Archive for the ‘Transmission’ Category

Trainee Pilot Dead After Mosquito Bite

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-suffolk-62065525

Trainee pilot from Suffolk died after mosquito bite, inquest hears

Oriana Pepper at the controls of an airplaneFamily Photo

Oriana Pepper’s family said she “loved nothing better than to go flying”

A trainee commercial airline pilot died after she was bitten by a mosquito and developed an infection that spread to her brain, an inquest heard.

Oriana Pepper, 21, of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, died five days after she was bitten while in Antwerp, Belgium last July.

Suffolk’s senior coroner Nigel Parsley said it was an “unfortunate tragedy for a young lady who clearly had a wonderful career ahead of her”.

(See link for article)

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**Comment**

I post this unfortunate story for a few reasons:

  • Ticks aren’t the only bugs that can kill you.
  • Location of the bite, IMO, is important.  If you are bitten on the head, neuro/cognitive issues can develop sometimes within hours.
  • This woman was prescribed antibiotics but had to go back to the hospital where she collapsed and died only three days later.
  • Cause of death was recorded as septic emboli in the brain by staphylococcus aureus which is abundant on the body and usually harmless, but is the leading cause of skin and soft tissue infections such as boils, furnuncles, and cellulitis.
  • The cause of death also mentioned an “insect bite to the forehead also contributing.“
  • The article says nothing about insect-transmitted pathogens or if they tested her for them but which probably played more of a role than is being given credit.
  • Lyme disease often mimics cellulitis.
  • Mosquitoes carry EEE, whicc can cause severe brain inflammation and has a mortality rate of 30%. Many who do recover continuing to have neurological problems. Six Wisconsin counties have reported cases in horses.

  • Mosquitoes also transmit Western equine encephalitis, St. Louis Encephalitis, and West Nile Fever to humans.
  • Please see the following regarding mosquitoes and Lyme disease:

…results show that DNA of Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia bavariensis and Borrelia garinii could be detected in ten Culicidae species comprising four distinct genera (Aedes, Culiseta, Culex, and Ochlerotatus). Positive samples also include adult specimens raised in the laboratory from wild-caught larvae indicating that transstadial and/or transovarial transmission might occur within a given mosquito population.

BTW: the last study on the potential of other bugs transmitting Lyme (minus the German study on mosquitos) was done over 30 years ago.  And, while no spirochetes were isolated from the hamsters, antibodies were found – even back then.

I would like to point out the extreme hypocrisy regarding antibodies. Regarding COVID, the PCR, an unmitigated disaster has been used daily for over two years to pick up antibodies. This faulty test which was never intended to diagnose patients has been used to quarantine people even if they aren’t sick.  When it comes to Lyme; however, finding antibodies in anything isn’t enough to prove infection.  Now why is that? 

One little detail is understanding the CDC owns patents on the very tests being used – demonstrating a clear conflict of interest. A few other details: the CDC only allows what serves its vested interests and conveniently disposes anything that doesn’t serve its purpose, and ignores science that doesn’t fit the accepted narrative. While blaming others, it blatantly and continually engages in “misinformation.”

Another ugly fly in the ointment is that according to Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian Armed Forces’ Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Unit, Ukrainian biological laboratories researched fever-carrying Aedes mosquitoes, the same genus of insects that the US is thought to have used to start a pandemic of type 2 dengue in Cuba in the 1970s and 1980s which killed 158 people and infected 345,000. The type 2 dengue had never been reported in the Caribbean region and the only location on the island free from the infection was the Guantanamo US military installation.

“The facts of the use of Aedes mosquitoes as biological weapons, exactly the same species with which the US Pentagon worked in Ukraine, were recorded in a class-action lawsuit by Cuban citizens against the US government and were submitted for reviewing of the signatories to the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological Weapons”, Kirillov said.  Source

Category:

Activism, mosquitoes, Transmission, Viruses

4 New Published Articles on Ticks

https://lymediseaseassociation.org/news/james-occi-phd-4-new-published-articles-on-ticks/

James L. Occi, PhD: 4 New Published Articles on Ticks

James L. Occi, PhD
James L. Occi, PhD

James L. Occi, PhD, is the lead author of four new published articles regarding ticks over the last three years that have added to the scientific data necessary to understand the spread of ticks and the diseases they carry and transmit in the Northeast and that have provided a basis for moving the field of tick-borne diseases forward.

Jim has been on the Lyme Disease Association’s (LDA) Scientific & Professional Advisory Board since its inception in 1999.  He has been an invaluable resource to the LDA providing lectures, blogs, tick images, and consultations on ticks and the diseases they carry.

LDA Congratulates James Occi (Jim), who recently received his PhD at Rutgers University, the Center for Vector Biology (New Brunswick), and wishes him every success with his future endeavors.  He studied tick-borne diseases in New Jersey tick populations under the direction of Dr. Dina Fonseca and co-authored the below four published research articles for his dissertation.

“Annotated List of the Hard Ticks (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae) of New Jersey,” J Med Entomol., April 2019, examines documented cases of hard ticks found in NJ.  After a thorough review of the scientific literature, government documents, and evaluation of tick collections (vouchers) in museums and other repositories, the authors determined there were 11 verifiable species of ticks found in NJ.  Nine are native to North America, while two are invasive (Asian longhorned tick and brown dog tick).  In addition, there are seven tick species that may be present or become established in the future, but confirmation with existing NJ vouchers was not found.

Five tick species were reviewed that were reported in NJ but not found in NJ vouchers or that were found within neighboring states.  The importance of vouchers for tick research and surveillance is discussed.

A detailed statewide tick surveillance program would give public health professionals and physicians information to help protect the public from tick-borne diseases.  They would be knowledgeable about what tick species were present, what the principal hosts were and what pathogens the ticks carry and transmit.  (Click here for published article)

“New Jersey-Wide Survey of Rickettsia (Proteobacteria: Rickettsiaceae) in Dermacentor variabilis and Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae)” was published in Am J Trop Med Hyg., Sept. 2020, and concludes the increase in Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses (SFGR) in NJ is unlikely to come from D. variabilis.  Infection with the tick-borne R. rickettsia bacterium causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) which can be fatal if left untreated.

Two tick species, that are considered Rickettsia vectors, were collected from all 21 NJ counties.  560 Dermacentor variabilis Say, American dog tick; 245 Amblyomma americanum L., lone star tick; and an additional 394 D. variabilis were collected at different time periods.   Zero D. variabilis and zero A. americanum were found to be infected with Rickettsia rickettsia.  They detected R. montanensis in D. variabilis and R. amblyommatis in A. americanum.

Collaboration among medical doctors, public health professionals, medical entomologists, and diagnostic laboratories will be needed to understand the causes of SFGR east of the Mississippi. What is causing human cases of SFGR in NJ remains unanswered. (Click here for published article)

Carios kelleyi, tick vector, on hand (Photo Credit: J. Occi, Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers Univ.)
‘Carios kelleyi’ on hand (Photo Credit: J. Occi, Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers Univ.)

“First Record of Carios kelleyi (Acari: Ixodida: Argasidae) in New Jersey, United States and Implications for Public Health,” J Med Entomol., March 2021.  Carios kelleyi is a soft tick that is almost exclusively a parasite of bats and had been found in at least 29 states, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Cuba, and now in New Jersey.  The nymphs and adults take several short blood meals (min. to hrs.), while the larvae remain attached for several days. Relapsing fever Borrelia is known to come from soft ticks that feed on small rodents, and when bats are removed, ticks begin to seek blood meals from humans.

C. kelleyi has been found infected with a novel spotted fever Rickettsia; a novel relapsing fever-related Borrelia;  Bartonella henselae; and a novel relapsing fever spirochete, identified as Borrelia johnsonii.

Although C. kelleyi is not thought to be an important vector of pathogens, its prevalence in bats in New Jersey is increasing.  This creates the possibility for transmission to humans, animals, and livestock.  New Jersey bats and the pathogens they carry should be monitored to assess the risk to the public. (Click here for published article)

“Ixodes scapularis (Ixodida: Ixodidae) Parasitizing an Unlikely Host: Big Brown Bats, Eptesicus fuscus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), in New York State, USA,” was published in J Med Entomol, Jan. 2022.  I. scapularis is a three-host tick found throughout the Northeast, Southeast, and Upper Midwest in the U.S  and is the most common vector of tick-borne diseases to humans in North America.  It feeds on over 150 species of terrestrial vertebrates, yet it had not previously been reported to feed on bats.   During 2019 and 2020, injured big brown bats in four locations in rural NY had larvae and nymphs attached to them.  Bats are known to carry a large number of pathogens and these ticks could go from hosting on a bat to hosting on a human. This poses a significant epidemiological risk and should be investigated further.  It also threatens bat species that are at risk. (Click here for published article)

Category:

Bartonella, research, Rickettsia, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ticks, Transmission

Tick Bites & Coinfections

https://www.globallymealliance.org/blog/dear-lyme-warrior-help-tick-bites-and-co-infections

Dear Lyme Warrior…Help! Tick Bites and Co-Infections

by Jennifer Crystal on May 27, 2022

<span id="hs_cos_wrapper_name" class="hs_cos_wrapper hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field hs_cos_wrapper_type_text" style="" data-hs-cos-general-type="meta_field" data-hs-cos-type="text" >Dear Lyme Warrior…Help! Tick Bites and Co-Infections</span>
Every few months, Jennifer Crystal devotes a column to answering your questions. Do you have a question for Jennifer? If so, email her at lymewarriorjennifercrystal@gmail.com.
Now that tick season is upon us, friends ask me what to do when they find an embedded tick. What should I tell them?

While this question seems like it should have a simple answer, people probably get conflicting information from the internet and even from physicians about what they should do if they find a tick. This is because there is debate about how long a tick needs to be attached to a human or pet in order to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. The old standard of 36-48 hours doesn’t necessarily apply anymore, now that we know that ticks can transmit bacteria faster if they were already partially fed before biting you, and that some tick-borne diseases can be transmitted much faster than Lyme disease—Powassan virus in as little as 15 minutes.

There are two general rules of thumb that I always tell people: the first is that the longer a tick is attached, the greater chance it has of transmitting pathogens. And unless you see the tick bite you, you can’t really know how long it’s been attached. If you notice it after a long day of hiking, you don’t know if it bit you early in the morning, or just as you were leaving. What if you don’t notice it until the next day, after you’ve done some gardening and walked through the grass? If a tick is engorged, you know it has been feeding, but it can be hard to pinpoint exactly where and when it became attached to you, which makes the certain-number-of-hours recommendation moot.

This leads to my second rule of thumb: with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, it is always better to be safe than sorry. I tell people that if they find a tick, they should call their doctor and get right on antibiotics. Even if those antibiotics end up being prophylactic, it is safer than the alternative—finding out weeks, months or years later that they’re sick with Lyme and possibly with co-infections, too—and then needing far more extensive treatment than the initial antibiotic course. Waiting for test results (often faulty, especially early in infection), waiting for a rash (which doesn’t appear in up to 30% of people with Lyme), or waiting for other symptoms (different for everyone), is a dangerous approach to Lyme disease. (For more information, see my blog post “The Danger of ‘Waiting and Seeing’ with Lyme Disease”).

The next question is, how long a course of prophylactic antibiotics should you take? The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) recommendation of a single dose of prophylactic doxycycline is based on one study that showed good efficacy in preventing Lyme rash, but as we’ve established, not everyone with Lyme disease gets a rash. The International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) recommends a 10-20 day course of antibiotics. For me personally, I’d rather have the coverage of a full treatment course that is used for actual Lyme infection, rather than take my chances that a single dose will keep me safe. Each person needs to make their own decision with their doctor, but it’s important that decision be an informed one!

Do other tick-borne diseases have the same treatment as Lyme disease?

This is a great follow-up question to the first, because some people might think, “Well, if I’m taking antibiotics for Lyme disease, then I’ve got other tick-borne diseases covered.” That’s true for some co-infections, but not for all, so this, too, is dangerous thinking. Some co-infections like anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis are treated with the same antibiotic as Lyme disease, but the length of treatment might be different. Other tick-borne diseases like babesiosis, which is a parasite that infects the red blood cells, require completely different treatment. And still another co-infection, bartonellosis, needs more urgent research for better treatments (learn more about GLA’s Bartonella Discovery Program here). I always tell people, “If you’re being treated for Lyme disease and don’t know you have babesiosis, you’re only fighting half the battle.” If you find a tick attached to you, it’s imperative that you talk to your doctor about other tick-borne diseases, not just Lyme, and know the signs of them (see “Common Tick-Borne Diseases”).

***

The Bartonella Discovery Program:

GLA is currently fundraising for The Bartonella Discovery Program, a research project bringing together some of the top researchers world-wide who are experts on Bartonellosis. These researchers will learn more about the bacteria and which treatments are most likely to cure patients like Beth, who are suffering from Bartonellosis.

None of the work GLA has accomplished would be possible without your support. To learn more and fund this project, click on top link.

Writer

Jennifer Crystal

Opinions expressed by contributors are their own. Jennifer Crystal is a writer and educator in Boston. Her work has appeared in local and national publications including Harvard Health Publishing and The Boston Globe. As a GLA columnist for over six years, her work on GLA.org has received mention in publications such as The New Yorker, weatherchannel.com, CQ Researcher, and ProHealth.com. Jennifer is a patient advocate who has dealt with chronic illness, including Lyme and other tick-borne infections. Her memoir about her medical journey is forthcoming. Contact her via email below.

Email: lymewarriorjennifercrystal@gmail.com

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**COMMENT**

Before you take the 10-20 days of doxy too literally, please read this excerpt from the ILADS website:

Treatment Guidelines

  • The optimal treatment regimen for the management of known tick bites, EM rashes and persistent disease has not yet been determined. Accordingly, it is too early to standardize restrictive protocols. However, ILADS does make recommendations for each of these clinical situations

    • ILADS recommends against the use of a single 200 mg dose of doxycycline for the prevention of Lyme disease. Not only is it unlikely to be highly efficacious, in the human trial failed therapy led to a seronegative disease state.

    • Based on animal studies, ILADS recommends that known blacklegged tick bites be treated with 20 days of doxycycline (barring any contraindications).

    • Given the low success rates in trials treating EM rashes for 20 or fewer days, ILADS recommends that patients receive 4-6 weeks of doxycycline, amoxicillin or cefuroxime. A minimum of 21 days of azithromycin is also acceptable, especially in Europe. All patients should be reassessed at the end of their initial therapy and, when necessary, antibiotic therapy should be extended.

    • ILADS recommends that patients with persistent symptoms and signs of Lyme disease be evaluated for other potential causes before instituting additional antibiotic therapy.

    • ILADS recommends antibiotic retreatment when a chronic Lyme infection is judged to be a possible cause of the ongoing manifestations and the patient has an impaired quality of life.

So, there’s a lot of clinical judgement needed here and nothing is straight forward.  Each patient is unique and needs to be treated accordingly.  And please remember, none of this covers coinfections, which often require completely different medications for differing lengths of time and are just as severe if not worse than Lyme disease.

For more on treatments:

Category:

Lyme, Testing, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment

Gundersen Still Giving Wrong Advice About Tick Bites

Please see my comment after the article.

https://www.gundersenhealth.org/health-wellness/be-well/how-to-remove-an-embedded-tick/

Removing ticks: The right way and the wrong way

Tick season is here! While most tick bites are harmless, some ticks can carry diseases, such as Lyme disease. Knowing what steps to take following a tick bite can reduce your risk of infection.

Remove the embedded tick as soon as possible. The longer a tick is attached, the higher the risk of transmitting tick-borne illnesses.

Follow these steps:

  • Gently pull the tick out with tweezers by grasping its head as close to the skin as possible.
  • If the head remains, try to remove with a sterile needle.
  • Wash the bite site with soap and water. Rubbing alcohol may be used to disinfect the area.
  • Apply an ice pack to reduce pain.

Avoid the following:

  • Do not grab the tick at the rear of the body
  • Do not twist or jerk tick while pulling it out
  • Do not use alternative methods to remove it; such as fingernail polish, alcohol, petroleum products, or a hot match.

Identify the tick. Take note of the size and color of the tick, whether it was attached to the skin (ticks must bite you to spread their germs), if it was engorged (full of blood) and about how long it was attached. A healthcare provider may ask you these questions if you begin to experience symptoms.

Watch for symptoms. If signs of infection, rash or flu-like symptoms occur within 30 days of the tick bite, seek medical attention.

Remember, a tick that is crawling on you but has not attached to your skin cannot infect you. However, if you find one tick, there could be more. Check your body carefully and use these tips to prevent future bites. Prevention is the best medicine.

If you have questions regarding tick bites or bug bites, contact our 24/7 Nurse Advisor Line at (608) 775-4454.

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**Comment**

Taking the “wait and see” approach has doomed thousands to a life-time of misery.  Wisconsin has a high rate of infected ticks, which simply means you have a higher likelihood of becoming infected. Any risk involved with taking a few weeks of antibiotics is well worth it.  This 5 year old article states:

On average, about 22 percent of deer tick nymphs in Wisconsin have been found to be infected with Borrelia burgdorferi. The infection rate for adults is about twice as high, around 40-45 percent. In some locations, though, researchers have found infection rates as high as 75 percent of the tick population.

I assure you, it’s only getting worse.

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.  And coinfections are just as bad if not worse than Lyme disease.  Some of these infections can be transmitted within minutes and have a high mortality rate, so each and every tick bite needs to be taken as seriously as a heart attack.

This article is much more thorough.  Please file it away for future reference if you get a tick bite.

Also, go here for prevention methods.

Category:

Lyme, Prevention, Testing, Ticks, Transmission

Connecticut Reports its First Case of Tick-borne Powassan Virus in 2022: What to Know

https://www.srgblog.com/connecticut-reports-its-first-case-of-tick-borne-powassan-virus-in-2022-what-to-know/

Connecticut reports its first case of tick-borne Powassan virus in 2022: What to know

By

The Connecticut Department of Public Health announced the state’s first reported Powassan virus infection of the year this past Wednesday. Powassan virus is a rare disease spread by the same tick that causes Lyme disease, according to a recent press release. 

“The identification of a Connecticut resident with Powassan virus associated illness emphasizes the need to take actions to prevent tick bites from now through the late fall,” said Dr. Manisha Juthani, who is the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Health.

“Using insect repellent, avoiding areas where ticks are likely, and checking carefully for ticks after being outside can reduce the chance of you or your children being infected with this virus.”

Powassan virus, first discovered in Powassan, Ontario in 1958, is usually spread through the bite of an infected black-legged or deer tick, officially known as Ixodes scapularis, and can be transmitted in as little as 15 minutes after a tick bite, but it can take a week up to one month to develop symptoms, per the release. (See link for article)

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SUMMARY:

  • The article regurgitates the myth that it takes 36-48 hours for a tick to transmit Lyme, when minimum transmission times have never been established.  Treat each and every tick bite as seriously as a heart attack.
  • They state infections secondary to Powassan have been recognized.  In fact, there are 19 and counting different infections ticks transmit – and they can transmit them simultaneously.
  • They falsely state that Powassan infections are rare.  What is rare, is they are rarely reported.  Big difference.
  • While those who work outdoors are perhaps at greater risk, you can become infected right in your own back yard.
  • The infected Connecticut man had central nervous system symptoms and was hospitalized and diagnosed, but is now recovering at home.
  • Early symptoms look like every other tick-borne illness (headache, flu-like symptoms, and even no symptoms at all) but can rapidly progress to confusion, loss of coordination, difficulty speaking and seizures.
  • Since it’s a virus, mainstream medicine believes there is no effective treatment.  Similarly to COVID, there is.  Please see a Lyme literate doctor asap. 
  • 1 in 10 cases are fatal, with half of survivors experiencing long-term complications.
  • The article falsely states touts the EM or bulls-eye rash as an “early symptom”.  This rash is highly variable and many never get it at all.  To be clear, IF you get the rash you have Lyme disease and should immediately start treatment.  To wait is foolish and irresponsible.
  • The article ends as every single article on TBIs ends – with tick prevention.  It’s sad that I can almost state what these articles say without even reading them.  Same old, same old – nothing new here.

For more: 

 

 

Category:

Ticks, Transmission, Treatment, Viruses