A Tick On My Hand And The Lowdown On Lyme

The other day I was outside, checking out my aphid infested absinthe wormwood plant (I swear it's strictly ornamental). And while I was cussin' out the aphids and imagining all the diabolic ways to kill them (soapy water did the trick, btw) I spotted a nightmare. A big ass tick-- and it was questing.  

Questing, if you don't know, is a behavioral trait by which ticks find their hosts. They'll position themselves at the tip of a blade of grass, or leaf, and stretch out their front limbs as if doing the 'Y' dance move in YMCA. 

Anyway, it'll just wait there, questing until a poor bastard, host brushes by so it can latch on. 

I wasn't real worried about this tick ever locating a host,
the dummy was questing upside down!  

After spotting the tick, my first instinct was to set my yard on fire. Luckily, I was out of matches so I defaulted to picking it up and taking a closer look. 

 I identified this bloodsucker as a male Rocky Mountain wood tick (Smith and Whitman, NPCA Field Guide to Structural Pests). The Rocky Mountain wood tick is the primary vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and can also transmit Colorado tick fever, tularemia, and cause tick paralysis. Fun times! 

For many, tick season is upon us and with tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease on the rise worldwide, it's important have a better understanding of ticks and Lyme. 

Lyme disease has become the most important vector-born disease in the US. 

Back in 1997, there was an estimated 16, 000 reported cases of Lyme disease (M. Service, Medical Entomology, 2000). Today, the CDC estimates the number of people diagnosed each year to be 300,000 in the US alone. 

However, in other countries that also have serious Lyme disease problems (I'm looking at you FRANCE), Lyme disease is poorly understood and chronic Lyme isn't even recognized by public health authorities. Most health professionals don't even know Lyme disease exist and many simply deny its existence. Luckily, organizations such as Lyme sans Frontières work hard to bring about prevention and public awareness about this disease, but it's been an uphill battle for years. 

So anyway, here's the quick and dirty about Lyme and the bloodsuckers to keep in mind:  

• Transmission of Lyme is through a tick bite and the principal vectors in the US are Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus.  

• Rapid removal of ticks reduces the chances of disease transmission. The best removal method is the simplest, use forceps to secure the tick as close to the head as possible and pull the tick off, then treat the bite wound with an antiseptic (M. Service, Medical Entomology, 2000). Of course, go see a doctor if you have any doubts or questions about the bite. In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36-48 hours for the bacterium that causes Lyme disease to be transmitted into the host. 

• When outdoors, avoid areas with tall grass and bushes where ticks can be found questing, and wear light-colored clothing (this makes it easier to spot ticks that may have just hitched a ride on you).

• Most Lyme disease cases reported to the CDC in the US are concentrated in the Northeast and upper Midwest with 96% occurring in 13 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin.

• Lyme also occurs in Canada, most of Europe, parts of Russia, China, Japan and possibly in Australia.

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Ventral side

All in all, I think ticks are misunderstood creatures and deserved to be loved like any other living thing on this planet. Just kidding. Ticks are dicks. I had to pull one off my boob years ago so watch your backs (and your fronts) and check your kids, and your pests--hell check everyone and be safe out there! :D

Oh and for those of you who are wondering what I did with the tick I found, well I did what any normal person would do--I placed in on my deck and smashed it with a rock. "Khuu! Khuu! Khuu!"  ;)

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And if you want to see some incredible microscopic images that include the mouth parts of a tick, then check out the photo gallery HERE called Life: Magnified which is currently on display at Washington's Dulles International Airport's Gateway Gallery. Thanks Michael for the info and link! 

Q for Q Fever

Ok, so this post is kind of a stretch as far as my theme is concerned, but give me a break, my entomology dictionary (yes, they do exist see proof) only had 2 and a half pages of Q words and, I wasn't in the mood to drone on about Q for Queen (bug pun did you catch it? No. You're hopeless.).

Pudding.
Do you like the way I cropped out the messy desk?

Fun Facts :

1) Q Fever (Query fever) Is a disease caused by a microbe called Coxiella burnetii. It was first described in slaughterhouse workers in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Its distribution is worldwide, New Zealand being the exception. (source: Wikipedia)

wikipedia

2) In Australia, C. burnetii occurs in bandicoots (so very cute), which is circulated by ticks (Haemaphysalis humerosa and Ixodes holocyclus, not so cute). Kangaroos can also be infected as well as domestic livestock. Other animals that can be infected include: sheep, goats, cattle, dogs, cats, birds, rodents, and ticks.

3) Q Fever affects mainly the heart, liver and lungs. Humans are mostly infected by inhalation. Drinking raw milk has also caused infection in rare cases. (source: MedlinePlus, NIH website)

4) People at highest risk for this infection are: farmers, slaughterhouse workers, sheep and dairy workers, and veterinarians.

© Copyright Stuart Meek and licensed for reuse
under this Creative Commons Licence

5) Symptoms: It takes about 20 days after exposure to the bacteria for symptoms to surface. Though people can have Q fever without knowing it and can be mistake for a mild flu.

 Acute Q fever  symptoms can include:

Fever, Fatigue, Muscle pain, Chills and sweating, Headache, Cough, Shortness of breath, Clay-colored stools,General feeling of sickness and loss of appetite

Chronic Q fever symptoms can include :

Chills, Fatigue, Night sweats, Prolonged fever, Shortness of breath

Several complications can arise from this disease; one of the most common being pneumonia.

6) If untreated, symptoms can last 2-6 weeks and most people make a full recovery, becoming immune to repeat infections. However, people develop chronic infections which affect the heart (endocarditis) or the liver (hepatitis). Some people develop chronic fatigue, which can last for years after the initial infection. 

7) Treatment: Q Fever can be treated successfully with antibiotics with early detection.Q fever is rarely fatal however patients with existing heart disease are at a greater risk.

So that was all the boring stuff, keep reading...

Q Fever as a Biological Weapon

8) Q Fever is interesting because of its potential as a biological weapon. Apparently, millitaries favor Coxiella burnetii because it is highly contagious and for its incapacitating affects rather than lethal affect on human populations. 

The United States investigated this possibility in  the 1950s at Fort Detrick and Dugway Proving Ground (scratching Fort Detrick and DPG off my vacation list). The experiments were designed to determine the median infective dose (dose required to produce effect in 50% of a test population). Human trials were conducted on volunteers called Whitecoats (enlisted personnel who volunteered for medical trials were nicknamed "Whitecoats"). Volunteers who developed symptoms were treated with antibiotics. All recovered. Operation Whitecoat continued for almost two decades (sources: GlobalSecurity.org, Wikipedia).  

Oh snap! How the heck did I get WAY of topic? But while I'm at it, I'll leave you with one last Q word....yes, it has to be... QUEEN.

My favorite rendition (: