Madison Area Lyme Support Group

African Tick Found on Untraveled U.K. Horse

April 11, 2019

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30876825

2019 Apr;10(3):704-708. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2019.03.003. Epub 2019 Mar 9.

Hyalomma rufipes on an untraveled horse: Is this the first evidence of Hyalomma nymphs successfully moulting in the United Kingdom?

Hansford KM¹, Carter D², Gillingham EL³, Hernandez-Triana LM⁴, Chamberlain J⁵, Cull B⁶, McGinley L⁶, Paul Phipps L⁴, Medlock JM⁷.

Author information

Abstract

During September 2018, a tick was submitted to Public Health England’s Tick Surveillance Scheme for identification. The tick was sent from a veterinarian who removed it from a horse in Dorset, England, with no history of overseas travel. The tick was identified as a male Hyalomma rufipes using morphological and molecular methods and then tested for a range of tick-borne pathogens including;

Alkhurma virus
Anaplasma
Babesia
Bhanja virus
Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever virus
Rickettsia
Theileria

The tick tested positive for Rickettsia aeschlimannii, a spotted fever group rickettsia linked to a number of human cases in Africa and Europe.

This is the first time H. rufipes has been reported in the United Kingdom (UK), and the lack of travel by the horse (or any in-contact horses) suggests that this could also be the first evidence of successful moulting of a Hyalomma nymph in the UK. It is postulated that the tick was imported into the UK on a migratory bird as an engorged nymph which was able to complete its moult to the adult stage and find a host.

This highlights that passive tick surveillance remains an important method for the detection of unusual species that may present a threat to public health in the UK. Horses are important hosts of Hyalomma sp. adults in their native range, therefore, further surveillance studies should be conducted to check horses for ticks in the months following spring bird migration; when imported nymphs may have had time to drop off their avian host and moult to adults. The potential human and animal health risks of such events occurring more regularly are discussed.

_________________________

A ProMED-mail post

A tick capable of carrying a host of killer illnesses has been found in the UK for the very 1st time, health officials have revealed.

The _Hyalomma rufipes_ tick – a small blood-sucking arachnid – is usually confined to Africa, Asia and parts of southern Europe. But Public Health England [PHE] has now revealed one of the ticks, 10 times larger than others, was discovered in Dorset last year [2018]. The creature itself wasn’t found to be carrying the deadly Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHF).

The disturbing find, which could ‘present a threat to public health in the UK’, has been documented in the journal Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases.

A vet at The Barn Equine Surgery in Wimborne removed the tick from a horse last September [2018]. They then sent it to PHE’s tick surveillance team. Writing in the journal, the PHE team said: ‘This is the first time _Hyalomma rufipes_ has been reported in the United Kingdom. ‘The lack of travel by the horse – or any in-contact horses – suggests that this could also be the 1st evidence of successful moulting of a _Hyalomma_ nymph in the UK.’

The team of researchers who found the tick was led by Kayleigh Hansford, of PHE’s medical entomology and zoonoses ecology group.

Writing in the journal, they said it is suspected the tick hitched a ride on a migratory bird before landing in the UK. Neither the infested horse, nor other horses in the stable had travelled anywhere and no further ticks were detected on any of the horses. It is thought the tick travelled on a swallow because they are known to nest in the stables of horses and migrate from Africa to the UK for summer.

The UK climate, known to be getting warmer, is thought to be a major limiting factor for the survival of _Hyalomma rufipes_. However, the unusually warm weather experienced during the summer of 2018 may have been a factor for helping it moult – become an adult.

Currently, the ticks are found in Greece, Northern China, Russia, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Egypt, Yemen and Oman.

The World Health Organization last year [2018] named CCHF as one of 10 pathogens that pose the most ‘urgent’ threat to humanity.

Figures show the virus – most often spread through tick bites – kills around 40% of humans that it strikes. The horrific illness is said to manifest ‘abruptly’, with initial symptoms including fever, backache, headache, dizziness and sore eyes.

[Byline: Stephen Matthews]

—
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

[Not mentioned in detail in the above report, the PHE team, using morphological and molecular methods, then tested for a range of tick-borne pathogens including: Alkhurma virus, Anaplasma, Babesia, Bhanja virus, Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever virus, Rickettsia and Theileria. The tick tested positive for _Rickettsia aeschlimannii_, a spotted fever group rickettsia linked to a number of human cases in Africa and Europe.

The critical question is if this is a single tick transported into Dorset, or represents one tick of a local breeding population. Transportation of a single tick by a migrating bird is a reasonable possibility. Immature (nymph) _Hyalomma_ usually feed on birds, rodents, and hares. Nymphs are often transported from one place to another by migrating birds. For example, a migrating bird carrying a CCH virus-infected _Hyalomma marginatum_ nymph can introduce the virus into new localities and infect humans and domestic livestock (Larry S.Roberts, 2009). Continued surveillance in the area where the single tick was found, as well as generally in the UK over the spring and summer months, would be prudent.

Category:

Anaplasmosis, Babesia, research, Rickettsia, Testing, Ticks, Viruses

Comments Off on African Tick Found on Untraveled U.K. Horse

Latent Lyme Disease Resulting in Chronic Arthritis & Early Career Termination in a U.S. Army Officer

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/30839071/

Latent Lyme Disease Resulting in Chronic Arthritis and Early Career Termination in a United States Army Officer.

Weiss T, et al. Mil Med. 2019.

Abstract

Lyme disease is a continuing threat to military personnel operating in arboriferous and mountainous environments. Here we present the case of a 24-year-old Second Lieutenant, a recent graduate from the United States Military Academy, with a history of Lyme disease who developed recurrent knee effusions following surgery to correct a hip impingement. Although gonococcal arthritis was initially suspected from preliminary laboratory results, a comprehensive evaluation contradicted this diagnosis.

Despite antibiotic therapy, aspiration of the effusions, and steroid treatment to control inflammation, the condition of the patient deteriorated to the point where he was found to be unfit for duty and subsequently discharged from active military service. This case illustrates the profound effect that latent Lyme disease can have on the quality of life and the career of an active duty military member. It highlights the need for increased surveillance for Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi) in military training areas and for the early and aggressive diagnosis and treatment of military personnel who present with the symptoms of acute Lyme disease.

Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2019.

________________

**Comment**

Our military has been in ‘harms way’ for decades. Glad this case study was made. I have military friends who receive training in Northern Wisconsin. They sleep outside and literally pick thousands of ticks off their bodies. I can only imagine the high numbers of soldiers with similar stories not being counted or recognized.

For another soldier sidelined by Lyme/MSIDS: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/03/21/military-veterans-suicide-and-lymemsids/

Excerpt:

After congressional investigation, he was finally discharged from the Air Force after 14 years of highly recognized and awarded military service that ended in shame because doctors did not understand Lyme disease. Attorneys laughed and joked as they decided he was no longer fit for duty and discharged him from the Air Force without benefits, pay, or health insurance. He was essentially dumped on the streets homeless, disabled, and unable to work, with a wife and a child to provide for.

Three decades later, the VA still cannot diagnose Lyme disease based upon symptoms.

The VA did not recognize Lyme disease until the mid-1990s. That means that veterans who had Lyme disease before then were misdiagnosed and some are perhaps homeless and disabled. According to Sims the government is no wiser today than before they recognized Lyme disease.

The real problem is:

military and VA healthcare systems follow CDC two-tier tests Lyme disease guidelines that capture less than 10% of Lyme disease cases nationwide.

Over 90% of Lyme disease cases are diagnosed and treated by a minority of doctors who specialize in Lyme disease and tick-borne disease and understand CDC guidelines are fatally flawed.

He also states that according to many medical experts, the largest cause of death from Lyme disease is suicide.

Soldiers are also forced to get vaccines and many are injured by them:

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/27/military-vaccines-lymemsids/

Ticks are not located ONLY in wooded and mountainous areas. https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/07/where-ticks-are-and-what-they-carry-science-conversation-with-dr-cameron/

Ticks are found:

Beaches: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/06/07/ticks-on-beaches/

Rocks and picnic benches: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/03/13/ticks-found-on-rocks/

Caves: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/04/23/tick-borne-relapsing-fever-found-in-austin-texas-caves/, and https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/27/israeli-kids-get-lyme-disease-from-ticks-in-caves/

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

California: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/19/infected-ticks-in-california-its-complicated/

In the South: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/31/no-lyme-in-the-south-guess-again/, and https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/10/06/remembering-dr-masters-the-rebel-for-lyme-patients-who-took-on-the-cdc-single-handedly/, and https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/03/02/hold-the-press-arkansas-has-lyme/

Southern Hemisphere: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/02/06/lyme-in-the-southern-hemisphere-sexual-transmission/

Australia: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/11/03/ld-not-in-australia-here-we-go-again/

And everywhere else…..

Remember, there are 300 strains and counting of Borrelia worldwide and 100 strains and counting in the U.S. Current CDC two-tiered testing tests for ONE strain! Do the math….

Lyme has been found in ALL 50 states and is worldwide: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/08/18/lyme-found-in-all-50-states/

And remember, Lyme is the rock star we know by name. There are plenty of other illnesses ticks transmit and it isn’t JUST the black-legged tick.

There’s no such thing as a “safe” tick or an “irrelevant” tick bite.

Category:

Lyme, research, Testing, Ticks

Comments Off on Latent Lyme Disease Resulting in Chronic Arthritis & Early Career Termination in a U.S. Army Officer

Sex When You Are Sick

April 10, 2019

https://livingwithlyme.us/episode-64-sex-when-you-are-sick/

Episode 64: Sex When You Are Sick

April 5, 2019

Cindy Kennedy, FNP, is joined by Freda Hobbs, a Diamond Team Leader with Bedroom Kandi Boutique Parties. She’s an industry expert that has been featured in Forbes and works closely with a team of nearly 700 consultants nationwide creating safe spaces for people to talk about the most intimate parts of their lives.Originally from Camden, N.J., she currently resides in Glendale, Calif., with her husband Rodney. For more information, check her website, Fredahobbs.com.

___________________

**Comment**

Lyme/MSIDS can cause all sort of sexual dysfunction. Recently Dana Parish & Dr. Phillips took this on: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/12/22/s-e-x-lyme-msids/

Excerpt:

Dr. Phillips discusses sexual dysfunction in both men and women due to tick borne illness
Dr. Phillips sees men with painful testicles with recurrent Bartonella
Prostatitis is also common, where the prostate becomes swollen, tender, and inflamed
Some patients get anal and/or vaginal fissures (little painful cracks)
There’s libido issues
Vaginal dryness
Psychological aspects
Low Testosterone levels
Extreme fatigue
Sexually induced severe headaches
There can be a Pavlovian response in that if sex causes pain, it trains you to no longer desire it
Pre-menstral flares are common
Some male patients struggle with Balanitus, a painful swelling of the foreskin, or head of the penis, which affects roughly 1 in 20 males. It’s been linked to autoimmunity conditions. Dr. Phillips believes this to be the result of an undiagnosed infection. He’s also seen it as a herxheimer reaction. It can take time to resolve.

This article also explains many of the psychological problems that can be problematic: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2015/10/18/psychiatric-lymemsids/

Excerpt:

Dr. Bransfield describes ten psychological issues that may be risk factors for aggression in MSIDS that would be obvious players regarding sex and include:

Decreased frustration tolerance
Decreased impulse control
When the two above are mild they can be irritable. When extreme, they can become explosively angry
Hyposexuality and hypersexuality – both can cause interpersonal frustration
Obsessive compulsive behaviors which results in intrusive thoughts, images, and compulsions that sometimes are aggressive
Decreased bonding capacity
Increased startle reflex (particularly increased acoustic startle)
Hyper-vigilance and paranoia
Delusions and hallucinations

I haven’t written about this much but my husband heard voices, dealt with rage, anxiety, and had horrific nightmares that he could not distinguish from reality. It would take me an hour to talk him down. He also had a fixation that he believed I was having an affair. This hurt the most. I’d get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, he’d wake up and think I’d been out all night. The bizarre change in his behavior, particularly trust and confidence in me made me angry. I wish I would have known then what I know now because I wouldn’t have taken it so personally. This was not my problem or something I did. It stems from a serious infection in the brain which can really affect behavior. It helped to read every single thing Dr. Bransfield wrote. He has single-handedly gotten the word out, and in a credible, scientific way, that Lyme/MSIDS is a very serious disease with mental health consequences.

To Dr. Bransfield! (lift your coffee cups here)

Category:

Activism

Comments Off on Sex When You Are Sick

Seek North & GLA: The Fight Against Lyme Disease

https://seeknorth.com/blog/lyme

Seek North + Global Lyme Alliance: The Fight Against Lyme Disease

Seek North and the Global Lyme Alliance become partners in the fight

Lyme Disease affects 427,000 people a year. Our Seek North co-founder was one of them. How we’re fighting back with GLA’s help.

Lyme disease is an illness cause by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, contracted through the bite of an infected blacklegged (deer) tick. The disease varies by stage from early (acute) to late (post treatment, chronic or neurological). Early-stage Lyme disease may present with flu-like symptoms, a rash and headaches. Late-stage Lyme disease can affect multiple organs, including joints, heart, brain and other parts of the central nervous system; and in rare cases, cause death.

julian-lesser-gla Co-founder, Julian Lesser, climbing at Mohonk Mountain.

This is exactly what happened to our co-founder, Julian Lesser, and took a year and a half to properly diagnose and treat. During the long fight, founders Julian, and Philippe Trinh, decided to get serious about self-care and whole body health, specifically focusing on the immune system. This led their attention to gut health, where 70-80% of your immune tissue is housed, and Philippe’s experimentation with kombucha, thus following countless experiments, flavor creations, outright obsession, and the birth of Seek North.

We didn’t just want to make another kombucha company, we were on a mission. We wanted to take better care of ourselves, and encourage everyone to do the same. We wanted to give back the things that were important to us, the goals and ideals that kept driving us through our toughest times. Once we established our dreams, we wanted to give back too.

This is why we are beyond excited to share that we have decided to partner with the leading Lyme Disease non-profit, Global Lyme Alliance (GLA) donating a portion of our proceeds to conquering Lyme Disease through research, education, and awareness.

The Global Lyme Alliance is one of the most respected Lyme non-profits in the country, contributing not only with funding to research, physician and public education, but holding large scale fundraising galas, fueling small grassroots movements, and supporting research that has made game-changing strides in this fight. We couldn’t be more proud to call them our friends and partners in this.

If you’d like more education on what Lyme disease is and what GLA does, visit GLA.org. From there, you can read about their organization, get the latest updates, read about exciting research, find physicians versed in the treatment of Lyme, donate and support them yourself, and plenty more.

To learn more about Lyme disease stages and what symptoms to look out for? Click here to learn more.

We’re so happy for this chapter in our mission. We couldn’t think of a better family – you, and GLA – to be joining us in helping our little bottles that could to make a big difference.

Category:

Activism, Lyme

Comments Off on Seek North & GLA: The Fight Against Lyme Disease