Archive for the ‘Ticks’ Category

Help! I Got Bit By a Tick! What Do I Do?

The following article is a great resource. Please file this away somewhere handy so you can retrieve it if you need it.

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

LYME SCI: Help! I’ve gotten a tick bite. Now what?

By Lonnie Marcum

Nov. 2019

Help, I've been bitten by a tick

Tick season is in full-swing. How do I know that? I wake up practically every day to another text or email from a friend or relative telling me they had a tick bite.

Last week, I got a desperate call from a relative whose son had found a tick embedded in his skin after a camping trip. Both my cousin and her son are well aware of my daughter’s missed diagnosis and years’ long battle with Lyme and co-infections. Needless to say, they were in a panic. More about this later…

Of course the best thing is toprevent tick bitesin the first place, but life happens and that’s probably why you’re reading this.

Here’s my advice if you have a tick bite:

Step 1 – Take A Picture Of The Tick That Bit You

Take a picture while the tick is still attached. This will show details of the tick that can help you identify it later. It will also show how deeply embedded the tick is, how engorged it is, and if a rash has already formed prior to you removing the tick and cleaning the area.

Step 2 – Remove The Tick

See how the tick mouth looks during a tick biteProper and prompt removal of the tickis critical. Read this section very carefully beforegetting started. If you do not feel comfortable removing the tick, see your physician or go to the nearest urgent care. (Although I’ve heard horror stories of MDs improperly removing ticks…)

  • DO NOT squeeze, twist or squash the tick. Don’t burn it with a match or cover it with Vaseline or nail polish. Squeezing or agitating the tick may force it to expel more pathogens into your body.
  • Use fine-point tweezers or a special tick-removing tool. Grasp the ticks mouth parts or get as close to the skin as possible.
  • DO NOT pull back sharply; this may tear the mouthparts from the body of the tick and leave them embedded in the skin.
  • Pull the tick straight out with steady, slow, even pressure as pictured above. Be patient. The tick has long mouthparts. Pull steadily without twisting until you can ease the tick head straight out of the skin. It may take several seconds to a few minutes for the tick to unhook its mouth.
  • Wash the bite area and your hands with soap and water. Disinfect the site with rubbing alcohol, then apply a triple antibiotic ointment or antiseptic.

Step 3 – Identify The Tick You Were Bitten By

Tweet Image

It’s important to identify the tickbecause different kinds of ticks can carry different bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasites. (Lyme disease isn’t the only thing you need to worry about with ticks bites.)

There are two families of ticks found in the United States: Ixodidae (hard ticks) and Argasidae (soft ticks). Of the 700 species of hard ticks and 200 species of soft ticks found throughout the world, only a few are known to bite and transmit disease to humans. Knowing the type of tick will help you be aware of what possible symptoms to watch for.

Here’s How To Identify A Tick After A Tick Bite:

  • After removing the tick, place it on a white piece of paper or clear tape, then take a picture of the front and back of the tick. DO NOT let it crawl away.
  • Place the tick in a small plastic bag with a green leaf, damp cotton ball or moist piece of tissue. DO NOT place it in alcohol. Label the bag with your name, date, site of bite and how long the tick was attached.
  • Use one of the following links to identify the tick. (If you can’t identify the tick, don’t worry, the testing lab will do it for you. Step 5 below)
    • TickEncounter.org(you can submit a picture of the tick and they will identify for free)
    • or you can download the TickTracker appon your smart phone.[Optional: log your information in the app if you’d like advance knowledge of ticks in your area.]

Step 4 – See Your Primary Care Doctor

Before you get to the doctor, I highly recommend doing a little research about what tick-borne diseases are known to be in your area’s ticks.

There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding Lyme and tick-borne diseases. These are the main points I think you need to know before heading to the doctor:

The Following Are The Most Common Misunderstood Facts About Tick Bites:

tick bite rash

  1. Ticks can transmit several pathogens(especially viruses) in as little as 15 minutes.While it is true that the longer a tick is attached, the more likely it is able to transfer Lyme, no one really knows how long a tick needs to be attached to transmit infection. A minimum attachment time has NEVER been established. It is dangerous to assume there is zero risk of contracting a disease if the tick has been attached less than 24 hours.
  2. Not everyone with Lyme gets a rash. Studies have shown that only 40-60% of Lyme patients will get an erythema migrans rash, and only 20-30% of those will present as the telltale bullseye rash. Several other tick-borne diseases may cause a rash. See here for Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and other common rickettsial rashes.
  3. A Single dose of Doxycycline is only effective at reducing the tick bite rash. It does not adequately treat any of the known pathogens. In fact, a single dose of doxy may only prevent the rash from surfacing, masking a crucial sign of illness. (Dr. Daniel Cameron does a great job of explaining the science here.)
  4. There is no point in testing for Lyme if you’ve just been bitten by a tick. First, Lyme disease is a clinical diagnosis based on signs and symptoms and history of possible exposure to infected blacklegged ticks. Second, the test for Lyme is prone to false-negatives, especially in the first 4-6 weeks, before the body has had a chance to produce the antibodies that are detected by the standard test. Each tick-borne disease requires a different test, and some of them are more accurate than others. Testing the tick can help you know what you’ve been exposed to. More about Lyme disease testing here:
If your Lyme disease test is negative, that doesn’t mean you are out of danger. It depends on your exposure and your symptoms.

Step 5 – Start Tick Bite Treatment

Rather than give medical advice about recommended treatment, I’m going to quote the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS – how to handle a tick bite):

“ILADS recommends that prophylaxis (preventive treatment) be discussed with all who have had a blacklegged tick bite. An appropriate course of antibiotics has been shown to prevent the onset of infection.

When the decision is made to use antibiotic prophylaxis, ILADS recommends 20 days of doxycycline (provided there are no contraindications).The decision to treat a blacklegged tick bite with antibiotics often depends on where in the country the bite occurred, whether there was evidence that the tick had begun feeding, and the age of the person who was bitten.  Based on the available evidence, and provided that it is safe to do so, ILADS recommends a 20-day course of doxycycline.

Patients should also know that although doxycycline can prevent cases of Lyme disease, ticks in some areas carry multiple pathogens, some of which, including Babesia, Powassan virus, and Bartonella, are not responsive to doxycycline. This means a person could contract a tick-borne illness despite receiving antibiotic prophylaxis for their known bite.

ILADS recommends against single-dose doxycycline. Some doctors prescribe a single 200 mg dose of doxycycline for a known bite. However, as discussed in detail in the guidelines, this practice is based on a flawed study that has never been replicated.

Read more in the ILADS treatment guidelines.

Step 6 – Mail The Tick For Testing

Knowing what diseases the tick is carrying (if anything) will either give you peace of mind or provide valuable clues as to what symptoms to watch for and which disease(s) to treat. One thing we know for sure, early treatment for any tick-borne disease is the key to full recovery. Delaying treatment by as little as 3-4 weeks can increase your odds of having long-term damage.

Many states offer free tick testing, although they may only test for one or two pathogens. You can call your local public health department and see what they offer.

I recommend sending the tick in for testing to determine if the tick is carrying any pathogens that can lead to tick-borne illness. If you can not find free testing, I recommend one of following laboratories:

  • IGeneX(tests individually for up to 8 pathogens, $75 each)
  • Tick Report(test for up to 23 pathogens, $50 – $200)
  • Ticknology(test for up to 11 pathogens, $25 – $45)

Step 7 – Start Tracking Symptoms From Your Tick Bite

Immediately start tracking any symptoms that are out of the ordinary.  On a calendar or diary, write down any flu-like symptoms, headache, fever, ringing in the ears, weird numbness or tingling, facial palsy, nausea, migrating pain, joint swelling, night sweats. Seriously, write down anything that is not normal for you.  Symptoms of tick-borne diseases can begin anywhere from 1-3 days to 4-6 weeks after the bite. (More about tick bite symptoms to watch for)

Observe the bite site over the next three weeks for any signs of a rash. Take pictures of any visible changes anywhere on your body (not just the bite site). Place a quarter or tape measure next to any rash for size reference.

Let your doctor know immediately of any signs of illness. (Check your symptoms for Lyme.)

Step 8 – Await The Results Of Your Tick Test

Most of these results are coming back within a week. During that time, monitor your symptoms and notify your doctor if anything gets worse. If you are on doxycycline, you may actually avoid getting sick.

Once the results come back you will need to discuss what to do. If the tick is positive, you will want to stay on treatment. Many ILADS practitioners will prescribe 4-6 weeks for early Lyme.Other pathogens, like Anaplasmaor Ehrlichia, will be treated for a different duration. Babesia is treated with an entirely different medication.

If the tick test is negative, that doesn’t mean you are out of danger. It depends on your exposure and your symptoms. One thing to consider is how long you were exposed to the ticks and whether there could have been another bite that you did not see. Even though one tick is negative, another tick could have been positive. This is something you will really need to discuss with your medical provider.

What happened to my relative?

To finish the story about my cousin’s son. I basically told them everything I have spelled out above. Just as I predicted, when they got to the doctor, he said, “If the tick hasn’t been attached for over 24 hours you’ve got nothing to worry about.” STRIKE ONE

They showed him the photograph of the embedded tick and the red circular rash that had started to form. The doctor said, “Well, because you’ve got a rash, I’m going to give you a single dose of doxycycline and that should cover it.” STRIKE TWO

They explained what they had learned and the doctor was actually very interested. They established a rapport. In the end, they left with a 20-day supply of doxycycline and their doctor wanting them to come back with the full tick report and any information they had to share. He was interested in learning more. A HOME RUN!

LymeSci is written by Lonnie Marcum, a Licensed Physical Therapist and mother of a daughter with Lyme. Follow her on Twitter: @LonnieRhea  Email her at: lmarcum@lymedisease.org .

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**Comment**

Despite Wisconsin being 4th in the nation for Lyme disease, our state has ZERO tick testing for the public.  I was told that this is due to the fact they do not have the proper equipment.

The only thing the University Wisconsin IS doing is something called the Tick App:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/31/tick-app-wi-tick-chats-testing/

In short, it’s a research study that you would be participating in by submitting information for essentially tick surveillance.  While this is important, it doesn’t help patients know if they are potentially infected with pathogens – which is also extremely important.  Many states offer this testing service for free.

We keep being told that early treatment is imperative yet most doctors take the “wait and see” approach which isn’t working. In order to treat each and every tick bite as seriously as a heart attack to avoid perhaps life-long symptoms, I encourage prophylactic treatment.
As you read above, ILADS recommends at least 20 days of doxycycline for an acute tick-bite. It’s important to remember that this mono therapy will not cover many of the confections so it’s important to track symptoms and keep in close contact with your doctor – preferably an ILADS-trained doctor who understand the nuances of treatment.

Category:

Lyme, Prevention, Testing, Ticks

Doctors See Early Increase in Tick Bites, Lyme Disease Concerns

https://www.boston25news.com/news/doctors-see-an-early-increase-tick-bites-lyme-disease-concerns/  News video in Link

Doctors see an early increase in tick bites, Lyme Disease concerns

The early spike in tick bites could be attributed to the mild winter, but also because people are taking breaks from quarantining at home, to go on walks and hikes outside.
By: Kirsten Glavin
Updated: April 10, 2020 

 

WELLESLEY, Mass. — For 2-year-old Piper Rosen, it started with an itchy head on Thursday night. It wasn’t until that next morning that her mother, Lori Rosen, said she found the culprit.

“This morning when I was putting her hair up in a ponytail, I found a tick on the back of her head.”

Rosen said over a video interview on Friday that she believes the tick must have latched onto her daughter’s head after she went outside for fresh air and played in the driveway. (See link for article)

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**Comment**

Great reminder that despite the frenzy over COVID-19, ticks are out.

The doctor in the article states she’s receiving several calls per day – months earlier than in the past.

There’s  a few points in the article I’d like to address:

Rashes-larger-blog-3

More on tick prevention: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/12/tick-prevention-2019/

 

Category:

Lyme, Ticks

Lyme in the South: 4 Kids Infected at 1 Camp

https://danielcameronmd.com/lyme-in-the-south-children-infected-camp/

LYME DISEASE IN THE SOUTH: 4 CHILDREN INFECTED AT ONE CAMP

lyme in the south

Some doctors have questioned the existence of Lyme disease in the south, but in their “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,” published January 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describe 4 cases of Lyme disease in young children who attended a wilderness day camp in North Carolina. [1]

By

The number of tick-borne diseases, including Lyme, has been steadily rising in the South as tick populations expand into new territories. One study reports, “The trends in these data paint a clear picture of southward expansion of Lyme disease.” As a result, communities once considered non-endemic for Lyme disease will be at risk, including those in the south, the study warns. [2]

The CDC recently reported several children infected with Lyme disease at a single camp, located in the south. The children, who were between the ages of 6 and 8, attended the wilderness day camp at least 1 day a week in the Fall and Spring. Three of the four children were homeschooled but attended the camp. Three children had ticks removed.

“Further investigation identified an earlier camp participant who had received a diagnosis of Lyme disease in 2017,” the authors explain.

READ MORE: Culture Evidence of Lyme disease in antibiotic-treated patients living in the Southeast

Using a “flagging and dragging” method across 0.27 acres of the camp, investigators collected 37 Ixodes Scapularis ticks, commonly called deer ticks.

Study Results

Out of 35 ticks tested, 6 were positive for B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, the causative agent of Lyme disease.

“Results indicated that nymphal ticks collected at the campsite had a B. burgdorferi infection prevalence of 17%,” the authors write.

Additionally, 1 of the 6 ticks tested positive for Borrelia miyamotoi.

None of the ticks tested positive for the pathogens responsible for Anaplasmosis or Babesia microti.

In 3 of the 4 children, blood tests confirmed a Lyme disease diagnosis. Two of the children had an erythema migrans (bull’s eye) rash. One was considered probable because the test was positive by ELISA and IgM Western blot but not IgG Western blot.

Symptoms and Treatment

The clinical presentations included brief, recurrent attacks of joint swelling, arthralgia, fever, headaches, loss of appetite, and fatigue. One had radiculoneuropathy and Bell’s palsy.

All were treated with doxycycline. The authors did not indicate how long they treated the young children or the outcome of treatment.

Authors Conclude

“Clinicians should be aware of the risk for transmission of Lyme disease in North Carolina and consider recommended diagnostic testing and treatment.”

Other studies have also identified ticks infected with the causative agent of Lyme disease in the south. One study reports, “The trends in these data paint a clear picture of southward expansion of Lyme disease.” As a result, communities once considered non-endemic for Lyme disease will be at risk, including the southeastern United States, the study warns. [2]

Editor’s note: I hope this cluster of cases in children attending a single camp in North Carolina will remind doctors of the tick-borne problems in the Southeastern USA.
Related Articles:

Northern immigrant ticks causing concern in the south

Kentucky is swarming with deer ticks: over 50% of counties infested

Southern nymphal deer ticks in hiding

References:
  1. Barbarin AM, Seagle SW, Creede S. Notes from the Field: Four Cases of Lyme Disease at an Outdoor Wilderness Camp — North Carolina, 2017 and 2019. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2020 Jan 31; 69(4): 114–115.
  2. Lantos PM, Nigrovic LE, Auwaerter PG, et al. Geographic Expansion of Lyme Disease in the Southeastern United States, 2000–2014. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. 2015;2(4):ofv143. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofv143. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4629694/

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**Comment**

Lyme disease still is not recognized for the pandemic it truly is. This study demonstrates how authorities are still hanging on to ancient data that never was accurate to begin with.

  1. It demonstrates a Southerly tick expansion.  We’ve been told ad nauseam that ticks are expanding Northward due to climate change. Well, it’s already hot in the South so there goes that theory.  Also, independent research has already blown that theory out of the water some time ago, yet it isn’t accepted because it doesn’t fit the narrative: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/11/07/ticks-on-the-move-due-to-migrating-birds-and-photoperiod-not-climate-change/ This researcher claims the narrative is widely held because researchers working at institutions need ‘accepted’ topics to receive funding for their work.  In essence, those with little research experience call the shots. Ticks laugh at the weather. They just don’t care. They will find a way to survive.  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/06/17/ontario-public-health-officials-called-out-on-shoddy-biased-research-utilizing-an-erroneous-climate-change-model-to-program-a-futuristic-tick-problem/
  2. Lyme disease STILL isn’t widely accepted and treated appropriately.  It’s even worse in the South: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/22/its-just-crazy-why-is-lyme-disease-treatment-so-difficult-to-find-in-mississippi/, https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/09/24/arkansas-kids-denied-lyme-treatment/, https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/31/no-lyme-in-the-south-guess-again/
  3. Even with a 17% tick infection rate with Bb, 4 kids got infected. It isn’t always a linear connection between tick infection rates and human infection rates. Trust me, if you’re the sorry sucker who gets infected – it matters!
  4. Notice not all found ticks, got the EM rash, and tested positive on serology – yet those parameters are still held like an iron curtain in mainstream medicine to prove infectivity.
  5. The symptoms these kids had are hallmark Lyme symptoms.

Category:

Lyme, research, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment

Alpha Ga Syndrome AKA the Meat Allergy: Lyme Ninja Radio Podcast

 Approx. 45 Min.

In this episode you will learn three things:

1) What ticks carry Alpha – Gal
2) How this allergy is different from protein allergies
3) What Tick Borne Conditions United is doing to educate physicians

Beth Carrison was diagnosed with two tick-borne conditions, Lyme Disease and Alpha-gal Syndrome (aka the red meat allergy). She has been managing food allergies and Lyme disease, both her own and her families, since 1996. In 2018, Ms. Carrison co-founded Tick-Borne Conditions United (TBC United), with Dr. Jennifer Platt, and has been working with the federal Tick Borne Disease Working Group since 2019.
(From the Tick-borne United website. )

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For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/08/17/alpha-gal-syndrome-how-to-diagnose-treat-and-prevent-the-tick-borne-red-meat-allergy/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/06/30/lone-star-tick-known-to-cause-red-meat-allergy-found-in-northern-wisconsin-report/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/05/20/how-a-tick-bite-can-give-you-a-red-meat-allergy/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/07/12/sudden-red-meat-allergy-made-eating-painful-for-mom-and-its-all-because-of-a-tick-bite/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/28/what-the-mystery-of-the-tick-borne-meat-allergy-could-reveal/

 

 

 

Category:

Alpha Gal Meat Allergy, Ticks

Bartonella Case – Eschar & Enlarged Lymph Nodes

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32164559

2020 Mar 12;20(1):216. doi: 10.1186/s12879-020-4940-0.

Scalp eschar and neck lymphadenopathy after tick bite (SENLAT) caused by Bartonella henselae in Korea: a case report.

Seo JW1, Kim CM2, Yun NR1, Kim DM3, Kim SS4, Choi S4, Chu H4.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Tick-borne lymphadenopathy (TIBOLA) is an infectious disease, mainly caused by species from the spotted fever group rickettsiae and is characterized by enlarged lymph nodes following a tick bite. Among cases of TIBOLA, a case of scalp eschar and neck lymphadenopathy after tick bite (SENLAT) is diagnosed when an eschar is present on the scalp, accompanied by peripheral lymphadenopathy (LAP). Only a few cases of SENLAT caused by Bartonella henselae have been reported.

CASE PRESENTATION:

A 58-year-old male sought medical advice while suffering from high fever and diarrhea. Three weeks before the visit, he had been hunting a water deer, and upon bringing the deer home discovered a tick on his scalp area. Symptoms occurred one week after hunting, and a lump was palpated on the right neck area 6 days after the onset of symptoms. Physical examination upon presentation confirmed an eschar-like lesion on the right scalp area, and cervical palpation revealed that the lymph nodes on the right side were non-painful and enlarged at 2.5 × 1.5 cm. Fine needle aspiration of the enlarged lymph nodes was performed, and results of nested PCR for the Bartonella internal transcribed spacer (ITS) confirmed B. henselae as the causative agent.

CONCLUSION:

With an isolated case of SENLAT and a confirmation of B. henselae in Korea, it is pertinent to raise awareness to physicians in other Asian countries that B. henselae could be a causative agent for SENLAT.

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For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/category/bartonella-treatment/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/04/24/human-bartonellosis-an-underappreciated-public-health-problem/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2020/02/19/bartonella-infection-everywhere-but-we-dont-know-about-it/

Category:

Bartonella, research, Testing, Ticks