Archive for the ‘Transmission’ Category

Infected Dogs With TBI’s Spreading Infection Across Borders

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dog-diseases-enter-new-brunswick-1.4209193 By Joseph Tunney, CBC News

‘Trojan horse’: Veterinarian sees tick-borne diseases entering N.B. under radar

Dogs brought across the border are infected with bacteria that’s not native to New Brunswick

Dogs coming into New Brunswick from the U.S. are carrying diseases that can infect humans through tick bites, just as Lyme disease does, says a veterinarian who heads the animal welfare committee of New Brunswick vets.

Anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Ehrlichia are not native to New Brunswick, but the province has the conditions needed to make it a breeding ground for the bacteria, said Mary-Ellen Themens, whose committee is part of the New Brunswick Veterinary Medical Association, the group that regulates the profession.

mary-ellen-themens Mary-Ellen Themens, chair of the animal welfare committee for the New Brunswick Veterinary Medical Association, says diseases are entering the province under the radar. (Mary-Ellen Themens/submitted)

“Naturally, if we’re importing the disease, it’s going to accelerate the problem,” Themens said.

The three diseases are rampant in parts of the southern United States and Cuba, and now all three have been found on the East Coast in dogs that crossed the border, some brought in illegally and others infected without their owners’ knowledge, she said.

“I have a file in front of me of a dog imported in February 2017 from Cuba,” she wrote in an email. “It tested positive for Ehrlichia.”

Anaplasmosis is spread to humans through the same tick as Lyme disease. In humans, it can cause vague symptoms such as fever, muscle pain and chills.

“It can be a serious illness if not treated properly, and the fatality rate is less than one per cent, but not zero, in people,” Themens said.

Babesiosis, carried by the same blacklegged tick, destroys red blood cells, she said.

And Ehrlichia, which can cause serious illness, is transmitted to humans by a tick not normally found in New Brunswick.

Birds also bring in ticks

The tick recently landed in the province, however, apparently coming in on migratory birds.

“The fatality rate is estimated at 1.8 per cent,” Themens said of Ehrlichia.

Rabies is the only federal reportable disease in domestic dogs that is regulated at the border and in Canada, Rod Lister, media relations for Canadian Food Inspection Agency, wrote in an email.

“Either the province of New Brunswick or municipal governments may regulate the (other) diseases,” he said.

But the risks posed by these tick-borne diseases are not on most people’s radar, said Themens, meaning no additional laws regulating them exist.

What’s also worrying, she said, is that parts of the province can sustain the ticks and the illnesses through the winter.

“And, again, these are not diseases we are currently looking for,” she said. “These are things we don’t normally see.”

“They can be fatal.”

The public health department has not had any reports of people getting anaplasmosis or babesiosis, said spokesperson Paul Bradley.

Public health does tests

According to Dr. Jennifer Russell, acting chief medical officer of Health, blacklegged ticks in the province are tested for Lyme disease, human anaplasmosis and human babesiosis.

No human cases have been recorded in New Brunswick, but all of these diseases are reportable to public health and are being monitored.

“Further, dogs may develop lameness and other clinical signs if infected with (Lyme disease),” Russell said in a statement. “Blacklegged ticks can transmit the bacteria to dogs. Animal owners should consult with their veterinarian about the many tick prevention products that are available.”

In the case of Ehrlichia and unlike the other two illnesses, breeding populations of the lone star tick have not been identified in New Brunswick.

For now, Themens just hopes people start taking the idea of checking any incoming shelter dogs, either before or directly after entering the province, seriously.

Ideally, before it’s too late.

“It’s like a Trojan horse,” she said. “You’re bringing in the problem.”

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**Comment**

Researchers and public authorities are not connecting the dots that add up to a very sick and infected population. This article points out just two dots: infected dogs coming across boarders and birds. There’s lots of other vectors & reservoirs crossing boarders as well.

Cumulatively, this could all explain the high infection rates, along with the very real probability much of this can be a STD & spread congenitally: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/06/lyme-in-the-southern-hemisphere-sexual-transmission/ and https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/26/transplacental-transmission-fetal-damage-with-lyme-disease/

And then there’s the added issue that most patients are coinfected with numerous pathogens: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/05/01/co-infection-of-ticks-the-rule-rather-than-the-exception/ and https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/07/01/one-tick-bite-could-put-you-at-risk-for-at-least-6-different-diseases/

For more: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/08/17/of-birds-and-ticks/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/10/02/the-role-of-birds-in-tickborne-illness/

Category:

Activism, Anaplasmosis, Babesia, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme, Transmission

Bartonella Outbreak in Homeless

https://patch.com/washington/seattle/3-disease-outbreaks-king-county-put-homeless-risk

3 Disease Outbreaks In King County Put Homeless At Risk

File photo by Neal McNamara/Patch

SEATTLE, WA – King County Public Health investigators are looking into outbreaks of three diseases that are especially harmful for the local homeless population – and a fourth outbreak may be emerging.

According to Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officials are seeing a big increase of group A streptococcus infections and shigella, which causes gastrointestinal distress. There’s also a cluster of trench fever cases, a painful illness spread through body lice carrying the bacteria Bartonella quintana. There have been three trench fever cases among the homeless since mid-2017, according to Duchin.

Additionally, Duchin said, the department is monitoring for a possible Hepatitis A outbreak – a type of hepatitis that infects the liver and can be spread through contact with infected feces.

These illnesses are particularly tough on the homeless because they lack access to proper medical care. Hepatitis A, for example, can be prevented by taking a vaccine.

“People who lack permanent housing often also have limited access to medical care, so many people living homeless and with health problems have difficulty getting prompt treatment. Living conditions – like crowding and fewer opportunities for personal hygiene – can contribute to the spread of disease,” Duchin said in a blog post.

King County is working with the state Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and Harborview Medical Center to address the strep problem. The county is also spreading information about the other illnesses through homeless outreach.

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**Comment**

There is conflicting information regarding Bartonella transmission by ticks; however, prudence would err on the side of caution. Nearly every patient I work with has Bartonella – and I think it is far more prevalent than many think. Even the CDC states that ticks carry some species of Bart. In my experience if the CDC acknowledges something, it is far worse in reality. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/16/3/09-0443_article

Somehow, Lyme patients are getting Bartonella.

The problem lies in the fact researchers state that the presence of a pathogen in a tick does not imply they can transmit it – and therefore is not epidemiologically important. They typically do “reviews” of previous studies to only conclude transmission has not been established.

Please know these studies are approximately 10 years old and older. And again, garbage in, garbage out. They keep recycling old studies and regurgitating ancient information.

If I had a dime for every time I read the words, “rare,” or “atypical” regarding Lyme/MSIDS, I’d be a rich woman. Trust me, this stuff isn’t rare. Just look around.

More on Bartonella: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/01/03/bartonella-treatment/ (Checklist found in link)

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/08/09/a-bartonella-story/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/07/finally-rt-pcr-detected-bartonella-henselae-dna-on-tissue-valve/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/04/bartonella-erythema-nodosum-atypical-presentations/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/08/anemic-dog-found-to-have-bartonella-resolved-with-prolonged-antibiotics/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/08/02/neurological-and-immunological-dysfunction-in-two-patients-with-bartonella-henselae-bacteremia/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/05/11/bartonella-henselae-in-children-with-congenital-heart-disease/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/01/04/endocarditis-consider-bartonella/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/07/31/shedding-light-on-bartonella/

I could go on and on to infinity. Bartonella is a REAL PROBLEM. Time for researchers to wake up from their stupor and do some current meaningful research.

Category:

Activism, Bartonella, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment

Dogs & Ehrlichiosis

https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/local/check-dogs-for-ticks-to-prevent-ehrlichiosis/article_3ff4e19c-e682-5ab5-8ae1-0dc14fc95bdb.html Jan. 2018

Check dogs for ticks to prevent Ehrlichiosis

By Shana Bohac

Ehrlichiosis is a common tick-borne illness seen in animals and humans. It is most commonly seen in dogs and rarely in cats. This disease is caused by three different bacteria: Ehrlichia canis, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, and Ehrlichia ewingii. Outdoor dogs, particularly hunting dogs, with inadequate tick prevention are at higher risk; however, any dog that goes outside can be exposed to a tick and thus become infected. There are a wide variety of ticks that can spread the Ehrlichia bacteria through their saliva, however the brown dog tick and the lone star tick are the most common.

Ehrlichia canis is found worldwide with increased frequency in tropical and subtropical climates, making South Texas and the southern U.S. prime locations. This bacterium is spread primarily via the brown dog tick. The brown dog tick can tolerate hot and cold temperatures and can complete its entire lifecycle indoors. Dogs are their preferred hosts, however they will feed on a wide variety of mammals.

The most common signs of a dog with Ehrlichiosis are decreased energy, loss of appetite, fever and weight loss. There may also experience an increase in bleeding, lameness and lymph node enlargement. Signs usually start one to three weeks after infection with the bacteria. Some dogs become chronically infected with the bacteria. These dogs may experience kidney failure, neurologic disturbances and chronic bleeding disorders.

Diagnosis is made based on clinical signs, history of exposure to a tick, and analysis of bloodwork. Initial bloodwork typically shows low platelets, anemia and low white blood cell counts. There are various blood tests that can be performed to confirm a diagnosis Ehrlichiosis. In-hospital tests may be available at some clinics. These tests are great screening tools for Ehrlichia; however, in early infections this test may not show up positive. Advanced testing may be needed if Ehrlichiosis is suspected.

Antibiotics are the treatment of choice for Ehrlichiosis. Twenty-eight days of treatment is recommended to clear the infection. In cases of severe anemia or blood loss, blood transfusions may be needed. Corticosteroids may also be used to help stop the body from destroying platelets and red blood cells.

Though this disease can be found in humans, there is very minimal risk, if any, of contracting these infections directly from a pet. The disease is only spread through the bite of a tick.

Prevention is so important in avoiding Ehrlichiosis. Good quality flea and tick products from your veterinarian can help prevent your pet from getting this potentially deadly disease. Flea and tick products from your veterinarian are much more effective and are much safer for your pet. Over-the-counter products have higher risk of toxicity and localized reactions.

Dr. Shana Bohac is a veterinarian at Lakeway Veterinary Clinic in Edna. She works on both small animals and equine patients. Submit questions to drshanabohac@hotmail.com.

Category:

Activism, Ehrlichiosis, Testing, Ticks, Transmission, Treatment

Hantavirus & Tularemia Warnings Issued in San Diego County

http://outbreaknewstoday.com/hantavirus-tularemia-warnings-issued-san-diego-county-78987/

Hantavirus, tularemia warnings issued in San Diego County

by NEWS DESK

March 1, 2018

In a follow-up on two infectious disease issues in San Diego County, mice with hantavirus and tularemia positive ticks, San Diego County Vector Control has issued some updated information and warnings for the public.

Vector Control officials said five Western harvest mice caught in routine trapping in open fields in 4S Ranch and in the rural Black Mountain area have tested positive for hantavirus, bringing this year’s total number of rodents to test positive to 17. That is the highest number of rodents to test positive in San Diego County since 2012, when 35 mice and one meadow vole tested positive over the course of the year.

Vector Control officials said the high number was not a cause for alarm. Hantavirus is common in San Diego County, but it is mainly carried by wild mice that do not live around humans so people are rarely exposed to the virus. In addition, the 17 rodents that tested positive represent 4.8 percent of the 351 wild rodents that Vector Control has trapped and tested this year, a figure within normally-expected ranges.

Still, officials said people should remember to protect themselves from potentially being exposed to hantavirus. The virus can cause deadly infections in people and there is no vaccine or cure for it.

Hantavirus: An interview with Dr. Paul Ettestad (Approx. 10:30 Min)

In addition, County Vector Control officials said Friday that several more batches of ticks trapped along Lopez Canyon Trail in Sorrento Valley have tested positive for tularemia, a potentially dangerous bacterial disease also known as “rabbit fever.”

County officials are reminding people again to protect themselves and their pets from ticks — which can transmit tularemia and other diseases when they bite people — whenever they are hiking, bicycling or walking in grassy backcountry areas, on trails or in the wild.

Vector Control officials said last week that several batches of ticks trapped in routine monitoring in the area of Lopez Canyon Trail had tested positive for the disease. Because they are small, ticks are “batched” together into larger groups to conduct testing.

County officials said they posted signs warning people to protect themselves from ticks last week and have posted additional signs in the wake of the new find.

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**Comment**

While Tularemia is spread by ticks, Hanta virus so far is not:

http://health.gov.on.ca/en/public/publications/disease/hanta.aspx; however, it is interesting that this virus loves mice and well…..ticks love mice. Time will tell.

https://securitystudiesonline.wordpress.com/2011/08/11/potential-uses-of-the-hantavirus-as-a-biological-weapon/ As it turns out, the hantavirus is not a new disease and is far more widespread than previously suspected in the United States. For example, tissues analysis has revealed that the earliest proven case of hantavirus occurred in Utah in 1959, and has been found in 32 states….From 1993 to 2004, there were 362 cases of HPS diagnosed[1] with 132 fatalities in the US alone.[2] However, HPS is also found throughout Latin America. Panama, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina have had reported cases of HPS.[3] From 1993 to 2004, there have been 1548 cases and 252 deaths throughout Latin America.[4] The hantavirus is newly discovered by modern science, but people have lived with it for years previous…..However, because USAMRIID was involved and conducted the research at Fort Detrick, HTN was grandfathered into the ongoing US bioweapons program. Despite its ability to effect military operations as demonstrated in the field, military studies of hantavirus do not appear to have gone past the research stage.[6]…the hantavirus will enter a host cell and replace itself with a negative strand of messenger RNA (mRNA), so when the mRNA brings the genetic information for reproduction, the virus is reproduced instead of the original host cell’s molecule. As the cell reproduces more hantavirus, the hantavirus kills the host cell and infects others. As this spreads throughout the body, the internal structures fail and can lead to death….It is a virus that does not skip any demographic, is found naturally, and has a 50% mortality rate. These factors frighten some who worry about its use as a bioweapon.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome

Hantavirus has not been known to be weaponized or used for bioterrorism, but it is recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a Category C Agent.2 Its presumed ease of production and dissemination, as well as its high potential for severe morbidity and mortality, raise concern for the possibility that this emerging pathogen could be engineered for future mass exposures.2

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/hantavirus-pulmonary-syndrome

Although no cases of human-to-human transmission have been identified in the United States, investigation of an epidemic in Argentina in 1995 provided strong evidence for person-to-person transmission; strict barrier nursing techniques are now recommended for the management of suspected cases.

Prevention – stay away from mice and their droppings. Since people often catch the virus by breathing it into their lungs, don’t use anything that allows particles from mouse droppings to get into the air (like sweeping with a broom). Soak droppings down with a good disinfectant for 20 min and then wipe up with a mop. In Spring, open doors and windows to sheds and allow them to air out well before entering.

Let’s pray ticks and other insects can not transmit Hantavirus and that it’s not been tweaked for biowarfare purposes.

Tularemia: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/10/25/of-rabbits-and-men/ Tularemia, in aerosol form, is considered a possible bioterrorist agent that if inhaled would cause severe respiratory illness. It was studied in Japan through 1945, the USA through the 60’s, and Russia is believed to have strains resistant to antibiotics and vaccines. An aerosol release in a high population would result in febrile illness in 3-5 days followed by pleuropneumonitis and systemic infection with illness persisting for weeks with relapses. The WHO estimates that an aerosol dispersal of 50 kg of F. tularensis over an area with 5 million people would result in 25,000 incapacitating casualties including 19,000 deaths.

https://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/disease_emergence/Chapter6.pdf Scroll to page 237 for Table 6.1 which shows Tularemia was used in Europe during WWII. Debate remains whether massive outbreaks of Tularemia on the Eastern Front was a biowarfare application against German troops or occurred naturally. Then on page 246 Table 6.3 shows confirmed applications of Tularemia during wartime, by terrorists, and/or as criminal activity.23,33,37,179, as well as it’s an agent produced for weapons use by nations with biowarfare programs.14,22,23,33,52. It is a category A agent, which is of highest priority and a critical biological agent for public health response activities.

Hantavirus is not listed on page 250 Table 6.5 as a biowarfare agent, but mosquito transmitted Yellow Fever Virus is.

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/27/tularemia-infected-ticks-found-on-sorrento-valley-trail-in-ca/

Category:

Activism, Ticks, Transmission, Tularemia, Viruses

Tick Bites Tick – Hyperparasitism

https://entomologytoday.org/2018/02/27/tick-bites-tick-a-rare-case-of-hard-tick-hyperparasitism/ Entomology Today

Ixodes angustus hyperparasitism

A scanning electron micrograph shows an engorged female Ixodes angustus tick with a male I. angustus attached to its underside in typical feeding mode—a case of hyperparasitism presumed uncommon in the species. (Image originally published in Durden et al 2018, Journal of Medical Entomology)

Tick Bites Tick: A Rare Case of Hard-Tick Hyperparasitism

Sometimes, parasites get a little taste of their own medicine.

Last August, a tick specimen submitted to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game offered a surprising look at hyperparasitic behavior among the species Ixodes angustus. After examination under a scanning electron microscope (SEM), researchers shared their findings in a new report in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

The image above shows the hyperparasitism, caught in the act: A large, engorged female I. angustus tick, which had been removed from a squirrel, shown with its own hitchhiker, a male I. angustus attached to its underside in typical feeding mode—with his palps splayed outside of her exoskeleton and his feeding apparatus (hypostome and chelicerae) inserted.

Lance A. Durden, Ph.D., professor at Georgia Southern University and lead author on the report, says he had never seen such a case of hyperparasitism in hard ticks (family Ixodidae), though it is more common in soft ticks (family Argasidae).

“Engorged soft ticks can be besieged by unfed individuals who opportunistically drive their mouthparts into the fed individual to steal part of the bloodmeal,” he says.

But that’s not all that is notable about the specimen. Also visible in the image is another scar (lower, left of center) that Durden and colleagues say was likely caused by another male tick feeding on the female in the same way. And—yes, there’s more—when the specimen was originally submitted, there was another male attached, mating with the female. (It fell off in the course of preparing the specimen for SEM imaging.)

Ixodes angustus is a nidicolous, or nest-dwelling, species, meaning it can progress through its entire life cycle within the nest or burrow of its host (e.g., mouse, vole, etc.), and males are rarely found on hosts. It has been presumed that mating typically occurs in the nest, but nine males of I. angustus have been collected on hosts in the course of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game’s tick survey since 2010, and nearly all had been found mating with females. Their findings suggest mating outside the nest and hyperparasitism in I. angustus may both be more common than previously thought.

“Male ticks that were infected with a pathogen or parasite—(such as Lyme disease spirochetes or Babesia protozoans—previously during their life cycle, by feeding on an infected host, could transmit these pathogens to female ticks during hyperparasitism. Female ticks could then transfer these pathogens or parasites to their progeny by transovarial transmission,” Durden says. “Although we don’t know yet if pathogen or parasite transmission occurs between I. angustus ticks by these mechanisms, if it does occur, this could have epidemiological significance by amplifying the number of infected ticks.”

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**Comment**

Great article pointing out what all of us in Lyme-land already know: there’s so much we don’t know.

Hyperparasitism needs to be studied as it would certainly help explain the high infection rates out here.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we need researchers to start at ground zero with all things Lyme/MSIDS, pretty much ignoring previous work so that they can be objective in their analysis. Too much for far too long has been “presumed.”