![\"How](\"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/files\/2016\/08\/Deerticknymph.jpg\")
<\/a>How big is a deer tick nymph? Not very big. Photo: Creative Commons<\/p><\/div>\n
A decade ago it was unusual to find a single tick after a northern NY wilderness weekend, but now in many places all you have to do is set foot in the brush and you\u2019re ambushed by hordes of black-legged ticks, commonly known as deer ticks.<\/p>\n
Smaller and more difficult to see than most other ticks, deer ticks can transmit a number of serious diseases, including Lyme, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and Powassan virus. In fact it\u2019s possible for two or more diseases to be transferred by a single tick bite. A high percentage of infections come from the immature or \u201cnymph\u201d stage deer tick, tinier than a poppy seed and nearly impossible to detect (at least for those of us over fifty) without magnification. The adults are not exactly huge, being a bit smaller than a sesame seed, but they are the ones most active during hunting season, and any time when winter temperatures get above freezing.<\/p>\n
New findings upend what we know about ticks and Lyme disease<\/strong><\/p>\n In light of new research revealed this summer, we need to update our understanding of the risks posed by deer ticks. Honestly, not even Captain Hook is more terrified of ticks than I am, but no one can afford to stick their head in the sand. We\u2019d probably end up with grit in our ears, which is uncomfortable, and worse yet, we could contract a tick-borne disease.<\/p>\n In a July 2016 presentation to fellow physicians, Dr. Nevena Zubcevik of the Harvard Medical School, and co-director of the Dean Center for Tick-Borne Illnesses, warned that the medical community is not keeping up with current findings. For example, \u201cThe conception that the tick has to be attached for 48 hours is completely outdated,\u201d she said, citing studies that show ticks can transmit disease in as little as 10 minutes.<\/p>\n The previously indicated two-day course of Doxycycline is now considered insufficient. Photo: Shorelander<\/a>, Creative Commons, some rights reserved<\/p><\/div>\n She also stated that the 2-day course of doxycycline currently prescribed when an embedded tick is discovered is worthless, saying \u201cIt should be a 20-day thing […] regardless of time of [tick] engorgement.\u201d Equally surprising is the fact that only 20% of Lyme cases show the classic \u201cbull\u2019s-eye rash,\u201d or erythema migrans. In the past it was believed that the majority of Lyme cases exhibited this outward-spreading rash.<\/p>\n But what may be the most troubling recent finding is the idea that Lyme tests are spectacularly unreliable. Zubcevik points out that there are at least 10 different variants of Borrelia<\/em> burgdorferi<\/em>, the organism responsible for Lyme, most of which do not show up on the ELISA or Western blot tests. And if that wasn\u2019t bad enough, a newly-identified, closely-related species of pathogen, Borrelia<\/em> miyamotoi<\/em>, also causes Lyme, and does not show up on any tests at all. Dr. Zubcevik contends that under current testing guidelines, 69 of 100 Lyme cases will not be diagnosed in a timely fashion.<\/p>\n In a good-news, bad-news finding, it appears that some cases of so-called \u201cearly-onset dementia,\u201d and even certain mental illness diagnoses, may be caused by Lyme, but that they can potentially be reversed through treatment. Singer and songwriter Kris Kristofferson\u2019s dementia was completely cured after he was properly diagnosed with Lyme and treated. \u201cSudden-onset dementia should be a red flag for Lyme,\u201d says Dr. Zubcevic.<\/p>\n Although prompt treatment cures Lyme in the majority of infected people, it\u2019s not always as simple as taking pills and feeling improvement. Lyme symptoms can persist for weeks or months after the standard 3-week treatment has ended. In rare cases it can be a year or more. This is called \u201cPost-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome,\u201d and its causes are not well understood. It is not a disease to take lightly.<\/p>\n Staying safe from tick-born diseases<\/strong><\/p>\n DEET-based repellants with at least 20-30% concentration can help protect against deer ticks. Photo: KVDP<\/a>, Creative Commons, some rights reserved<\/p><\/div>\n To avoid being bitten by ticks, people who work or play outdoors need to take precautions that weren\u2019t necessary in the past. Avoiding ticks is the first order of business. Ticks \u201cquest\u201d at the tips of tall grass or brush, waiting to cling to the next warm body that brushes against them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend using products containing 20-30% DEET on exposed skin. Clothing, footwear and gear such as tents can be treated with products containing the active ingredient permethrin. Hikers should stick to marked trails.<\/p>\n Homeowners can clear brush, weeds and tall grasses from the edges of their yards. Ticks like to hide out under leaf litter (which is why sprays are not effective against them), so maintaining a yard perimeter that\u2019s raked clean can help discourage ticks. Pets should be treated regularly with an anti-tick product so they don\u2019t bring deer ticks into the home. Talk to your vet about getting your pets vaccinated against Lyme (sadly there is no human vaccine at the moment).<\/p>\n Despite their name, deer ticks feed on\u2014and infect\u2014many wild critters, particularly our native and ubiquitous white-footed mouse. Because of ticks\u2019 prevalence, people who spend a lot of time outside will eventually have contact with deer ticks. This is where tick hygiene comes in.<\/p>\n Shower and wash thoroughly every evening and then check for ticks. They like hard-to-see places such as the armpits, groin, scalp and the backs of the knees, so look closely in these areas. If you find a tick has latched onto you, the CDC recommends you remove it by grasping it as close to the skin as possible with tweezers and pulling straight up until it releases. You may have to pull hard if it has been feeding for some time. Don\u2019t twist it or use heat, petroleum jelly or other home remedies to get it to release, as this can increase the chances of disease transmission.<\/p>\n Recognizing Lyme disease<\/strong><\/p>\n Conventional wisdom was that \u201ctypical\u201d early symptoms of Lyme disease included severe headaches, chills, fever, extreme fatigue, joint pain and dizziness. With further research, it is evident that early symptoms can vary drastically, making Lyme all the harder to diagnose. Irritability, mood changes, mental confusion, heart palpitations and forgetfulness may be the first manifestations of Lyme. These early signs may go away on their own, but the Lyme organism will cause even more serious health issues in the future if ignored.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve been bitten by a tick and have any of these symptoms, see your doctor right away. She or he can order a blood test, or may even prescribe antibiotics based on symptoms. For more information, go to the CDC website at http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/lyme\/<\/a> or to the NIH site at https:\/\/www.niaid.nih.gov\/topics\/lymeDisease\/<\/a><\/p>\n Follow tick-hygiene guidelines so you don\u2019t fall prey to ticks this autumn. Hunting should be a choice.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>
![KVDP<\/a>, Creative Commons, some rights reserved<\/p><\/div>\nTo avoid being bitten by ticks, people who work or play outdoors need to take precautions that weren\u2019t necessary in the past. Avoiding ticks is the first order of business. Ticks \u201cquest\u201d at the tips of tall grass or brush, waiting to cling to the next warm body that brushes against them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend using products containing 20-30% DEET on exposed skin. Clothing, footwear and gear such as tents can be treated with products containing the active ingredient permethrin. Hikers should stick to marked trails.<\/p>\nHomeowners can clear brush, weeds and tall grasses from the edges of their yards. Ticks like to hide out under leaf litter (which is why sprays are not effective against them), so maintaining a yard perimeter that\u2019s raked clean can help discourage ticks. Pets should be treated regularly with an anti-tick product so they don\u2019t bring deer ticks into the home. Talk to your vet about getting your pets vaccinated against Lyme (sadly there is no human vaccine at the moment).<\/p>\nDespite their name, deer ticks feed on\u2014and infect\u2014many wild critters, particularly our native and ubiquitous white-footed mouse. Because of ticks\u2019 prevalence, people who spend a lot of time outside will eventually have contact with deer ticks. This is where tick hygiene comes in.<\/p>\nShower and wash thoroughly every evening and then check for ticks. They like hard-to-see places such as the armpits, groin, scalp and the backs of the knees, so look closely in these areas. If you find a tick has latched onto you, the CDC recommends you remove it by grasping it as close to the skin as possible with tweezers and pulling straight up until it releases. You may have to pull hard if it has been feeding for some time. Don\u2019t twist it or use heat, petroleum jelly or other home remedies to get it to release, as this can increase the chances of disease transmission.<\/p>\nRecognizing Lyme disease<\/strong><\/p>\nConventional wisdom was that \u201ctypical\u201d early symptoms of Lyme disease included severe headaches, chills, fever, extreme fatigue, joint pain and dizziness. With further research, it is evident that early symptoms can vary drastically, making Lyme all the harder to diagnose. Irritability, mood changes, mental confusion, heart palpitations and forgetfulness may be the first manifestations of Lyme. These early signs may go away on their own, but the Lyme organism will cause even more serious health issues in the future if ignored.<\/p>\nIf you\u2019ve been bitten by a tick and have any of these symptoms, see your doctor right away. She or he can order a blood test, or may even prescribe antibiotics based on symptoms. For more information, go to the CDC website at http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/lyme\/<\/a> or to the NIH site at https:\/\/www.niaid.nih.gov\/topics\/lymeDisease\/<\/a><\/p>\nFollow tick-hygiene guidelines so you don\u2019t fall prey to ticks this autumn. Hunting should be a choice.<\/p>\nPaul Hetzler is a horticulture and natural resources educator with\u00a0Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even though I was born and raised in New York State, I never cease to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[13055,4803,5477,48],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18174"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/102"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18174"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18177,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18174\/revisions\/18177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Care_Plus_DEET.JPG\"){kind=link}