in an additional six Tennessee counties:  Knox, Jefferson, Claiborne, Cocke, Putnam, and Sevier. The tick was detected in Union and Roane Counties in May.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there is no evidence to date that the tick has transmitted pathogens to humans in the U.S. There are concerns that the tick may transmit the agent of Theileriosis in cattle, and heavy infestations can cause blood loss and lead to death.

It is important to be aware of this tick, as cattle and canines are particularly susceptible to tick bites. Livestock producers are reminded to be vigilant when purchasing animals, apply a tick treatment to cattle prior to bringing them to your farm, and always use best practices for herd health. Dog owners should provide their animals with a tick preventative and check for ticks.

“Tennessee has numerous animal hosts and a suitable habitat for this tick species,” Dr. R.T. Trout Fryxell, Associate Professor of Medical and Veterinary Entomology for UTIA, said. “While it is always important to be diligent and keep an eye out for all ticks, the unique biology of the Asian longhorned tick helps this species to establish quickly and become a problem.”

Tips to prevent tick bites in animals and livestock include:

·         Coordinate with your veterinarian to determine appropriate pest prevention for pets and livestock.

·         Check pets and livestock for ticks frequently.

·         Remove any ticks by pulling from the attachment site of the tick bite with tweezers.

·         Monitor your pets and livestock for any changes in health

If your animals are bitten by a tick, Dr. Trout Fryxell suggests putting the tick in a ziplock bag, writing down the date and where the tick was most likely encountered, and storing it in a freezer.

For additional information about the longhorned tick in the United States, click here. To find more information on tick-borne diseases, click here.

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**Comment**

The Asian Tick has been found in the following 12 states:  Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut and Tennessee.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/10/26/researchers-conclude-asian-longhorned-tick-contributes-minimally-to-lyme-disease-in-the-u-s/  This article admits it can transmit Lyme.  It’s also suspected of transmitting the following: Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, and Borrelia species.

For a great read: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/12/three-surprising-things-i-learned-about-asian-longhorned-ticks-the-tick-guy-tom-mather/

To take this tick lightly would be foolish.

 

Category:

Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, research, Rickettsia, Transmission

Lyme Can’t Kill You? – Yeah Right

 Approx. 4 Min.

Dr. Alan Macdonald held the presentation”Human Borrelia Deaths, Autopsy studies, and Chronic Morbidities” at the NorVect conference 2014.

He did autopsies on 123 patients with borrelia infections as the cause of death.

 

 

Category:

Lyme, research, Ticks