Archive for the ‘Ticks’ Category

Infected Ticks Collected From Birds in Northern Italy

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/29925679/

Molecular screening for bacterial pathogens in ticks (Ixodes ricinus) collected on migratory birds captured in northern Italy.

Pajoro M, et al. Folia Parasitol (Praha). 2018.

Abstract
Migratory birds have an important role in transporting ticks and associated tick-borne pathogens over long distances. In this study, 2,793 migratory birds were captured by nets in a ringing station, located in northern Italy, and checked for the presence of ticks. Two-hundred and fifty-one ticks were identified as nymphs and larvae of Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758) and they were PCR-screened for the presence of bacteria belonging to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Rickettsia spp., Francisella tularensis and Coxiella burnetii. Four species of Borrelia (B. garinii, B. afzelii, B. valaisiana and B. lusitaniae) and three species of Rickettsia (R. monacensis, R. helvetica and Candidatus Rickettsia mendelii) were detected in 74 (30%) and 25 (10%) respectively out of 251 ticks examined. Co-infection with Borrelia spp. and Rickettsia spp. in the same tick sample was encountered in 7 (7%) out of the 99 infected ticks. We report for the first time the presence of Candidatus Rickettsia mendelii in I. ricinus collected on birds in Italy. This study, besides confirming the role of birds in dispersal of I. ricinus, highlights an important route by which tick-borne pathogens might spread across different countries and from natural environments towards urbanised areas.

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**Comment**

So glad this work on birds commuting infected ticks around the globe is being done as it highlights an important way tick-borne illness is becoming a global pandemic.  I honestly can’t believe it’s taken this long to get the word out and I also can’t believe doctors and authorities seriously believe that certain ticks and therefore infections CAN’T be in certain geographical locations.  Really?

It’s simple logic that birds, rodents, lizards, deer, and other reservoirs can carry these ticks everywhere.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28261565/?i=6&from=/29925679/related   This work, done in Romania, a gateway to Europe, showed:

All eight Borrelia genospecies were detected in I. ricinus ticks: Borrelia garinii (14.8%), B. afzelii (8.8%), B. valaisiana (5.1%), B. lusitaniae (4.9%), B. miyamotoi (0.9%), B. burgdorferi s.s (0.4%), and B. bissettii (0.2%). Regarding pathogen co-infection 64.5% of infected I. ricinus were positive for more than one pathogen.  The diversity of tick-borne pathogens detected in this study and the frequency of co-infections should influence all infection risk evaluations following a tick bite.

More on migratory birds spreading infection:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/08/17/of-birds-and-ticks/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/10/02/the-role-of-birds-in-tickborne-illness/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/08/hemorrhagic-fever-virus-found-on-ticks-on-migratory-birds/

 

 

 

 

 

Category:

Lyme, research, Rickettsia, Testing, Ticks, Transmission

“Non-relevant” Tick Bite Puts Child in Hospital

https://www.lymedisease.org/touchedbylyme-nonrelevant-tick-bite/

TOUCHED BY LYME: “Non-relevant” tick bite puts child in hospital

child-300x274

Morgan, a 4 year old hospitalized with Lyme disease

A mother’s posting on Facebook has gone viral. Here’s her story.

Gina Elizabeth, of southwest Pennsylvania, took her four-year-old daughter Morgan to her local hospital in June for what she described as “a mystery rash.”

She told the doctors the girl had been “bitten by a bug” about two weeks earlier. “They assured me that wasn’t relevant,” she writes.

The doctors diagnosed it as cellulitis, which is a bacterial skin infection. “Something in my gut said this wasn’t right,” Gina says. “They were wrong. They were incredibly wrong.”

The next day, the girl had a fever of 103 degrees, and Gina took her daughter to a different hospital.

Here, it was discovered that Morgan had a large bull’s-eye rash on her neck and other symptoms of Lyme disease. The new doctors put her on antibiotics immediately.

morgan-2-225x300

According to the Facebook post, the entire right side of Morgan’s face is paralyzed [from Bell’s palsy], making it hard for her to eat, chew and swallow.

Morgan-3-282x300

She can’t drink from a straw or a cup and needs to use a spoon to drink liquid.

Her right eye doesn’t close completely and tends to dry out. She is extremely fatigued and highly sensitive to sound and light.

The mother adds the following warning:

“Please, please, PLEASE, spray your children, animals, and self before going outdoors. Don’t let this happen to your loved one.”

Recent reports say Pennsylvania has the highest number of Lyme cases in the whole country:  https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2018/06/07/pennsylvania-lyme-disease-cases/

Why couldn’t the first doctors recognize Lyme when it was staring them in the face? Why would they dismiss the mother’s report of a recent bug bite as “irrelevant”? Why didn’t it even occur to somebody at the first hospital that Lyme was a real possibility?

Although the child is on antibiotics now, and I’m told, is resting at home, I hope the family will find a Lyme-literate doctor to evaluate her further. She should be checked out for possible co-infections–other nasty stuff that can be transmitted by the same tick bite that gave her Lyme.

Two Pennsylvania-based organizations may be able to give useful guidance for resources in their area:

PA Lyme Resource Network:  https://palyme.org

Lyme Disease Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania:  http://www.lymepa.org

Take home messages from this story:

  • Protect yourself and your children from tick bites,
  • Don’t believe everything the doctors tell you,
  • And never underestimate the power of a mother’s gut feeling that something must be terribly wrong.

TOUCHED BY LYME is written by Dorothy Kupcha Leland, LymeDisease.org’s Vice-president and Director of Communications. She is co-author of When Your Child Has Lyme Disease: A Parent’s Survival Guide. Contact her at dleland@lymedisease.org .

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**Comment**

There is no such thing as a “non-relevant” tick bite.  Treat ALL tick bites as seriously as a heart attack because we all know things go much better if it’s dealt with early, yet we continue to see this same lazy attitude from doctors, over and over and over again.

Shame on them.

Regarding Pennsylvania, this recently came out:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/05/insights-from-the-geographic-spread-of-the-lyme-disease-epidemic/  The current study details the conversion of western Pennsylvania from a Lyme-naïve to a Lyme-epidemic area, highlighting changes in clinical presentation and healthcare utilization as the epidemic evolved. Presenting symptoms and provider-type differed between those from rural and non-rural zip codes.

Obviously, Pennsylvania health care providers haven’t gotten the memo about their own state being endemic for Lyme.

 

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Ticks

Cat Scratch Disease in a 1.5 Year Old Girl – Case Report

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/29936799/

Cat Scratch Disease in a 1.5-year-old girl – Case report.

Karski J, et al. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2018.

Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The paper is a case report presenting Cat Scratch Disease (CSD) in a 1.5-year- old girl. Bartoneloses, including CSD, are a group of infectious diseases which are rarely detected, therefore there are no statistical data concerning the aetiology, and the incidence of CSD noted in Poland is low in comparison with other European countries.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the paper is to discuss several problems related to CSD.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A 1.5-year-old girl who was seen in hospital for the sparing use of her left arm when crawling. X-rays showed osteolytic lesions which radiologists described as multi-ocular cyst or infection. As neither clinical examination nor laboratory investigations found pathological signs, the patient was followed-up on an ambulant basis. Repeated x-ray taken 4 weeks later showed increased periosteal proliferation accompanied by pain. The baby was admitted to the Clinic but additional investigations found no pathologies. The baby was consulted by a rheumatologist and haematologist; however, they did not facilitate a definitive diagnosis. As the baby developed, because of a thickening of the soft tissues on the dorsal side of the distal epiphisis in the forearm the doctors decided to inspect the condition operatively. Macroscopic examination found brownish granulated tissue. Suction drainage was inserted and a tissue sample was tested for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, tuberculosis and borelliosis. The test results were negative. The baby was in good condition, was not pyrexial and suffered from less pain. The diagnostics was further expanded and the baby tested for yersinia, chlamydia, tuberculosis and bartonella, i.e. CSD. The postoperative wound healed soon and radiological bony lesions began to resolve. After a month, we received a positive bartonella test result, the baby tested positively for Bartonella henselae IgG class, which confirmed past or active infection of CSD. A repeated test for B. henselae taken 6 months later showed a lower level of antibodies.

CONCLUSIONS: It should be remembered that CSD, which is an extremely rare infection, can be diagnosed despite mediocre clinical and radiological manifestations. Thus, in the case of infections of unexplained aetiology and mediocre manifestations diagnostics should include testing for Bartonella henselae.

PMID 29936799 [ – in process]

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**Comment**

There is little to no statistical data on Bartonella, that’s for sure, but it’s far from a rare infection & it is far from benign, in fact I would go as far to state it is prolific and devastating.  

Please note the finding of granulated tissue.  Bartonella is primarily a vascular disease and causes all sorts of bizarre symptoms – including nodules on the shins and painful soles of the feet; however, please do not underestimate the cognitive/psychological symptoms of this disease (anxiety, anger, suicidal thoughts).  It can also cause:  aseptic meningitis, neuroretinitis & other vision problems, lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), headaches, seizures, heartburn, abdominal pain, skin rash, gastritis, duodentis, mesenteric adenitis, myocarditis & endocarditis, and cysts.  

Authorities are still squabbling over whether ticks transmit this or not, but we know for sure spiders and other arachnids do as well as cat scratches, biting flies, fleas, needle stick transmission in veterinarians as well as drug users.  And just because something can’t be seen/proven in ticks, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.  Frankly, all it shows is the science is lagging and this is a fastidious organism which is hard to detect.  All I know is that nearly every Lyme/MSIDS patient I work with has Bart.  So either the tick transmits directly OR a previously asymptomatic case is triggered upon getting a tick bite.  Either way, WE GOT IT and it needs to be considered in each and every Lyme/MSIDS patient.

For more on Bartonella:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/03/bartonella-treatment/  (Checklist and treatment options within this link)

Fifteen species of gram-negative aerobic Bartonella are known to infect humans; however Dr. Ricardo Maggi’s statement is quite telling, “This case reinforces the hypothesis that any Bartonella species can cause human infection.”

Dr. Mozayeni talks about Bartonella as one of the major co-infections of Lyme disease. It’s more prevalent than Lyme, as there are many more ways to contract the disease (eg. flees, cats). In a study, that Dr. Breitschwerdt and Mozayeni published in The Journal of Emerging Diseases, about 60% of Lyme patients tested positive for Bartonella. Dr. Mozayeni also talks about the importance of looking at Biofilm when treating Lyme, Bartonella etc. as biofilm can harbor many of these microbes and be the cause of many symptoms.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/07/fox-news-bartonella-is-the-new-lyme-disease/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/08/09/a-bartonella-story/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/12/osteomyelitis-in-cat-scratch-disease-a-never-ending-dilemma-a-case-report-literature-review/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/03/encephalopathy-in-adult-with-cat-scratch-disease/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/09/rheumatological-presentation-of-bartonella-koehlerae-henselae-a-case-report-chiropractors-please-read/  Please note the joint popping with each articulation and continual joint subluxation issue.
Chiropractors need to be told about this. Please educate! Send them this article.  I too had this bizarre popping of the joints with a lot of instability in the knees. Treatment completely ameliorated this issue so treatment is primo important.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/15/fleas-harbor-bartonella-13-days-post-infection-continuously-excrete-bartonella-dna/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/20/northern-southern-ca-cats-have-bartonella-and-rickettsia-proven-by-16s-rrna-next-gen-sequencing/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/12/29/cardinal-state-bartonella/

 

 

 

 

Category:

Bartonella, Lyme, Psychological Aspects, research, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment

Lyme Meningoencephalitis Masquerading as Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5984262/#__ffn_sectitle

Lyme Meningoencephalitis Masquerading as Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

Monitoring Editor: Alexander Muacevic and John R Adler
Aakash Desai, Gaurav Manek, Anand M Krishnan, Corina Iorgoveanu, Ahmed Zaghloul

Abstract
Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness caused primarily by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. The disease is most prevalent in forested areas endemic for Ixodes tick, which transmits the spirochete. Here, we describe a case of Lyme meningoencephalitis masquerading as normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) which initially presented with urinary incontinence, gait instability, and neurological decline. Due to its non-specific symptoms and low incidence, Lyme meningoencephalitis causing NPH like syndrome poses a diagnostic conundrum for clinicians. Awareness of this disease entity is key for prompt diagnosis and treatment.

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**Comment**

Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), which normally affects older people, is a brain disorder where there’s too much cerebrospinal fluid in the brain’s ventricle which causes trouble reasoning, thinking and walking, as well as loss of bladder control.  There can also be personality & behavior changes, and apathy.  Brain imaging to detect enlarged ventricles as well as MRI’s help with diagnosis.  Causes include hemorrhages, inflammation, and infections, and unknown reasons.

In this case, the patient appeared to have NPH but was rather infected with Lyme.

I know many patients who have excruciating headaches that they would describe as meningal, including myself.  The entire lining of the head hurts.  Some even receive a Chiari diagnosis as the swelling can force the brain to go through the opening of the skull.  For me the best antibiotics were those like minocycline which cross the blood/brain barrier.  I honestly wondered if I’d ever have a day without this head pain.  Good, effective treatment eradicated this but doctors are woefully unprepared.  Please contact your local Lyme support group if you have symptoms for a list of ILADS trained doctors who understand the complexity of this disease and will treat accordingly.

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/04/02/chiari/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/04/minocycline-for-ms-and-much-more/

 

Category:

Inflammation, Lyme, research, Ticks

Integrated Control of Juvenile Ixodes Scapularis Parasitizing Peromyscus Leucopus in Residential Settings in Connecticut, United States

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/29859885/

Integrated control of juvenile Ixodes scapularis parasitizing Peromyscus leucopus in residential settings in Connecticut, United States.

Williams SC, et al. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2018.

Abstract
Lyme disease continues to be the most common vector-borne disease in the United States with an estimated 330,000 human cases annually. In the eastern United States, the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is the primary vector of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, and the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, is a primary reservoir host. In four residential neighborhoods in Connecticut over three years, we tested the effectiveness of different low-toxicity integrated tick management approaches to control larval and nymphal I. scapularis parasitizing P. leucopus.

  • Combinations of white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, reduction,
  • broadcast application of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae,
  • distribution of fipronil-based rodent-targeted bait boxes were evaluated against an
  • experimental control

Deer reduction with no other intervention likely forced juvenile I. scapularis to obtain blood meals from available reservoir hosts, resulting in increased exposure of P. leucopus to B. burgdorferi compared to control sites. The M. anisopliae/bait box and the deer reduction/M. anisopliae/bait box treatment combinations resulted in 94% and 85% reductions in larvae parasitizing P. leucopus that tested positive for B. burgdorferi, respectively, compared to control. Deer reduction alone resulted in only a 3% reduction, likely because parasitizing juvenile I. scapularis were not targeted by bait box-delivered fipronil. Unless there is community support to reduce and maintain deer at very low densities (<5 deer/km2), it is clear that a combination of M. anisopliae/fipronil-based bait boxes offers an effective, localized, low-toxicity option for reducing I. scapularis parasitizing P. leucopus without complications from host switching.

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For more on successful tick reduction methods:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/03/fire-good-news-for-tick-reduction/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/06/mc-bugg-z/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/05/11/tick-prevention-and-removal-2017/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/27/study-conforms-permethrin-causes-ticks-to-drop-off-clothing/

 

Category:

research, Testing, Ticks, Treatment