Archive for the ‘Ticks’ Category

MN Toddler Hospitalized With RMSF

https://www.lymedisease.org/minnesota-toddler-tick-rmsf/

MN toddler hospitalized with tick-borne Rocky Mountain spotted fever

May 26, 2021

One-year-old Gino Pahl has been under sedation in the intensive care unit of a Minnesota hospital for the last week. He’s fighting Rocky Mountain spotted fever, an infection transmitted by a common wood tick.

“It’s so new a lot of the people we meet [at the hospital] say they have never seen a case here,” said Gino’s mother, Shelby Pahl.

The infection is most common across the central U.S. from the Carolinas to Kansas, but it is suspected Gino picked it up in a new development in Buffalo, which also happens to be his backyard.

Click below to watch the story, from KSTP-TV reporter Jessica Miles.

Click here for additional news coverage about this case.

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For more:

Another great example that ticks are in places they shouldn’t be spreading diseases they should have.  I predict we will only see more of this.  Doctors need to quit looking at entomology maps to diagnose people. Birds and other animals drop ticks everywhere.

Category:

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ticks

How Long Does It Take To Get Lyme Disease?

https://danielcameronmd.com/long-take-infected-tick-transmit-lyme-disease/

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET LYME DISEASE?

how-long-does-it-take-to-get-lyme-disease

The risk that a deer tick may transmit Lyme disease rises the longer the tick is attached, according to a review by Eisen from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published in the January 2018 journal Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. [1]

By Dr. Daniel Cameron

A study by Eisen and colleagues addressed a frequently asked question: “How long does it take to get Lyme disease?” According to their findings,  the probability of an individual becoming infected with Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the pathogen which causes Lyme disease, increases the longer the tick is attached. [1]

Researchers found the risk increases:

  • Approximately 10% after a tick has been attached for 48 hours;
  • 50% after 63 – 67 hours;
  • 70% by 72 hours;
  • 90% for a complete feed.

The time it takes to become infected with the Lyme disease bacteria has “generated lively debate in the United States,” writes Eisen.

Several mouse studies indicate that a single tick bite from a nymph tick cannot transmit Lyme disease in less than 24 hours. But others disagree.

“The possibility that transmission of Lyme disease spirochetes could occur within 24 hours of nymphal attachment under unusual circumstances should not be discounted,” writes Eisen.

While the tick is attached, the Bb spirochete have time to multiply in the gut, escape into the hemocoel and invade and multiply in the salivary glands before transmitting the Lyme bacteria.

In a review article, Cook writes, “It is frequently stated that the risk of infection is very low if the tick is removed within 24–48 hours, with some claims that there is no risk if an attached tick is removed within 24 hours or 48 hours.” [2]

In animal models, transmission can occur in less than 16 hours, and “the minimum attachment time for transmission of infection has never been established.”

Spirochetes in tick salivary glands 

Additionally, studies have found the presence of spirochetes in the tick salivary glands prior to the tick feeding, which could result in a rapid transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria.

Studies suggest, “in cases where the spirochetes are present in the tick salivary glands, they can be injected into the host during the preparatory transfers of antihistamines and anticoagulants prior to the commencement of feeding, ie, immediately after attachment of the tick to the host,” Cook writes.

There is also evidence that the transmission times and virulence varies depending upon the tick and Borrelia species, he adds.

Are you the tick’s 2nd meal?

A tick that is partially fed may be able to transmit diseases faster, Eisen explains.

“Partially fed ticks able to re-attach could result from detachment from dead animals or possibly by host grooming.”

Researchers have shown that infected I. scapularis nymph ticks which had been previously attached to a host for 24 – 48 hours, then removed and placed onto a new host, can effectively transmit B. burgdorferi spirochete within 24 hours of their re-attachment, Eisen writes.

Ticks harbor multiple diseases 

Blacklegged ticks may be harbor multiple pathogens, leading to Lyme disease and/or other tick-borne infections.

In fact, studies have found that ticks can harbor up to a dozen different types of bacteria. And, some of these pathogens can be transmitted in less than 24 hours.

Several studies have shown that the Powassan virus can be transmitted within 15 minutes of tick attachment, while Anaplasmosis and Borrelia miyamotoi can be transmitted within the first 24 hours of attachment, explains Eisen.

Meanwhile, partially fed Amblyomma aureolatum ticks have been shown to transmit Rickettsia rickettsii in as little as 10 minutes after attachment.

Underestimating tick attachment time

There is, however, pitfalls in relying on tick attachment time to determine your risk of infection.

“Bites by I. scapularis nymphs often go entirely undetected and tick-bite victims typically underestimate how long a nymph was attached before it was detected and removed,” writes Eisen.

One study found that people “consistently underestimate the actual time the tick was attached prior to being discovered.”

Lastly, an individual would not know if they had been bitten by a partially fed tick, which would increase their chances of becoming infected and infected faster.

UPDATED: June 7, 2021

Related Articles:

The risk of a tick bite for pet owners

Tick bite prevention methods are failing our children

One bite, six diseases

References:
  1. Eisen L. Pathogen transmission in relation to duration of attachment by Ixodes scapularis ticks. Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2018.
  2. Cook MJ. Lyme borreliosis: a review of data on transmission time after tick attachment. Int J Gen Med. 2014;8:1-8. Published 2014 Dec 19. doi:10.2147/IJGM.S73791

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For more:

  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

Category:

Lyme, research, Ticks

The War on Ticks: Time to Stop Lyme Disease

https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/health/health-conditions/the-war-on-ticks-time-to-stop-lyme-disease

The war on ticks: Time to stop Lyme disease

Lisa Fitterman

Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses are on the rise in Europe, yet authorities across the continent are woefully behind in addressing this serious health problem

One day seven years ago, Gitte Larsen woke up with a headache. It wouldn’t go away, not after a week, or a month, or a year, or two. The headache became the percussive accompaniment to her agonising journey through Denmark’s healthcare system and beyond.

At the time, she’d just turned 40, a tall, slim woman in the prime of life, a “futurist” whose work was predicting health trends. She lived with her husband and two daughters in a house in the forested countryside north of Copenhagen. At various times doctors diagnosed her with a host of conditions, from fibromyalgia to hypothyroidism.

As time went on, Gitte, now 47, became too weak to work. She and her husband moved the family to an apartment in Copenhagen to be closer to medical services. The couple exhausted their savings in the search for answers and a cure.

“Gitte tested positive to a host of Lyme-related conditions: arthritis, depression, debilitating fatigue, and headaches”

Then in 2015, as Gitte recounted her symptoms at a meeting for people who have metabolic issues, someone said it sounded like she had a variant of Lyme disease. Could it be? She knew Lyme disease was spread by ticks. But after walking her dog in the country, she’d always checked him, methodically running her fingers through his coat because ticks were so easy to miss. And she couldn’t remember ever getting the rash which looks like a bull’s eye. According to medical authorities, it’s the telltale sign of a tick bite containing the borrelia bacteria.

Gitte Larsen’s journey to diagnosis and treatment was long and arduous

Her Danish doctors insisted she didn’t have the condition. Desperate, in January 2016 she travelled to Augsburg, Germany, where Dr Armin Schwarzbach tested her at his clinic, which specialises in detecting tick-borne diseases. The test proved positive for a number of Lyme infections, including arthritis and neuroborreliosis, and Lyme-induced psychoses that included psychiatric conditions such as depression. Finally, Gitte knew what ailed her. (See link for article)

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**Comment**

Yet another example of the long-standing polarization within the medical community on tick-borne illnesses.

Here’s why:

Category:

Lyme, Ticks

Tick Time Bomb: Why Experts Predict High Tick Activity in 2021

https://www.prevention.com/health/a36558703/tick-time-bomb-summer-2021/

Experts Predict Summer 2021 Will Be a ‘Tick Time Bomb’—Here’s How to Stay Safe

“We are already seeing more ticks this season than last year.”
By Korin Miller

ticks

RBKOMARGETTY IMAGES
  • Experts predict summer 2021 will be a “tick time bomb.”
  • Due to a mild winter, most parts of the country are already seeing more ticks this season than last year, as the tiny insects thrive in humidity.
  • Here’s how to protect yourself from tick bites, which can lead to various illnesses including Lyme disease.

Every summer, we hear the same warning: It’s going to be a bad year for ticks. But entomologists (a.k.a. insect experts) say that 2021 could live up to that message. In fact, The Weather Channel even referred to this year as a “tick time bomb.”

Robert Lockwood, associate certified entomologist for Ehrlich Pest Control, says experts are already noticing a thriving tick population in 2021. “Due to the mild winters and climate change, we are already seeing more ticks this season than last year,” he says.

Why does a wet winter matter? Ticks thrive in humidity. As a result, “regions that experienced wetter and warmer winters will have higher tick populations this spring and summer,” says Ben Hottel, Ph.D., technical services manager for Orkin.  (See link for article)

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For more:

  • https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/07/ticks-on-the-move-due-to-migrating-birds-and-photoperiod-not-climate-change/
    • Climate-change researchers overlooked and did not take into account established populations of I. scapularis found in the late 1960’s in the upper Midwest, as well as at Manitoba in 1991, in their climate change model maps. The faulty climate change maps are devoid of any ticks in those areas – yet experience shows otherwise.
    • Climate change models overlook the fact that deer ticks were established in northwestern Ontario, southern Manitoba and were already in central Canada prior to 1970. What they predict to happen in the future has already happened in Canada. Their oversight caused a skewed rate of tick expansion and a miscalculation of northward projected movement.
    • Warmer winters are in fact lethal to I. scapularis(black-legged) ticks. In fact, overwinter survival dropped to 33% when the snow melted. This has been substantiated by other researchers as well.
    • The climate change model actually reflects migratory flight not warmer futuristic temperatures.
    • What is important to tick expansion is photoperiod, which is innate and can not be altered by climate.  Black-legged ticks require 14 hours of daylight to molt. If ticks can’t molt, they can’t move on to their next life-cycle.

      “The hypothesis that I. scapularis ticks will expand further north in the Prairie Provinces because of climate change is not only unscientific, but deceiving.”  John Scott, Independent tick researcher

More on tick prevention:

Category:

Activism, Ticks, Treatment

Study Shows Babesia Odocoilei is Pathogenic to Humans

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/11/6/947

Detection of Babesia odocoilei in Humans with Babesiosis Symptoms

by John D. Scott1,*,Muhammad S. Sajid1,2, Emily L. Pascoe1 and Janet E. Foley1
 
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editors: Raphael B. Stricker and Raul Colodner
Diagnostics 2021, 11(6), 947; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11060947
Received: 21 March 2021 / Revised: 13 May 2021 / Accepted: 24 May 2021 / Published: 25 May 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lyme Disease: Companion Diagnostics and Precision Medicine)

Abstract

Human babesiosis is a life-threatening infectious disease that causes societal and economic impact worldwide. Several species of Babesia cause babesiosis in terrestrial vertebrates, including humans. A one-day clinic was held in Ontario, Canada, to see if a red blood cell parasite, which is present in blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, is present in humans. Based on PCR testing and DNA sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene, we unveiled B. odocoilei in two of 19 participants. DNA amplicons from these two patients are almost identical matches with the type strains of B. odocoilei in GenBank. In addition, the same two human subjects had the hallmark symptoms of human babesiosis, including night sweats, chills, fevers, and profound fatigue. Based on symptoms and molecular identification, we provide substantive evidence that B. odocoilei is pathogenic to humans. Dataset reveals that B. odocoilei serologically cross-reacts with Babesia duncani.
Clinicians must realize that there are more than two Babesia spp. in North America that cause human babesiosis. This discovery signifies the first report of B. odocoilei causing human babesiosis.
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**Comment**
 
Perfect example of how Lyme/MSIDS doesn’t fit into any box but perhaps Pandora’s.  
 
Strain diversity is a large reason why people aren’t being diagnosed.  You can only find what you specifically test for.  This study shows there are undoubtedly people struggling with Babesia symptoms that remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated due to the fact B. odocoilei isn’t believed to be pathogenic to humans and isn’t being tested for.  
 
Now we know for sure.
 
Earlier this year Scott et al. found 71% of black legged ticks were infected with Babesia odocoilei.  In 2019, Scott et al. also provided the first report of black legged ticks co-infected with BBsl and B.odocoilei in Canada, as well as transstadial passage (remains with the tick throughout its life-cycle) of this species of Babesia in ticks found in birds. They also found 3 members of the Bbsl complex (Borrelia lanai-like spirochete, Bbss, and a distinct strain that may represent a separate Bbsl genospecies).
 
Their latest study now has proven Babesia odocoilei infects humans.  

For more on Babesia:

 
 
 
 

Category:

Babesia, Lyme, research, Ticks