Tick Diseases

     Today we will explore some diseases caused by ticks.  Each of these diseases is associated with a variety of symptoms.  They also may be prevalent in different parts in the world.  There are some common steps you should take, however, to avoid ticks so that you can avoid diseases from ticks.  The diseases we will discuss today inlcude Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Southern Tick Associated Rash Illness, Tick Borne Relapsing Fever, and Lyme Disease, and Colorado Fever.

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

     CCHF, or Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever,  is caused by an infection from the tick-born virus called Nairovirus.  This disease was first described in the Crimea in the year 1944 at which time it was given its name.  The disease was found in Eastern Europe, most commonly in the area that was once the Soviet Union.  It can also be found in some places in northwestern China, central Asia, Africa, southern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent.  Both wild and domestic animals, like goats, sheep, hares, and cattle can serve as hosts.  Humans become infected through contact with ticks or infected animal blood.  CCHF can also be transmitted from one infected human to another human through body fluids or infected blood. 

     The symptoms of CCHF come very quickly, and the beginning signs include a headache, back pain, joint pain, high fever, stomach pain, and vomiting.  Additionally, a flushed face, red throat, and red spots on the palate are common symptoms, along with red eyes.  Jaundice can also be a symptom, and when the case is severe, sensory perception changes and mood changes can be present.  As the illness continues, you may experience nosebleeds that are severe and severe bruising occurs beginning on around the fourth day after contracting the disease, and this usually lasts for about two weeks.

     To determine if you have CCHF, laboratory tests are necessary.  Once it has been determined that you have CCHF, care involved may include making sure you do not get dehydrated and that your electrolytes remain normal, oxygenation and hemodynamic support will be given, and you may need treatment for any secondary infections that have occurred.  The antiviral drug ribavirin has also been used in treatment. 

     People at most risk for CCHF include livestock workers, people who herd animals, and people who work in slaughterhouses in endemic areas.  Additionally if health care workers in endemic areas have unprotected contact with infectious blood or body fluids, they are at high risk. 

     There are ways to prevent the disease.  First, if you work with animals, you should use an insect repellent on exposed skin and clothing that include DEET, which will help keep ticks away.  It is also recommended that you wear gloves and use protective clothing.  Avoiding contact with blood and body fluids of humans or animals, especially those who have symptoms of infection is also important.  Health care workers need to be sure to use proper sanitation methods. 

Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness

     The lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum has been responsible for a rash that is similar to that of Lyme Disease.  In addition to the rash, those affected may also have fever, headache, joint and muscle pain, and fatigue.  This condition is known as Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness, or STARI.  If you have STARI, you will see a red lesion that develops around the location of a lone star tick bite.  The rash will usually show up within 7 days that the tick bite occurred, and will likely expand to about three inches or more in diameter.  STARI is different from Lyme Disease in that it hasn't been associated with neurological, arthritic, or chronic symptoms.

     Lone Star Ticks, or Amblyomma Americanum, are found in central Texas and Oklahoma and on eastward across the southern states.  It can even be found as far north as Maine and along the eastern coast of the United States.  The female adult has a white dot on her back, which gave this tick the "Lone Star" name.  All of the life stages of this tick involve an aggressive attempt to bite people. 

     To prevent this condition, you can avoid the habitats of ticks.  This means that you should stay away from brushy areas or dense woods.  You also should use insect repellents that include DEET or permethrin as an ingredient.  If you do go out into a common tick area, be sure not only to use insect repellent, but also to wear long pants and socks to keep as much of your skin covered as possible.  Be sure to check your body and clothing for ticks.  If you have experienced a tick bite, be sure to see your doctor if you have a fever, rash, headache, swollen lymph nodes, or joint or muscle pains within 30 days of your bite. 

Tick Borne Relapsing Fever

     Relapsing Fever is a disease that has recurring episodes of fever.  In many cases the symptoms also include joint aches, nausea, muscle aches, and headache.  There are two types of relapsing fever.  One is called Louse-borne relapsing fever, and the other is Tick-Borne relapsing fever.  Tick-borne relapsing fever is caused by species of spiral shaped bacteria being transmitted to humans because of a bite by an infected soft tick.  Often this occurs in the summer and may occur from sleeping in mountainous areas of the western portion of the United States.  In a year's time, there are about twenty-five cases of Tick-borne relapsing fever. 

Lyme Disease

     Lyme disease is transmitted by a tick, and is a bacterial infection.  It was first recognized as a disease in 1975 when researchers saw that a lot of children had rheumatoid arthritis in the city of Lyme, Connecticut as well as two towns nearby.  These researchers realized that the majority of children who had been affected lived in areas with woods that might have ticks.  Additionally, the first symptoms that the children were experiencing began in the summer months when there were a lot of ticks.  Some of the children stated that they had a skin rash before developing their symptoms of arthritis, and some even remembered having been bitten by a tick near the rash site.  The investigators learned that small deer ticks that have a spiral-shaped bacterium called Borrelia burgdorfen were responsible for the arthritis outbreak.

      Lyme disease is most commonly found today in the coastal northeast, Mid-Atlantic states, northern California, and Wisconsin and Minnesota, but it is important to realize that this disease has been diagnosed in all areas of the country, and the number of cases has increased.

      Initial symptoms of lyme disease include flu-like symptoms.  These may include a stiff neck, fever, chills, headaches, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, joint pain, and fatigue.  A large rash may also be present around the tick bite.  Muscle pain and joint pain is also a sign of lyme disease.  Nerve problems and arthritis, particularly in the knees is also a sign of more advanced lyme disease. 

       The rash from lyme disease is called erythma migrans, and it is present in most cases.  It typically begins as a small red spot and then expands over days or even weeks to become a rash in the shape of an oval, triangle, or circle.  At times the rash looks like a bull's eye since it is a red ring surrounding a clear area in the center.  The rash can be the size of a penny or go across your back.  It usually shows up within just a few weeks of the tick bite and occurs directly at the site. 

      After a few weeks of having lyme disease, over half of the people who have not been treated with antibiotics will develop attacks of swollen and painful joints that are recurring and last for days to months.  This arthritis can be found in any joint and can shift from one to another, but it commonly affects the knee.  Some patients who remain untreated will continue to develop arthritis that lasts. 

     Lyme disease also has the potential of affecting the nervous system.  Some of the symptoms include stiff neck and a severe headache, numbness, pain, or even weakness of the limbs, poor coordination, and temporary paralysis of the muscles in your face.  Other effects include difficulty with concentration, a change in mood, or inability to sleep. 

      Less than ten percent of people with Lyme disease have heart problems, like irregular or slow heartbeat, and this can be signaled by shortness of breath or dizziness.  These symptoms do not usually last for more than a few days or weeks. 

      If Lyme disease is diagnosed early, it can often be effectively treated using antibiotics.  The sooner the treatment begins, the more complete the recovery will likely be.  Often if the antibiotics are taken for two to four weeks, the rash will heal quickly and neurological problems may be avoided.  After being treated for Lyme disease, some people will still experience achiness and fatigue.  This can actually take months to go away. 

     To prevent Lyme disease, it is best to avoid the setting that will expose you to the cause of the Lyme disease, the deer tick.  Usually only about one percent of deer ticks have the Lyme disease bacterium, but in some areas this percentage can be as high as fifty percent.  Typically people are not bitten during the winter months, but during the summer months.  The deer ticks are usually found in wooded areas and grasslands that are nearby.