Researchers take note of northern spread of tick-borne illnesses
By Cayte Bosler
In the 1950s, physicians urged parents to not allow their children to venture into areas known to be infested with wood ticks. After a day in the country, a child might turn up to the dinner table “with unaccountable black specks” because “ticks [were] out in unusually strong numbers in the tall grasses” of Long Island, reported the New York Times in 1953. Then, the worry was that ticks could transmit Tularemia or “rabbit fever,” caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis.
Now, anyone who ventures into the woods risks the newer and varied dangers posed by these black specks. The black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis, also known as the deer tick, transmits up to seven different diseases, many of those on the rise, as the tiny arachnids creep farther into areas they previously were not. Scientists attribute this in part to climate change.
Tick-borne diseases already account for more than 75% of reported vector-borne diseases in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The overall warmer and wetter conditions brought by climate change probably favor tick survival and an increase in their populations. They have a better chance of surviving the winters because they are milder.”
— Lee Ann Sporn, Paul Smith’s College professor
Winters used to keep them at bay, but this isn’t the case anymore. In the United States, 2021 was the fourth hottest year on record with winter as the fastest-warming season, especially in northern locations and higher altitudes.
“Most of their life, ticks are dormant, but there are more days in the year where it’s suitable for them to quest,” Sporn said. Questing is when ticks seek to attach themselves to a host, be it a small mammal or bird, a deer, dog or a person who brushes past. “They will only quest when the conditions are right, which usually means humid,” she said “Climate change makes more days like that possible throughout the year.”
These new studies from Paul Smith’s college build on previous, decades-long observations of tick ranges and the associated tick-borne illnesses. In 1984, scientists told the Times that ticks had been found on a wide variety of Connecticut birds thought to be distributing them out of the state, where Lyme disease was first documented in 1976. Cases were appearing for the first time on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley, leading the scientists to believe that the flighted animals were responsible for their arrival.
In the last two decades, Lyme cases in the U.S. have tripled, the CDC reported. According to the New York State Department of Health, the state has the highest number of reported and confirmed cases in the country.
The Environmental Protection Agency acknowledges the rise of Lyme disease as a clear indicator of climate change. In a recent report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change specified the northern expansion of tick-borne illnesses in the U.S. as an important vector to continue to monitor because of its profound impact on human health. Lyme disease is viewed as a harbinger of the prediction that more infectious diseases could proliferate with changing climatic conditions.
In addition to Lyme disease, state public health officials warn of anaplasmosis, from the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum, which mimics many symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, difficulty breathing and headaches. Anaplasmosis statewide quadrupled from 2010 to 2018, with more than an eightfold increase in the Albany region, according to a new study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. Although the disease can be fatal, it’s easily treatable if detected early and cannot be spread from person to person. Building in the public awareness of its prevalence is a priority.
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“It’s got to become more of the culture that, yes, we have ticks.” Sporn said. “Especially in northern New York where ticks are emerging. Infection rates to humans in the North Country are high and steadily increasing. We need to warn people that they are around.”
Many New York state parks feature a “Prevent Tick Bites!” sign at trailheads to educate the public, but places where ticks historically weren’t present need additional outreach to ensure they’re prepared.
“If we can predict where the ticks are moving because of climate change we can inform health care providers to ‘think tick-borne diseases’ when making a diagnosis.”
– Lee Ann Sporn
Sporn is working with her students to continue monitoring the surveillance of ticks and the diseases they carry to document any spread. Paul Smith’s College continues to partner with government health offices for outreach to the public.
“It’s about consistent, responsible messaging when it comes to educating the public on new risks from tick-borne diseases exacerbating climate change,” Sporn said.
Historically, public officials and scientists advocated for a spectrum of mitigation measures running the gamut from imperfect and ineffective solutions, like issuing deer reduction hunts, to more effective biocontrols like the introduction of wasps, a natural tick enemy, to the adoption of the pesticide DDT recognized after its widespread use to cause catastrophic rippling ecological problems.
Sporn said the use of vaccine-laced pellets aimed at the small mammals in an ecosystem that have proven to be successful in previous trials. Vaccinating the tick-hosts against disease could significantly reduce the risk of initial infection spilling into the arachnid population which then can infect humans. The problem of scaling up this solution is stuck at the cost to manufacture the product and a concerted effort to adopt it as a strategy. The vaccine is tailored for mice, and yet to be proven effective in other Lyme-carrying animals like chipmunks and birds. A vaccine for humans, LYMERix, was available, but was discontinued in 2002 due to lack of demand.
Taking the advice of the physicians in the 1950s and not venturing into areas known to have ticks in New York would be nearly impossible now. But establishing a habit of tick checks after every outing could help to decrease significantly the risk of infection to humans (the tick needs to be present on the skin for 36-48 hours before a person can become infected). Research suggests this could spare one from showing up to the dinner table with black specks.
A year ago I got anaplasmosis from a tick bite. I’m an adirondack trapper and the fisher that I catch are loaded with ticks! I came very close to death with IV’s going in both arms. Symptons are terrible.
The article says: “But establishing a habit of tick checks after every outing could help to decrease significantly the risk of infection to humans (the tick needs to be present on the skin for 36-48 hours before a person can become infected).”
It is important to note that the time delay only applies to Lyme. There are a number of other tick-borne diseases than can be transmitted quickly when the tick bites you. So ticks need to be prevented from ever getting on your body.
You might not see it in articles, but the people out there in the woods know that the secret is Permethrin. It is not used on skin, but rather applied to your clothing – in advance so it has time to dry before you wear it.
If you wear Permethrin treated socks, pants, shirt, and hat, you can stop worrying about ticks. And, it is also effective against mosquitos, but you need to add regular insect repellant on your bare face, neck, ears, and hands.
Permethrin seems to work well for me as well. I have tons of ticks on my property, and since I have started using it I find fewer ticks on my clothes, and rarely on my person. But I still worry about them attaching and remain diligent.
Pets are also great transportation systems for ticks. If your pets roam into the yard and edges, they need to be protected, as they will indeed bring them into the house where we aren’t slathered with insecticide. I recently lost a cat that several years ago developed a “fever of unknown origin” that I blame on the ticks that bit her when her tick treatment became ineffective (Frontline as I recall). Vet couldn’t specifically find the offending blood organism. Despite IV antibiotics, she nearly died during the acute phase, and had neuropathy and debilitating arthropathy the remaining years of her life. If you don’t protect yourself from ticks, at least protect your pets.
I wish I had had more knowledge of ticks’ abilities to infect pets. It still hasn’t been studied very much, yet needs to be.
In the summer of 2019, I suddenly had extremely low blood pressure and heart rate. After three days of not being able to stand without help, a friend drove me to the urgent care clinic in Warrensburg. The doctor called an ambulance and sent me to Glens Fall ER, saying I was in afib and in imminent danger of a stroke. After not being able to identify the problem but stabilizing me, the ER sent me home and told me to see a cardiologist the next day. He put me on medication that sunk my heart rate further and said I was a healthy individual and there were no indicators that I should have heart disease. 10 days later, though I was not quite as weak, I still wasn’t feeling right, and my blood pressure was still extremely low. I went back to urgent care, and a nurse practitioner decided to run tests for tick-borne diseases. The results came back with extremely high numbers for Lyme, Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis. ‘The trifecta’, as my doctor termed it. They immediately put me on doxycycline (which treats Lyme and Anaplasmosis) plus two other antibiotics for the Babesiosis. Thank goodness for the NP who decided to test for tick diseases! The lesson I learned is that these diseases can attack one’s heart (I am otherwise extremely healthy, with no indicators for heart disease) without you ever knowing you’ve been bit. I had none of the normal symptoms of a tick bite and never saw the tick. Last summer, when my blood pressure suddenly dropped again, I knew immediately what to do. I took doxycycline and had the blood tests done again. That time I had ‘only’ Lyme and Anaplasmosis, so the doxycycline was enough. I agree that Permethrin can be an effective preventive. But the best thing is to know your body and get help if something doesn’t seem right.
My first 50 plus years were spent in southern Saratoga County. I never found a tick on me and only a couple on my horses and dogs. These last 12 years have been spent in southwestern St Lawrence County. I have run into many many ticks. Some on me and many others on my dog. I have had Lime disease. Many symptoms. Not pleasant. My dog is vaccinated and receives monthly skin applications to discourage ticks. My wife and I do not go off trail without wearing permethrin treated clothing.
Live in the Adirondacks contracted anaplasmosis this June – 7 months to recover – almost killed me – almost everyone I know has or knows someone who’s contracted some sort of illness from a tick bites – it’s devastating and getting worse 🙁