Archive for the ‘Ticks’ Category

Tick Bites Begin to Spike in April, May: Here’s How to Keep Yourself, Your Pets Safe

https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/piedmont-triad/tick-bites-begin-to-spike-in-april-may-heres-how-to-keep-yourself-your-pets-safe/

Tick bites begin to spike in April, May: Here’s how to keep yourself, your pets safe

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(WGHP) — Warmer weather means there will be plenty of fun things to do outside but also tiny dangers to look out for.

Ticks can be found throughout North Carolina and carry serious diseases such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Now that April is here, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that bites will begin to spike and hit a peak in May.

But don’t worry. There are a variety of things you can do to keep yourself and your pets safe from these pesky bloodsuckers, starting with knowing what types of ticks live in North Carolina.

The four types of ticks to be aware of in North Carolina are:  (See link for article)

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SUMMARY:

  • Black legged tick, aka the deer tick (Lyme disease)
  • The lone star tick (STARI, ehrlichiosis, Alpha-gal allergy)
  • The American dog tick (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever)
  • The brown dog tick

Check out your own state’s resources for local ticks and the diseases they carry, but one word of caution: just because something hasn’t been reported, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist or can happen. A tick, is a tick, is a tick and ALL are suspect as they bite and exchange bodily fluids with whomever and whatever they bite.  Ticks are constantly moving and being found in places they shouldn’t be, carrying things they shouldn’t have.

If you are in Wisconsin, go to:  https://wisconsin-ticks.russell.wisc.edu/

The website points out the following and I’ve added more:

  • Black legged tick (Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis) – for some reason they forgot Powassan or Deer tick virus, Borreia miyamotoi, Bartonella, Babesia, Mycoplasma, Tularemia, Ehrlichia muris eauclairenis, hemocytic rickettsia-like organisms, tick paralysis from fully engorged female
  • lone star tick or seed tick (Ehlichia chaffeensis, Ehrlichia ewingii, Alpha-gal allergy – they have found Lyme in it but no reported cases.  They also suspect rickettsia) for some reason they forgot STARI, tularemia, Anaplasma, Rickettsia amblyommatis, tick paralysis)
  • American dog tick or wood tick (RMSF, tularemia – they have found Lyme in it but no reported cases) for some reason they forgot Anaplasma and tick paralysis.
  • brown dog tick (RMSF) can also transmit Ehrlichia canis, Babesia canis vogeli, Babesia gibsoni-like to dogs which makes them suspect for humans as well.  Source

Source:  Ticks, associated tick-borne pathogens copy

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Category:

Activism, Prevention, Ticks, Transmission

How to Protect Yourself From TBEV, Which Isn’t “New”

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/england-ticks-symptoms-splash-europe-

How to protect yourself from the new rare tick-borne disease

Tick-borne encephalitis virus has arrived in the UK. Lisa Salmon finds out more.
Lisa Salmon

April 5, 2023
(Alamy/PA)
(Alamy/PA)

A virus carried by ticks has been found in the UK, and health experts are warning that people need to protect themselves from being bitten.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says the species of tick which carry tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is widespread in the UK.

They stress that although the risk to the public is low, it’s important for people to protect themselves against being bitten by the tiny bugs, which can also transmit the much more common Lyme disease.

“The risk of tick borne encephalitis virus in England is very low, but as ticks can carry other infections, it is as important as ever to be ‘tick aware’,” says Dr Claire Gordon from the UKHSA. “Take steps to reduce your chances of being bitten when outdoors in areas where ticks thrive, such as moorlands and woodlands, and remember to check for ticks and remove them promptly.”

(See link for article)

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SUMMARY:

Category:

Activism, Prevention, Ticks, Transmission, Viruses

Borrelia Miyamotoi Can Be Transmitted From Mother Ticks To Offspring

https://danielcameronmd.com/borrelia-miyamotoi-can-be-transmitted-from-mother-ticks-to-offspring/

BORRELIA MIYAMOTOI CAN BE TRANSMITTED FROM MOTHER TICKS TO OFFSPRING

borrelia-miyamotoi-ticks

Lyme disease and Borrelia miyamotoi can be transmitted from a tick to a host and vice versa (horizontal transmission). B. miyamotoi can also be transmitted from the mother to their offspring (vertical transmission).

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In their article “Borrelia miyamotoi: A Comprehensive Review. Pathogens,” Cleveland and colleagues discuss Borrelia miyamotoi as an emerging tick-borne pathogen and and how it can be transmitted from a mother tick to their offspring.

Cleveland et al. reviewed the proposed vertical transmission of B. miyamotoi.¹

  • An adult female tick infected with B. miyamotoi lays eggs.
  • The larva hatch from these eggs infected with B. miyamotoi.
  • The larva, nymph and adult ticks remain infected.

Ticks can acquire B. miyamotoi after feeding on an infected tick – called horizontal transmission.

Cleveland et al. reviewed the proposed horizontal transmission of B. miyamoti.¹

  • The larva, nymph and adult ticks acquire B. miyamoti from feeding on an infected host.
  • The larva, nymph and adult ticks remain infected.

“B. miyamotoi can be transmitted from infected ticks to naïve mice during the first 24 hours of feeding,” the authors wrote.

B. miyamotoi can be transmitted to mice initially through the salivary glands and subsequently transmitted through the midgut.

Concerns surrounding Borrelia miyamotoi

Shapiro and Wormser summarized the challenges associated with B. miyamotoi in the Journal of the American Medical Association.²

  • “This bacterium can be transmitted within the first 24 hours of tick attachment.”
  • “The probability of transmission increases with every day an infected tick is allowed to remain attached.”
  • While some patients with Lyme disease may exhibit a rash, “patients infected with B. miyamotoi in the United States typically do not have a rash.” But they may present with “a fever in conjunction with headache (96%), myalgia (84%), arthralgia (76%), and malaise/fatigue (82%).”
  • There are no diagnostic tests for B. miyamotoi infection that have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
  • The fever may be relapsing.
  • “Laboratory abnormalities include leukopenia (51%) and thrombocytopenia (60%), which are rarely seen in Lyme disease.” [Editor’s note: These are also seen in Ehrlichia and Anaplasmosis.]
  • “Severely immunocompromised patients may develop chronic meningitis.”

Fortunately, doxycycline and amoxicillin have been shown to effectively treat B. miyamotoi infection in patients, including those who are immunocompromised.

Editor’s notes: Fevers are infrequent and often do not relapse. The laboratory abnormalities seen in B. miyamotoi are also seen in Ehrlichia and Anaplasmosis. Long-term outcome studies are needed.

References:
  1. Cleveland DW, Anderson CC, Brissette CA. Borrelia miyamotoi: A Comprehensive Review. Pathogens. Feb 7 2023;12(2)doi:10.3390/pathogens12020267
  2. Shapiro ED, Wormser GP. Lyme Disease in 2018: What Is New (and What Is Not). JAMA. Aug 21 2018;320(7):635-636. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.10974

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Category:

Borrelia Miyamotoi (Relapsing Fever Group), research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission

Fatal Case of Heartland Virus

https://danielcameronmd.com/fatal-case-of-heartland-virus/

FATAL CASE OF HEARTLAND VIRUS

fatal-heartland-virus

The Heartland virus (HRTV) is an emerging tick-borne illness which can be acquired through the bite of an infected Lone Star tick. The virus was first reported in 2009 in Missouri. Since then, it has spread to other states including Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, and North Carolina, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Now, investigators have identified the Heartland virus in the Maryland and Virginia region – an area where the virus is not widely recognized.

In their article “Fatal Case of Heartland Virus Disease Acquired in the Mid-Atlantic Region, United States,”¹ Liu and colleagues describe the fatal case of a man in his 60’s who acquired the Heartland virus in either Maryland or Virginia.

The man was admitted to the hospital in November 2021 with a fever, diarrhea, dyspnea, myalgias, and malaise which had been ongoing for 5 days. He had a history of a splenectomy, hypertension, remote trauma, coronary artery disease, and hypertension.

The patient did not recall a tick bite and did not have an erythema migrans rash.

“The range of [Heartland virus] could be expanding in the United States.”

“An arboviral disease was the leading diagnostic consideration, but limited availability of commercial diagnostic testing for tickborne diseases delayed diagnosis,” wrote Liu et al.

The man was treated clinically for a tick-borne infection with doxycycline.

“Two days later, on day 7 after symptom onset, the patient returned to the emergency department with confusion, an unsteady gait, and new fecal and urinary incontinence,” according to the authors.

He subsequently developed encephalopathy, low sodium, abnormal liver function tests, and fatigue.

“He had acute respiratory failure, renal failure, and a cardiac arrest. He was transitioned to comfort care and died on day 13 after symptom onset,” wrote Liu et al.

An autopsy revealed that the heart, spleen, kidney, and liver samples were positive for Heartland virus.

The Virginia Department of Health conducted a drag of the man’s property and found 193 Lone Star ticks. However, none of the ticks contained HRTV.

Tick-borne diseases identified by the CDC, as of 2/26/23.²

  • Anaplasmosis
  • Babesiosis
  • Borrelia mayonii
  • Borrelia miyamotoi
  • Bourbon virus
  • Colorado tick fever
  • Ehrlichiosis
  • Heartland virus
  • Lyme disease
  • Powassan disease
  • Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF)
  • STARI (Southern tick-associated rash illness)
  • Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF)
  • Tularemia
  • 364D rickettsiosis (Rickettsia phillipi, proposed)
Related Articles:

10 cases of Heartland virus reviewed

References:
  1. Liu S, Kannan S, Meeks M, et al. Fatal Case of Heartland Virus Disease Acquired in the Mid-Atlantic Region, United States. Emerg Infect Dis. Feb 23 2023;29(5)doi:10.3201/eid2905.221488
  2. Diseases Transmitted by Ticks. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/index.html Last accessed 2/26/23.

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Category:

research, Testing, Ticks, Treatment, Viruses

More Window Dressing: Blumenthal Announces New Federal Funding For Tick Research

https://www.wshu.org/connecticut-news/2023-03-24/blumenthal-announces-new-federal-funding-for-tick-research

Blumenthal announces new federal funding for tick research

WSHU | By Molly Ingram
Published March 24, 2023
Blumenthal

Molly Ingram/WSHU  U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal holds a tick, swollen from drinking blood.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) has announced millions of dollars in funding for research into tick-borne diseases.

Diseases caused by ticks have more than doubled in the last ten years across the Northeast.

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, located in New Haven, will receive $200,000.

Blumenthal said the money will fund vital research at the nationally recognized facility.

(See link for article)

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SUMMARY:

  • Money to New Haven will be used to hire staff for testing ticks
  • $26 Million will go to the corrupt CDC to study Lyme disease
  • $7 Million will go to the complicit DOD‘s Tick-borne Disease Research Program

In the words of Willy Burgdorfer, the “discoverer” of Lyme:

“The controversy in Lyme Disease research is a shameful affair.  I say that because the whole thing is politically tainted.  Money goes to people that have for the past 30 years produced the same thing.  Nothing.” ~ Dr. Willy Burgdorferi

Money lining the pockets of the same people in corrupt agencies will come to nothing.
Mark my words.

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Category:

Activism, Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks