Archive for the ‘Ticks’ Category

Know Your Ticks

https://www.globallymealliance.org/tick-table/

Know your ticks

Easy to read table shows the most common ticks found in the U.S. that transmit pathogens to humans.
Note: only a partial list. To learn more about tick-bite prevention and how to be Tick AWARE, click here

Click here to download the Tick Table

Tick Table

For more:

Remember, in Wisconsin, ticks are found in every county in the state. Researchers are also finding them in bright, open, mowed lawns.

Category:

Alpha Gal Meat Allergy, Anaplasmosis, Bartonella, Borrelia Miyamotoi (Relapsing Fever Group), Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, Mycoplasma, Parasite Treatment, Rickettsia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tickborne Relapsing Fever, Ticks, Transmission, Tularemia, Viruses

Lawmakers Push for Lyme Disease Research as Tick Population Climbs

https://www.rollcall.com/2021/07/14/lawmakers-push-for-lyme-disease-research-as-tick-population-climbs/

Lawmakers push for Lyme disease research as tick population climbs

Changing climate conditions help drive up number of cases, as infecting insects thrive in warm, humid environments
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States, appearing in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. (Edwin Remsberg/VWPics via Getty Images file photo)
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States, appearing in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. (Edwin Remsberg/VWPics via Getty Images file photo)
By Ariel Cohen

Posted July 14, 2021 

Tick-borne disease is on the rise across the nation, and lawmakers are pushing to invest more this year in diagnostics and research to help the hundreds of thousands of Americans diagnosed with Lyme disease each year.

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States, appearing in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Roughly 476,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of actual infections is likely higher, experts say, as many infected people do not receive a test and Lyme disease tests are often inaccurate.

Although under diagnosed, Lyme costs the U.S. health care system more than $1.3 billion in direct U.S. medical costs, according to estimates, and tens of billions more in indirect medical costs.

“People know somebody who has Lyme, or they have constituents that have come to talk about it, and they all have the same story: It’s very difficult to diagnose and very difficult to treat,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Congressional Lyme Caucus member, said in describing a recent groundswell of Capitol Hill interest.

(See link for article)

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**Comment**

The problem with this article is many of the premises are inaccurate yet continually touted as established facts.

  1. Ticks are marvelously ecoadaptive.  They are impervious to weather.  If they are stressed they will hide under leaf-litter, snow, mulch, plants, etc.  When conditions are better, out they come. Independent research has proven this but has been ignored because the ‘climate change’ agenda is powerful and backed by a lot of money and powerful people/institutions who profit from it.
  2. Ticks are not the only creatures to be concerned about, and the only source of transmission, yet again the sole focus upon ticks continues to this day.
  3. The fact there isn’t accepted treatment should indicate there is a sordid back-story that isn’t being told by our corrupt public health ‘authorities.’ Similarly to COVID, there are effective treatments (although admittedly individually determined) that continue to be ignored, censored, and denied.  This has gone on for over 40 years and continues to this day.
  4. The fact testing isn’t reliable also indicates a fundamental flaw in this story.  Due to the false stance taken on this complex illness, and the fact the only accepted research is done by a conflict-riddled Cabal, we remain and will continue to remain in the Dark Ages with Lyme/MSIDS.
  5. The federal government is always whining about needing more money, despite the fact the CDC’s operating budget has averaged about $7.2 billion per year since 2016. It’s budget was $10 billion in 2008 before Congressional investigations found that the agency wastes millions and spends lavishly.  For example, It spent:
    • $106 million on a visitor center
    • $5.1 million on audio-video integrations
    • $18 million on a video production studio
    • $1.7 million to “fact-check”television shows like “ER,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “House”
    • The CDC spent its AIDS and HIV Prevention fund in 2007 on erotic writing, a drag queen contest, and a San Francisco workshop called “how to flirt with greater finesse.”
    • The CDC is NOT a neutral government agency, and has its own private slush fund called the CDC Foundation. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given $2.3 million so far to the CDC in 2021. You can see all Gates to CDC contributions here, and only the United States government gives more to the World Health Organization than the Gates Foundation.
    • The CDC Foundation’s other donors come from pharmaceutical companies and big tech firms such as Bayer, Facebook, GlaxoSmithKline and Merck. They sell drugs and don’t care about public health. These relationships are incestuous – for example, former CDC chief Julie Gerberding left her position at the CDC to become President of Merck’s vaccine division.
  6. Regarding the increasing tick population, it is highly probable our own government is partially if not wholly to blame. (This is another reason they push the climate agenda. It’s a slight of hand to stop us from asking relevant questions.)
  7. The reference to COVID must be addressed. The only reason it is considered a ‘pandemic’ is due to the WHO changing the definition 1 month before the Swine Flu ‘pandemic’ that wasn’t, and taking away the criteria that it is highly deadly – because COVID is not highly deadly, with the vast majority being asymptomatic or mild cases.
  8. The push for more federal funding to go to the exact people who have done nothing for Lyme/MSIDS patients for over 40 years is illogical.  I completely disagree that the “lack of funding contributes to major knowledge gaps surrounding the disease.”  What is causing major knowledge gaps is scientific bias and conflicts of interests.  Until those are dealt with, we will get no where.
  9. It is well established that early detection is imperative; however, doctors due to the IDSA guidelines continue to take a “wait and see” approach, delaying life-saving treatment.  These same people refuse to treat people with obvious Lyme rashes and make up all kinds of excuses.  And, of course, many never see or get the rash at all.
  10. While I surely do not have all the answers, one thing I do know: giving our corrupt public health ‘authorities’ more money to continue doing biased research is NOT the answer.  They’ve been using sick patients to raise monies for their own nefarious ends for far, far too long.  Insanity is doing something over and over and expecting different results. Time to take our precious pennies and put them toward independent research.

Category:

Activism, Lyme, Ticks

Tick Academy

Tick Academy – Announcement Flyer

Tick Academy

cropped-ipm_tickproblem_banner_05

September 13-15, 2021, 10:00a.m. – 2:00pm

Please join the Tick IPM Working Group for the second annual Tick Academy! The Tick Academy is the premier event for researchers, educators, students, public health professionals, pest control professionals, public-space managers and citizen scientists interested in learning more about what they can do to stop the spread of ticks and tickborne diseases in their communities. This virtual event will feature twelve presentations over three, four-hour sessions where presenters will share the newest information from the field. Participants will be able to ask questions of these world-class tick experts.

Topics covered:

  • Tick management Tickborne disease prevention
  • Recent discoveries of emerging pathogens
  • Public perceptions of risk Diversity and identification of ticks
  • Vaccine developments

Instructors:

  • Alejandro Calixto, PhD, Director, New York State Integrated Pest Management Program
  • Bieneke Bron, PhD, DVM, Scientist, Wageningen University & Research
  • Bob Maurais, President, Mainely Ticks, Inc.
  • Bobbi Pritt, MD, MSc, FCAP, DTMH, Director, Clinical Parasitology Laboratory, Mayo Clinic
  • Jean Tsao, PhD, Associate Professor, Michigan State University
  • Jordan Mandli, PhD, MPH, Research Associate, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Kirby Stafford, PhD, Chief Scientist, State Entomologist, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
  • Lorenza Beati, MD, PhD, Curator U.S. National Tick Collection, Georgia Southern University
  • Susan Paskewitz, PhD, Professor & Co-Director, Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease
  • Tammi Johnson, PhD, Assistant Professor of Wildlife Disease Ecology, Texas A&M University
  • Tom Mather, PhD, Professor & Director, University of Rhode Island Center for Vector-Borne Diseases
  • Xia Lee, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Disease

Register in top link

Category:

Activism, Prevention, Ticks, vaccines

What is Powassan Virus?

https://danielcameronmd.com/what-is-powassan-virus/

WHAT IS POWASSAN VIRUS?

what is powassan virus
The Powassan virus is a tick-borne illness transmitted by the same tick that harbors the Lyme disease bacterium. Although it is still considered rare, the number of cases is growing and if contracted the virus can have devastating and long-lasting effects.
By 

In their article “Underrecognized Tickborne Illnesses: Borrelia Miyamotoi and Powassan Virus,”  Della-Giustina et al. explain what is the Powassan virus and why it’s raising concerns.  

“We chose to review the Powassan virus because it only requires 15 min. of tick attachment for transmission, and the sequelae of the neurologic disease are devastating, in addition to a 10% mortality rate.”¹

What is Powassan virus?

The Powassan virus (POW) is a tick-borne flavivirus that is related to other viruses including: dengue, yellow fever, West Nile encephalitis, and tick-borne encephalitis (primarily found in Europe). “Flaviviruses are a group of single stranded RNA viruses that cause severe endemic infection and epidemics on a global scale.”²

In recent years, other viruses transmitted by ticks have been identified including the Heartland virus (phlebovirus) and the Bourbon virus (thogotovirus).

POW is very similar genetically to the deer tick virus and the clinical presentations are identical.
How was it discovered?

Powassan was first discovered in the brain of a young child.

“Powassan virus is named for the Ontario, Canada, town where it was first isolated from the brain of a 5-year-old boy who died of severe encephalitis in 1958,” the authors write.

Where is it?

The second case was reported in New Jersey (1970) and then another in eastern Russia (1978). Although, there have been no reported cases in other countries, the virus has been identified in a growing number of states.

In 2019, 13 U.S. states reported cases: Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.

Ticks infected with Powassan virus can transmit the disease in only 15 minutes, causing long-lasting neurologic problems in some individuals, in addition to a 10% mortality rate.

How is the virus transmitted?

The Powassan virus is carried and transmitted by Ixodes scapularis ticks, also known as deer ticks or blacklegged ticks. These ticks can also transmit Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria which causes Lyme disease.

“Although many flaviviruses have mosquitos as competent vectors, there is no evidence of human POW virus disease transmitted by mosquitos,” the authors point out.

How fast can Powassan virus be transmitted?

Very fast. “Transmission in mice has been shown to occur within 15 min. of I. scapularis attachment,” the authors write.

This rapid transmission occurs because the virus is already present in the salivary glands, compared to other non-viral tick-borne diseases where the pathogen is typically harbored in the tick’s mid-gut.

What is the typical clinical presentation?

“Few people who become infected with the POW virus have clinically significant disease,” the authors write.

However, in some cases, “a Powassan infection can lead to disorientation, headache, neck stiffness, fever up to 40°C, clonus, ocular, and other motor palsies, obtundation and convulsions, and can mimic herpes simplex encephalitis.”

Can Powassan virus be serious?

Yes.  

“Approximately 50% of cases result in lasting hemiplegia, memory problems, and muscle wasting,” the authors explain.

“Ten percent of cases are fatal.”

Are there tests for it?

A PCR test is only positive in early stages of a Powassan infection. “IgG by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is the mainstay of diagnosis, but confirmation requires specialized testing,” write the authors.

Why are co-infections important?

Treatable tick-borne co-infections may be present. The authors describe a patient with a combination of Powassan encephalitis, Lyme carditis, and Babesia.

Yoon and colleagues described the case of a 17-year-old young man who died waiting for a Powassan virus test.³  He was not treated for a co-infection with Lyme disease. His autopsy showed Borrelia spirochetes, which cause Lyme disease, in his heart and liver. He also had PCR evidence of spirochetes in his brain and lungs.

What is the treatment for a Powassan infection?

There is no treatment for a Powassan virus infection other than supportive care.

Related Articles:

Powassan virus in children

Maine woman dies from deer tick virus

Powassan virus infection causes polio-like illness

References:
  1. Della-Giustina D, Duke C, Goldflam K. Underrecognized Tickborne Illnesses: Borrelia Miyamotoi and Powassan Virus. Wilderness Environ Med. Jun 2021;32(2):240-246. doi:10.1016/j.wem.2021.01.005
  2. Chong HY, Leow CY, Abdul Majeed AB, Leow CH. Flavivirus infection-A review of immunopathogenesis, immunological response, and immunodiagnosis. Virus Res. 2019 Dec;274:197770. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2019.197770. Epub 2019 Oct 15. PMID: 31626874.
  3. Yoon EC, Vail E, Kleinman G, et al. Lyme disease: a case report of a 17-year-old male with fatal Lyme carditis. Cardiovasc Pathol. Sep-Oct 2015;24(5):317-21. doi:10.1016/j.carpath.2015.03.003

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**Comment**

Regarding transmission time – ALL pathogens can reside in the salivary glands of ticks due to partial feeding, which will result in quicker transmission times, but this fact is continually downplayed:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/26/three-strains-of-borrelia-other-pathogens-found-in-salivary-glands-of-ixodes-ticks-suggesting-quicker-transmission-time/

It’s also important to note that minimum transmission times have NEVER been established:   https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/04/14/transmission-time-for-lymemsids-infection/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2021/06/01/cdc-lying-again-tuttle-drops-the-mic/  Within this important letter, Lyme advocate Carl Tuttle shows rapid transmission has occurred in under 4 hours:

  1. Clinical evidence for rapid transmission of Lyme disease following a tick bite:  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0732889311004159?via%3Dihub
  2. B. Patmas, MA, Remora, C. Disseminated Lyme Disease After Short-Duration Tick Bite. JSTD 1994; 1:77-78: https://www.lymedisease.org/hard-science-on-lyme-ticks-can-transmit-infection-the-first-day/
  3. Lyme borreliosis: a review of data on transmission time after tick attachment:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4278789/  The claims that removal of ticks within 24 hours or 48 hours of attachment will effectively prevent LB are not supported by the published data, and the minimum tick attachment time for transmission of LB in humans has never been established.
  4. Regarding Tick Attachment Times –  https://history.nih.gov/display/history/Burgdorfer%2C+Willy+1986
There are about 5 to 10 percent of infected ticks that have a generalized infection, including salivary glands and saliva at the time of attachment. In such cases, transmission of spirochetes would and does occur immediately at time of attachment.” —Willy Burgdorfer

According to this study by Coppe Labs, right here in Wisconsin, 85% of Powassan infected ticks come from Northern Wisconsin. Another study by Coppe showed that when 95 patients were tested for suspected tick-borne disease, 66% showed evidence of current or prior Lyme infection.  Of those patients, 17% had serologic evidence of acute POWV infection, demonstrating that POWV may affect more patients than we know.

For more on Powassan:

Category:

mosquitoes, research, Testing, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment, Viruses

Evaluating Effects of Minimal Risk Natural Products for Control of Black-Legged Ticks

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33044507/

Evaluating the Effects of Minimal Risk Natural Products for Control of the Tick, Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae)

Megan C Dyer 1 2, Matthew D Requintina 1, Kathryn A Berger 1, Gavino Puggioni 3, Thomas N Mather 1 2
Affiliations

Abstract

Knockdown and residual activity of 10 minimal risk natural products (MRNPs), one experimental formulation of nootkatone, and two bifenthrin labels were evaluated against host-seeking nymphal Ixodes scapularis Say using a novel micro-plot product screening system placed in a landscape setting similar to a wooded residential property. The MRNPs evaluated included Tick Stop, EcoPCO EC-X, Met52 EC, CedarCide PCO Choice, EcoEXEMPT IC2, EcoSMART Organic Insecticide, Essentria IC3, privately labeled products 1 and 2 (based on EcoEXEMPT IC2 and sold as a professional pest control application), and Tick Killz.

Just the nootkatone and 4 of these 10 products tested (EcoPCO EC-X, Met52 EC, EcoEXEMPT IC2, and Essentria IC3) had statistically significant (P < 0.05) knockdown effects (killed ticks while active in the arenas) when compared to water-only controls, but only 2 of these, EcoPCO EC-X and nootkatone, displayed significant residual tick-killing activity after weathering naturally in the landscape for 2 wk prior to tick application/testing.

Moreover, botanical oil-based products with the same active ingredients provided inconsistent results when tested multiple times across study years.

For more:

Category:

Prevention, research, Ticks