Archive for the ‘Ticks’ Category

Tick-borne Diseases Pose ‘Public Health Crisis’ in PA, Experts Say

https://www.wpxi.com/news/pennsylvania/tick-borne-diseases-pose-public-health-crisis-pa-experts-say

Tick-borne diseases pose ‘public health crisis’ in PA, experts say

By Liz Kilmer, WPXI-TV

PITTSBURGH — Pennsylvania continues to be a top state for Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne infection, and experts are urging awareness and caution.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health estimates that the state could have as many as 100,000 cases of Lyme disease each year.

“Pennsylvania is ground zero for ticks and tick-borne illnesses,” said Nicole Chinnici, the Director of the Tick Research Lab of Pennsylvania at East Stroudsburg University. “It has a lot to do with our geographical landscape and our protected land and having a decent amount of forest coverage. So with that… we have a huge public health crisis in our state, and it needs to be addressed.”

The lab tests ticks for free, determining the type of tick and potential infection. Last year, about 30,000 came from Pennsylvania residents, she said. Data show about a third of all ticks test for some type of illness.

And, more than half of people who submit ticks report having been bitten while in their own backyards.  (See link for article)

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SUMMARY:

  • Chinnici states your own backyard is the greatest risk because you don’t consider it a risk.
  • Dr. Shannon Smith, DC and LLMD states some that are infected never see a tick or a rash.
  • Smith states some of his patients have been misdiagnosed for years.
  • One such patient initially had fatigue but then developed iron deficiency and Celiac’s disease. Treatment has already begun to help by improving her memory and emotions as Lyme can cause depression.
  • Many misdiagnosed patients fall through the cracks due to a negative test.
  • Joint pain or facial drooping are classic symptoms but other symptoms include brain fog, speech difficulties, or fibromyalgia symptoms.
  • Smith recommends testing for other infections as well as they can cause other symptoms like GI issues.
  • Pets can bring ticks into the home.
  • Smith recommends taking a lint roller and roll it all over your body as ticks don’t quickly embed.
  • Wear tick repellent and bright/light colors
  • It is recommended to wear tick repellent and bright colors that make it easier to spot a tick. If you find a tick that’s attached, you want to use a fine-point tweezer, grabbing at the base of the mouth. More tips can be found on the lab’s blog: https://www.ticklab.org/blog/

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Category:

Lyme, Prevention, Ticks

Cat Ownership and Rural Residence Are Associated With Lyme Disease Prevalence in the Northeastern United States

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/9/5618/htm

Cat Ownership and Rural Residence Are Associated with Lyme Disease Prevalence in the Northeastern United States

by Amanda Roome1,2,*, Katherine Wander2 and Ralph M. Garruto2
1Bassett Research Institute, Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, NY 13326, USA
2Department of Anthropology, Binghamton University (State University of New York), Binghamton, NY 13902, USA
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Paul B. Tchounwou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5618; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095618
Received: 14 March 2022 / Revised: 22 April 2022 / Accepted: 27 April 2022 / Published: 5 May 2022
(This article belongs to the Section Infectious Disease Epidemiology)
Abstract

Lyme disease (LD) is the most common vector-borne disease in the USA. Beyond its tick-borne nature, however, risk factors for LD are poorly understood. We used an online questionnaire to compare LD patients and non-LD counterparts and elucidate factors associated with LD. We investigated demographic, lifestyle, and household characteristics and use of prevention measures. Associations with LD were modeled using logistic regression, and average marginal effects were estimated. In total, 185 active or past LD patients and 139 non-patients participated. The majority of respondents were white (95%) and female (65%). Controlling for age, sex, and type of residential area, pet ownership was associated with an 11.1% (p = 0.038) increase in the probability of LD. This effect was limited to cat owners (OR: 2.143, p = 0.007; dog owners, OR: 1.398, p = 0.221). Living in rural areas was associated with a 36% (p = 0.001) increase in the probability of LD compared to living in an urban area. Participants who reported knowing someone with Lyme Disease were more likely to wear insect repellant and perform tick checks. This study suggests opportunities for improved LD prevention, including advising cat owners of their increased risk. Although patterns in adoption of LD prevention methods remain poorly understood, concern about LD risk does motivate their use.
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Activism, Prevention, research, Ticks

Toronto Woman Shares Encounter With Dozens of Ticks in Her Suburban Backyard

https://globalnews.ca/news/8849091/toronto-dozens-of-ticks-suburban-backyard/  News Video Here

Toronto woman shares encounter with dozens of ticks in her suburban backyard

By Kayla McLean Global News
Posted May 19, 2022
A relaxing afternoon reclining in her backyard with her dogs should have been just that — relaxing. Little did Michelle Snider know, however, they were also entertaining some unwanted, blood-sucking company: ticks she says — coming from her own backyard, in the suburban Long Branch area in west Toronto.

“I was literally picking six, seven of them off my dogs in a day,” said Snider. “And then they came into the house, and then I’m finding them on me, I had three on my back, one on my shoulder, one on my hip when I woke up.”

Snider took to Facebook to warn others of the ticks, posting video of the ones that latched onto her and her dog. She says she’s never seen them as bad as they have been this year. (See link for article)

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SUMMARY:

  • Rising tick numbers coincides with rising Lyme/MSIDS cases (remember Lyme is just the tip of the spear and ticks transmit 90+ infections and can reactivate latent infections).
  • 68-80% of ticks in specific Canadian locations carry Lyme while it’s lower in other areas.
  • Toronto Public Health states infection risk is low in Toronto, but then goes on to state the city has just begun tick surveillance for this year. I call this doublespeak. Ticks are everywhere – take measures!
  • The “expert” predictably blames the climate when ticks are impervious to weather and are ecoadaptive.
  • Snider has breakdown moments when she wants to move into a hotel to avoid the ticks.

While Wisconsin in 6th (per data from 1990-2019) in the nation for Lyme and a hot spot for Powassan and a virtual tick hotel, I do believe it’s far worse on the Eastern seashore. This 21st century plague does not get the attention and respect it deserves and people are in harms way in their own backyard, at the park, beach, deck, cave, rocks, on and underneath picnic tables and benches, and even in the cracks in the sidewalk.  Yep, it’s bad.

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Category:

Activism, Lyme, Ticks

Ticks Killed Nearly 90% of Moose Calves & Maine Farmer is Burning Her Property to Rid it of Ticks

https://bangordailynews.com/2022/05/18/news/piscataquis/ticks-killed-nearly-90-percent-of-moose-calves-tracked-by-scientists-in-2-maine-counties-last-year/

Ticks killed nearly 90 percent of moose calves tracked by scientists in 2 Maine counties last year

by Kevin Miller, Maine Public and Esta Pratt-Kielley, Maine Public

Maine is home to the largest moose population in the lower 48 states. But in one of the moosiest corners of the state, nearly 90 percent of the calves tracked by biologists last winter didn’t survive their first year.

And the culprit? A tiny critter that is thriving in parts of Maine as the climate warms.

“You look at one data sheet after another of what we found in the woods on these moose and it’s the same profile every time: it is winter tick,” said Lee Kantar, the lead moose biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Winter ticks, which are sometimes called moose ticks, have been pestering Maine moose for about a century and likely longer. But their numbers have exploded in parts of Maine, New Hampshire, Minnesota and southern Canada. It’s not uncommon for biologists or hunters to find moose infested with 40,000, 75,000 or even 90,000 ticks. Some infested moose rub themselves virtually bald trying to scrape off the irritating ticks, creating the phenomenon known as “ghost moose.”

Many adult cows can survive such a massive tick load. Calves are another story, however. (See link for article)

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SUMMARY:

  • Winter or moose ticks hunt in packs unlike deer and dog ticks.  Another tick that is becoming more of a problem and also forms clusters is the Asian Longhorned tick.
  • While the article focuses on shortened winters and longer falls and calls this “climate change,” an independent tick researcher has shown that ticks are virtually impervious to weather conditions.  Further, nobody wants to discuss the very real climate engineering our government and nefarious players are doing that is to blame.
  • They are studying whether reducing the adult moose populations in the same areas where the calves were collared can improve overall health by lowering tick numbers.
  • Research suggests ticks are leading to fewer moose births.
  • One moose Kantar did a field necropsy on showed bony hips, patches of missing hair, bone marrow devoid of fat, and white organs suggesting severe anemia caused by the lack of blood due to tick infestation.  Even while being dead 4 days, the carcass is covered with ticks. Her unborn calf never would have made it due to being malnourished.

A Maine Farmer’s Tick Is So Bad, She’s Going to Burn Up Her Property

May 2, 2022
A Maine Farmer’s Tick Is So Bad, She’s Going to Burn Up Her Property

After relocating from Florida last year to start an organic farm in Maine, Elizabeth Jimenez is on a mission to rid her land of ticks.

Part of his tick management plan is getting scorched.

Jimenez, along with Guy Johnson and Adrian Sotropa, are turning the three-acre farm in Friendship into organic parks and orchards. She and a team of volunteers are also starting a Karuna Healing Center on the property. (See link for article)

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SUMMARY:

  • Jimenez stated he was surprised from the amount and the aggressiveness of ticks.
  • He decided to conduct a series of controlled burns using a propane torch as he wanted to avoid chemicals.
  • The manager of The University of Maine’s tick lab states that it was even worse last year.
  • Local farmers are talking to fire department officials on how to safely and effectively burn.
  • After the burn, Jimenez plans to build a wide buffer of wood chips to discourage them from going back inside. The wood chips are not tick deterrents; however, and really only serve as a visual cue to humans.
  • Research shows that burning underbrush in woodland settings to be very effective in reducing tick populations short term.  The problem is once vegetation reproduces it creates a perfect tick habitat, requiring ongoing tick management techniques
  • Once winter arrives Jimenez plans to keep the field plowed and snow free so the ticks are exposed to the cold which may kill dog ticks but will probably have little to no effect on deer ticks that tend to be in more woodland areas.
  • The best way to target ticks is a multidisciplinary approach using multiple methods.

Category:

Activism, Prevention, research, Ticks

Tick-borne Diseases & Coinfection: Current Considerations

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1877959X20304775

Tick-borne diseases and co-infection: Current considerations

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101607Get rights and content

Abstract

Over recent years, a multitude of pathogens have been reported to be tick-borne. Given this, it is unsurprising that these might co-exist within the same tick, however our understanding of the interactions of these agents both within the tick and vertebrate host remains poorly defined. Despite the rich diversity of ticks, relatively few regularly feed on humans, 12 belonging to argasid and 20 ixodid species, and literature on co-infection is only available for a few of these species. The interplay of various pathogen combinations upon the vertebrate host and tick vector represents a current knowledge gap. The impact of co-infection in humans further extends into diagnostic challenges arising when multiple pathogens are encountered and we have little current data upon which to make therapeutic recommendations for those with multiple infections. Despite these short-comings, there is now increasing recognition of co-infections and current research efforts are providing valuable insights into dynamics of pathogen interactions whether they facilitate or antagonize each other. Much of this existing data is focussed upon simultaneous infection, however the consequences of sequential infection also need to be addressed. To this end, it is timely to review current understanding and highlight those areas still to address.

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**Comment**

Timely is an understatement.  Long over due is more appropriate.

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Category:

Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks