Ticks & Lyme Disease Ticks and Tick Borne Diseases Bureau of Workers Compensation PA Training for Health & Safety (PATHS) 1
Topics Introduction to Problem Types Life Cycle Behavior Lyme Disease Signs & Symptoms Evaluation Treatment 2
Why the Fuss about Ticks? Tick populations are exploding there s no place in Pennsylvania without deer ticks! Ticks are hard to kill...we ve learned that washing clothes in warm water and detergent doesn't kill all these ticks The only sure way to get rid of them is to dry clothes on high heat for a long cycle time without snow cover, these adult ticks can be active in temperatures as low as 28 degrees F Steven Jacobs of Penn State Dept of Entomology, Penn State Ag. Sciences News 11/23/05 Ticks are becoming resistant to pesticides??? 3
Lyme Disease 1908: recognized in Sweden 1975: first identified in Lyme Connecticut Ticks: Arachnids (class of Arthropods) which includes mites, spiders and scorpions Two (2) groups Hard bodied and Soft bodied Both capable of transmitting disease 4
Reported Cases CDC each year has about 20,000 new cases reported CDC believes 90% of cases go unreported 5
For Lyme Disease to Exist There appears to be a symbiotic relationship between: 1. The Lyme disease bacteria, 2. Ticks which can transmit them, and 3. Mammals to provide food for the ticks such as: Deer and Mice Ticks can be found in areas with very high or low temperature with a constant high relative humidity. 6
Trails & Edge Habitat Blacklegged ticks live in woody, brushy areas that provide food and cover for hosts such as mice and deer Exposure to these ticks can be greatest along trails and edges of woods 7
Rogue s Gallery Wood Tick Brown Dog Tick Deer Tick (Blacklegged Tick) Lone Star Tick 8
Hosts, Collaborators & Victims 9
Examples of Hosts 10
Blacklegged Tick Questing Blacklegged ticks search for a host from the tips of low-growing vegetation, generally climbing onto a person or animal near ground level. Stimulated by: Heat Carbon dioxide Movement 11
Seasonal Activity: Deer Tick 12
Three Local Ticks Dog Tick Dermacentor variabilis Lone star tick Amblyomma americanum Deer Tick Ixodes scapularis 13
Blacklegged (Deer Ticks) Blacklegged ticks have three life stages Nymph Larva Adult (Female) 14
Blacklegged Tick Adults 15
Blacklegged Tick Nymph 16
Male/Female Adult Blacklegged Tick Feed and mate on large animals in the fall or early spring After feeding, females lay eggs, then die Ticks that did not feed or mate go dormant 17
Tick Bites 18
Extraction Method 19
Male Tick Feeding Male tick feeds off female. Because male doesn t take a blood meal from a host, the male does not transmit Lyme disease. 20
Blacklegged Tick Engorgement 21
2 year Life Cycle: Blacklegged Tick EGGS LARVAE NYMPHS MEAL 1 Mouse Bird Eggs laid, adults die MEAL 3 * For adults that did not feed in fall Person Deer Dog SPRING WINTER MEAL 2 (peak feeding time May mid July) Person Mouse Dog SUMMER FALL MEAL 3 Person Deer Dog Nymphs molt into adults ADULTS Larvae molt into nymph stage Nymphs dormant 22
Laying Eggs Eggs can be infected with pathogens inside the ovaries making the new tick infectious upon birth. 23
Perform Frequent Tick Checks while in tick habitats And when at home!! 24
Tick Repellents for Personal Use Permethrin-containing products Use on Clothing Only Insect repellent (DEET) Insecticide Follow Directions Carefully 25
Tick Repellents for Personal Use 30% - 40% DEET content most effective for ticks Use on skin or clothing Target shoes, pant legs Not for children < 3 yrs See guidelines for children FOLLOW DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY 26
Various Repellents 27
Picaridin World Health Organization (WHO) 2000 recognized effectiveness of Picaridin In some tests, more effective than DEET Effective in field and lab tests against: Common tick (sheep, pasture or castorbean tick) Deer tick (carrier of Lyme Disease) Brown dog tick www.picaridin.info 28
Proper Tick Removal 1. Use fine-point tweezers or tick removal tool 2. Grasp close to skin 3. Pull gently 4. Wash area with soap, water and antiseptic Do not use gasoline or match Do not use Vaseline Never use products such as soap or finger nail polish to try and remove a tick - this will trigger injection of the salivary glands and disease causing microbes into the feeding source 29
Tick-Borne Diseases Ticks may carry other pathogens, rickettsia, bacteria, viruses and protozoa: Rocky Mountain spotted fever Tularemia Colorado tick fever Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever Lyme disease 30
Lyme Rashes & Recognition Classic Bull s Eye Large rash on chest Large rash on Arm 31
Lyme Rashes Typical bulls eye rash Several concentric circles Expands over time Raised or flat May be warm Can be painful, painless or itchy 32
Lyme Bacteria Symptoms: Fever Chills Headache Muscle pain Joint pain Fatigue Bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) 33
Lyme Disease: Clinical Features 34
Lyme Rashes Large rash with gradual change of color intensity 35
Lyme Rashes Rashes are not always circular. 36
Lyme Rashes 37
Multiple Rashes Reaction as bacteria move through body Not caused by multiple tick bites 38
Multiple Rashes 39
Lone Star Larval Bites Bites from multiple larval Lone Star ticks acquired at Aberdeen Proving Grounds courtesy of Sandra Evans, US Army 40
Co-Infection Bartonella Rashes Linear rashes look like stretch marks clinically associated with gastritis Photos taken by Dr. Martin Fried, with thanks to the Lyme Disease Association 41
Joint Swelling Joint swelling and pain may occur weeks to months after onset of illness if left untreated Joint swelling of the knee(s) is a common symptom 42
Misconception Tick needs to be attached more than 24 hours before infection is transmitted. Published literature reports anywhere from 2 to 48 hours Scientific knowledge of the interactions between tick saliva, tick pathogens, the host immune system is incredibly complex What duration of tick attachment would permit assumption of zero risk of transmission? None! 43
Truth Less than 50% patients with tick borne disease even remember a tick bite Of those who do remember a tick bite, only roughly half have an erythema migrans (EM) rash o EM rashes are extremely variable not being recognized by doctors or patients o Rashes are dismissed or misdiagnosed Co-infections go undiagnosed and untreated Watchful waiting after any tick bite is not wiseseek medical help 44
Lyme Disease: Signs/Symptoms Extreme fatigue, often interfering with activities Headaches of all types Recurrent fevers, chills, night sweats Myalgias and arthralgias; either may be migratory Muscle fasciculations (twitching)and weakness Paresthesias and neuropathic pain syndromes Sleep disturbances Cranial nerve dysfunction 45
More Signs & Symptoms Neuropsychiatric problems: irritability, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, new onset ADHD, mood swings similar to bipolar disease, rage attacks, OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) Cognitive losses: memory impairment, difficulty multi-tasking, slowed mental processing, speech and language problems, poor concentration, loss of math skills, impaired visual/spatial processing Children may have behavioral changes, declining school performance, headache, fatigue, forgetfulness, complex partial seizures, depression and be misdiagnosed with primary ADHD 46
Co-infections Co-infections are the rule, not the exception 80% of my pediatric patients are co-infected Co-infections are often best diagnosed clinically Co-infected patients are: Sicker More likely to have failed prior treatment Require longer treatment with multiple agents Co-infections must be eradicated or Borrelia infection will persist 47
Co-infections 48
Evaluation If false results are to be feared, it is the false negative result which holds the greatest peril for the patient. Gestational Lyme Borreliosis. Implications for the fetus. MacDonald, AB, Rheum Dis Clin North Am 1989; 15(4): 657-77. Ann F Corson, MD 49
Lyme Testing One type of test that is often prescribed by the attending provider during the first step of diagnosis is the ELISA or IFA test ELISA: Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay 50
Lyme Testing The second type of test and the one many feel is the most preferred uses an immunoblot (this is the Western blot or striped blot test) Sometimes two types of Western blot are performed: "IgM" and "IgG" Patients who test positive by IgM but not IgG should have the test repeated a few weeks later if they remain ill 51
Treatment Antibiotics such as: o Doxycycline o Amoxicillin o Ceftin Usually treated for 4-6 weeks A recent study of in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that a four-week course of oral doxycycline is just as effective in treating late LD, and much less expensive, than a similar course of intravenous Ceftriaxone (Rocephin) unless neurological or severe cardiac abnormalities are present 52
Testing Ticks Some state or local health departments offer tick identification and testing Check your local jurisdiction for such a service 53
Tips Be aware of your surroundings Limit time in tick-infested areas Use proper protection: Clothing Sprays Check for their presence after leaving area If found, remove properly and seek medical advice 54
Websites of Interest www.ilads.org www.lymepa.org www.lymediseaseassociation.org www.thehumansideoflyme.net www.lymeinfo.net/lymefiles.html www.lymeinfo,net/medical/ldpersist.pdf www.lymeinfo.net/medical/ldsymptoms.pdf www.lymeinfo.net/medical/ldsupplement.pdf www.lymeinfo.net/medical/ldseronegativity.pdf www.lymeinfo.net/medical/ldcysts.pdf www.lymeinfo.net/medical/ldadverseconditions.pdf www.lymeinfo.net/medical/ldbibliography.pdf 55
Contact Information Health & Safety Training Specialists 1171 South Cameron Street, Room 324 Harrisburg, PA 17104-2501 (717) 772-1635 RA-LI-BWC-PATHS@pa.gov Like us on Facebook! - https://www.facebook.com/bwcpaths 56
Questions 57