Archive for the ‘Ticks’ Category

Medical Detective #4: How to Survive in a Tick-Filled World

https://www.lymedisease.org/survive-in-tick-filled-world/

MEDICAL DETECTIVE #4: How to survive in a tick-filled world

This article was originally posted on Dr. Richard Horowitz’s Medical Detective Substack. You can find more helpful content by subscribing here. 

If I were to conjure up a global menace in a teeny-tiny package, I wouldn’t have to look far for inspiration. It’s already there, crawling down the legs of a deer or a dog and up the stalk of grasses or shrubs or plants in your garden, all primed and ready to latch on to your tender skin and take a nice big chomp!

It’s a tick-filled world and we’re stuck living in it.

And you know what’s making it worse? Climate change. The warmer the weather, the easier it is for ticks to breed. Increases in global temperatures increase the reproductive rates of insects, so we are seeing an explosion of not only pathogen-filled ticks, but also mosquitos that are potentially transmitting West Nile, Zika virus, Chikungunya, Dengue, other viruses and even malaria in the US.

The same pest-pocalypse is happening to other biting insects like fleas, mites, lice, etc. that can transmit a broad range of organisms, including Bartonella (more about this in future articles).

So remember, these insects, including ticks, may contain multiple bacteria, viruses, and parasites, and getting one bite can lead to more than one disease.

In fact, in my 40+ year experience treating chronically ill individuals, co-infections with multiple bacteria, viruses, and parasites are the rule, not the exception. And people usually end up getting multiple bites from ticks over their lifetime because these unbelievably annoying creatures are spreading rapidly and present in every corner of the globe (even Antarctica!).

Gruesome–but necessary–reading

Learning about how ticks live and feed makes for pretty gruesome reading.

Suffice to say that they go through four life stages: egg, six-legged larva, eight-legged nymph, and adult. The only course they have on their menu is blood, thanks to their bites on either animals or humans.

If they bite an animal that’s already carrying a pathogen, they can then transmit that bug to the next unlucky recipient of their cunning. Hopefully that won’t be you!

[Image from the Forest Service, USDA.]

And get this–some of these ticks are hermaphrodites, like the rapidly spreading Asian bush tick, Hemophylis Longicornis, which means they can reproduce without mating. This also means that they are reproducing more rapidly than other ticks.

Although they haven’t been proven yet to transmit some of the multiple infections now being found in them (Borrelia burgdorferi, i.e., Lyme disease, tularemia, Rickettsia like Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, Heartland, and Bourbon viruses), time will tell.

In Asia, these same ticks can cause alpha gal syndrome, the “red meat allergy” as well as SFTS (Severe Fever and Thrombocytopenia Syndrome), a potentially fatal illness.

Bottom line: if you get bitten, you want to know what kind of tick it is, and what pathogens it contains.

Different varieties in different regions

As you’ve unfortunately realized by now, there are many varieties of ticks that live in different areas of the U.S. (I’ll discuss this in an upcoming posting, but for now you can check this map: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/data-research/facts-stats/geographic-distribution-of-tickborne-disease-cases.html.)

Not every tick is a carrier of a pathogen–only the black-legged deer tick can transmit Lyme Disease, for example–so getting bitten doesn’t automatically guarantee that you’ll get sick. But enough ticks are infected in this country and abroad, and can spread any or more of these 20 diseases with just one bite, as you can see from this CDC list:

Where Are Ticks Lurking?

Ticks are tenacious, and can be found even in urban environments you’d think would be free of them. According to the New York City Department of Health, for example, there were 3,323 (2,482 new ones and 741 positive ones from previous years) reported cases of Lyme disease in NYC residents in 2023. This is up from 2,524 cases in 2022.

There were also 77 reports of anaplasmosis and 116 of babesiosis in 2023. I suspect that these cases were picked up while in any of the city’s many parks, but who knows?

These numbers are likely gross underestimates of how bad the problem truly is, because several of the diseases we will be discussing can’t easily be picked up on standard blood tests, and doctors may not know to always look for them since some of the symptoms are non-specific and overlap other illnesses.

As I’ve said in earlier posts, last year alone, the CDC reported 476,000 cases of Lyme disease in the US, and their recent implementation of a revised case definition reported that case counts are rising where the incidence was 1.7 times the annual U.S. average in 2017–2019, an overall 68.5% increase, rising with patient age.

If you’re going outside to an environment where ticks are hiding—going to a park, hiking on trails in fields or forests, or while gardening, for example—follow these tips.

Tick Lookout Tips

  • Ticks can’t ‘officially’ fly, although static electricity from animals results in ticks being pulled by these electric fields across air gaps measuring several of their body lengths, resulting in leaps that one could almost define as flying. They also don’t jump, so they have to crawl from host to host as their primary means of attachment. They lurk. They wait. (This is called “questing.”)
  • The little monsters are clever enough to detect a potential host by sensing body heat, moisture, odors, or carbon dioxide; or by the vibrations of someone passing by. Although the deer tick (Ixodes scapularis in the northeastern US) or Ixodes pacificus (in the Pacific US), can sense your presence from 12 feet away and come running, some of these ticks like the lone star tick (Ambylomma Americanum) can sense your heat and carbon dioxide from up to 50 feet away. They will come after you to bite you from quite a distance, even if you are not in high grass or directly exposed.
  • As soon as they can climb onto where they aren’t wanted, they either latch on in one spot, or take their time wandering around your body where skin might be thinner and easier to bite.
  • So when you go outside, stay in the middle of any trails, away from tall grasses, branches, and leaves. Try not to brush up against any foliage. Ticks also like to quest in border areas in the yard or park and near bird feeders.
  • If you have a yard, keep the grass short. If you have a compost pile, or piles of leaves, stay out of them!
  • Don’t sit directly on the ground, on large stones or fallen logs, or on stone or brick walls.

This is part one of a two-part series about ticks originally published on Substack by Dr. Richard Horowitz. You can read the second part in the next Substack. 

See also:

“Medical Detective” series brings information you need to know

MEDICAL DETECTIVE #1: An overview of Lyme disease signs and symptoms 

MEDICAL DETECTIVE #2: How Will I Know If I Have Lyme Disease?

MEDICAL DETECTIVE #3: Let’s Talk About Lyme Rashes

Dr. Richard Horowitz has treated 13,000 Lyme and tick-borne disease patients over the last 40 years and is the best-selling author of  How Can I Get Better? and Why Can’t I Get Better? You can subscribe to read more of his work on Substack or join his Lyme-based newsletter for regular insights, tips, and advice.

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**Comment**

Dr. Horowitz is incorrect concerning ‘climate change’ making ticks and the diseases they carry worse.  Independent research has clearly shown ticks are on the move due to migrating birds and photoperiod (not to mention agents of our own government purposely infecting ticks with pathogens and then kicking boxes full of them out of airplanes).  Further, research blaming ‘climate change’ for every ill under the sun is based on biased research using an erroneous model.

Utilizing erroneous models was also clearly seen during the COVID psyop and continues to this day.

A bought out, biased media is also using corrupt data to spread this climate alarmism.

Due to highly sought after government grants, researchers have also fallen prey to conducting biased research, making claims that are not supported by data.

A train of articles have come out on how research and medicine have been hijacked and are completely driven by an unholy alliance with Industry, government, and University research facilities.  Besides being unethical, which should be troublesome on its own, it causes patient suffering.

‘Science’ is funded primarily by industry and this conflict of interest means there is little honest research being done.

Category:

Activism, Climate, research, Ticks

Lyme Disease Triggers GBS

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-disease-guillian-barre-syndrome/

Lyme disease triggers Guillian-Barre Syndrome

lyme-disease-guillain-barre

In a letter to the editor entitled “Lyme Disease as an Extremely Rare Cause of Guillain‑Barré Syndrome in India,” Sudheer Varma Y and colleagues describe the case of a 50‑year‑old woman who suddenly developed difficulty swallowing, slurred speech, and weakness and numbness in both upper and lower limbs.

By 

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune disorder in which your immune system mistakenly attacks the peripheral nerves surrounding the brain and spinal cord. GBS symptoms typically include weakness and/or tingling sensations in the legs, which can spread to the arms and upper body.

This patient also reported having three episodes of loose stools, two episodes of vomiting, and one episode of fever with chills and rigors.

A neurological exam found bulbar palsy of the ninth and tenth cranial nerves, reduced tone in all four limbs, absent deep tendon reflexes in the lower limbs, and absent bilateral plantar reflexes.

“Nerve conduction study suggested a demyelinating sensory‑motor polyneuropathy affecting both the upper and lower limbs, leading to a diagnosis of Guillain‑Barré syndrome (GBS),” the authors state.

The patient then developed lower motor neuron type of bilateral facial nerve palsy, which prompted testing for Lyme disease. Test results were positive and the woman was diagnosed with Guillain‑Barré Syndrome secondary to Lyme disease.

The patient was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), gabapentin, and a 14‑day course of IV ceftriaxone.

Related Articles:

Lyme neuroborreliosis mimics Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Tick bite leads to Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Conversion disorder, Guillain-Barre Syndrome or neurologic Lyme disease?

References:
  1. Varma YS, Kumar V, Agarwal K, Biswas R, Adil M. Lyme Disease as an Extremely Rare Cause of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in India. Neurol India 2024;72:1102.

For more:

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Ticks, vaccines

Molecular Detection of Lyme, Babesia, and Anaplasma in Canadian Ixodes Ticks

https://www.jelsciences.com/abstracts/1838

Molecular Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Borrelia miyamotoi, Babesia odocoilei, Babesia microti and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Ixodes Ticks Collected across Canada

John D Scott* and Catherine M Scott

Volume5-Issue10
Dates: Received: 2024-09-28 | Accepted: 2024-10-18 | Published: 2024-10-22
Pages: 1321-1337

Abstract

Tick-borne zoonotic diseases are a profound challenge to healthcare practitioners, and an overwhelming scourge to patients worldwide. On the whole, patients have great difficulty getting diagnosed and treated, and often become chronically ill. In this study, we tested 224 ticks consisting of Ixodes angustus, Ixodes pacificus, and Ixodes scapularis. Using real-time PCR and nested PCR, we obtained the following positives:

  • Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (n = 74)
  • Borrelia miyamotoi (n = 4)
  • Babesia odocoilei (n = 82)
  • Babesia microti (n = 1)
  • Anaplasma phagocytophilum (n = 8)

Markedly, B. odocoilei and B. burgdorferi were detected in I. scapularis ticks nationwide. As well, the Canada-wide prevalence of B. burgdorferi s.l. and B. odocoilei in I. scapularis adults was 40% and 36%, respectively. The statistical ratio of B. odocoilei to B. microti in I. scapularis adults was 60 to 1. Babesia odocoilei is, unquestionably, the predominant Babesia sp. across Canada. We provide the first report of B. odocoilei in an I. angustus tick. In addition, we unfurl the first report of B. odocoilei in I. scapularis in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

From a professional healthcare standpoint, I. scapularis ticks are just as likely to be infected with Babesia odocoilei as Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. Since people spend considerable time in outdoor areas, clinicians must be familiar with current acumen in tick-borne zoonotic diseases.

Category:

Babesia, Borrelia Miyamotoi (Relapsing Fever Group), Lyme, research, Ticks

Brazil Faces Same Problems With Lyme Disease As Seen in the USA

http://cameronmd.com/brazil-faces-problems-lyme-disease-seen-usa/

Brazil faces same problems with Lyme disease as seen in the USA

An article published in the Brazilian Journal of Microbiology entitled “Brazilian borreliosis with special emphasis on humans and horses” examines the growing number of cases in Brazil of Lyme disease, referred to, in that country, as the Lyme-like or Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome (BYS).

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The authors take an in-depth look at BYS and how it compares to Lyme disease (LD) found in the United States. Although there are slight differences between the diseases, BYS and LD share similarities on many fronts. [1] “Despite the increasing number of suspect cases, this disease [BYS] is still neglected in Brazil by the medical and veterinary communities,” writes Basile and colleagues.

BYS causes some of the same symptoms seen in Lyme disease, such as erythema migrans, arthritis, neurological symptoms and cardiac disease. Both are difficult to diagnose.

“The disease is often unrecognized, especially at secondary or tertiary stages when patients do not remember what occurred months or years before the current disease,” stated Basile. “Certainly, many cases of unrecognized chronic neurological or articular disease are in fact cases of BYS not identified and treated at early stage.”

The capybaras, a popular Brazilian house pet, is a known reservoir for ticks infected with the Lyme-like or Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome (BYS).

The Brazilian disease can also be multisystemic. “Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome has been reported to cause neurological, cardiac, ophthalmic, muscle, and joint alterations in humans.” Furthermore, it has been associated with a high morbidity “due to the presence of symptom recurrence, severe reactive manifestations such as autoimmunity, and the need for prolonged treatment.”

According to Basile and colleagues, the disease progresses with recurrences, “especially if antibiotic treatment is initiated later than three months after infection.” Thus, treating the disease in its early stages is critical.

Cystic forms have been described, as well. “Because motile and spiral spirochetes were never isolated or cultured in Brazil, researchers from LIM-17 assumed that the etiological agent in Brazil was present in cystic form.”

The Brazilian patients may also be suffering from co-infections, as investigators identified other microrganisms in the blood of BYS patients. Tests showed “the occurrence of microorganisms with morphological structures similar to Mycoplasma spp., Chlamydia spp., and non-flagellated spirochetes in the peripheral blood of patients with BYS who were seropositive for B. burgdorferi sensu lato,” according to Basile. “Those patients exhibited negative serology for Mycoplasma spp. and Chlamydia spp.”

Additionally, laboratory testing for BYS is unreliable. There is a low sensitivity and specificity with the ELISA, enzyme immunosorbent assay, or western blotting for B. burgdorferi, in part because these tests utilize antigens from B. burgdorferi stricto sensu from the Northern Hemisphere.

Domestic pets have been described as potential reservoirs for ticks carrying the disease. The capybaras, a large rodent and popular house pet in Brazil, has been identified as a likely reservoir and is thus a threat in spreading the disease.

Wild and domestic animals can be infected. “Studies indicate that LB [Lyme borreliosis] in horses has clinical signs similar to the disease in humans, including fever and lethargy, arthritis, polysynovitis, lameness, muscle stiffness, abortion, meningitis, cranial neuritis, radiculoneuritis and encephalitis, uveitis, and premature death of foals,” according to Basile.

The authors’ findings reminds us that the challenges faced in the United States in gaining recognition for a disease that is growing in numbers and has the potential to cause chronic, debilitating illness is not unique to our country. The Brazilian patients suffering from the Lyme-like or Baggio-Yoshinari Syndrome are struggling to conquer the same obstacles.

“Lyme disease is a condition of extreme importance because it is a zoonosis that causes physical and psychological sequelae in affected individuals. It remains poorly investigated in Brazil, especially in the field of veterinary medicine. Therefore, studies describing the unique aspects of the disease in Brazil and the etiological agents found are needed.”

References:

  1. Basile, R.C., et al., Brazilian borreliosis with special emphasis on humans and horses. Braz J Microbiol, 2016.

Update: Oliveira from the Ministry of Health, Brasilia, DF, Brazil was not able confirm Lyme-like borreliosis in Brazil in a letter in the journal Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease.1 “The interpretations of the results have not followed those recommended by the CDC.” writes Oliveira. Only three cases of Lyme-like borreliosis were identified. “This evidence reinforces the hypothesis that Lyme borreliosis does not occur in Brazil.” writes Oliveira.

  1. de Oliveira SV, Faccini-Martinez AA, Cerutti Junior C. Lack of serological evidence for Lyme-like borreliosis in Brazil. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2018.

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**Comment**

Another perfect example of why the CDC must go.

This corrupt, inept organization rules the world.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission

Pathogens & Persistence: Chronic Disease Drivers

http://

Pathogens & Persistence: The Chronic Disease Drivers

Oct. 6, 2024

Ticktective™ Episode 43 (Oct 6, 2024):

Steven E. Phillips, MD, is a Yale-trained expert on zoonotic infections and coauthor of the book CHRONIC. He specializes in treating medicine’s most complex cases, which include Lyme & other vector-borne diseases and Long COVID. Additionally, he has served as an expert for the states of CT, NY, RI, and VT, providing testimony during their respective public hearings, which resulted in changes to existing healthcare laws. Dr. Phillips has been a longstanding public face of the Lyme pandemic. He is currently spearheading a drug development effort to bring the public a durable, effective treatment for some of these infections, which will hopefully change how we treat a range of rheumatologic and neurologic illnesses. Dr. Phillips also sits on the Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s scientific advisory board.

For more:

Category:

Babesia, Bartonella, Lyme, mosquitoes, Testing, Ticks