Deer tick
Babesiosis
My fist experience with babesiosis was with a German Shepherd that I had. She lost her appetite and had no energy. I took her to the vet, and at first he did not know what was wrong with her. After running a blood test, he told me, “I know what is wrong with her, but I do not know how she got it.” At the time, babesiosis was only known in the Northeast and Midwest. This disease is caused by a parasite that is transmitted by deer ticks. Some people who have been exposed to babesiosis show no signs at all and have no harm. Those that have a reaction can be in serious danger as the reaction can be life threatening. Symptoms can include flu like symptoms, loss of appetite, or fatigue. Babesiosis can cause anemia. For those that have a reaction, if diagnosed early, effective treatment is available.
Tularemia
Tularemia can be transmitted is several ways. This disease is carried by the wood tick, dog tick, lone star tick, and the deer fly. This disease can also be contracted by drinking contaminated water, handling an animal with the disease, or inhaling contaminated dust. Symptoms for this disease vary depending on how the disease is contracted.
Tularemia ulcer
Illness ranges from mild to life-threatening. All forms are accompanied by fever, which can be as high as 104 °F. The main forms of this disease are listed below:
- Ulceroglandular This is the most common form of tularemia and usually occurs following a tick or deer fly bite or after handing of an infected animal. A skin ulcer appears at the site where the organism entered the body. The ulcer is accompanied by swelling of regional lymph glands, usually in the armpit or groin.
- Glandular Similar to ulceroglandular tularemia, but without an ulcer. Also generally acquired through the bite of an infected tick or deer fly or from handling sick or dead animals.
- Oculoglandular This form occurs when the bacteria enter through the eye. This can occur when a person is butchering an infected animal and touches his or her eyes. Symptoms include irritation and inflammation of eye and swelling of lymph glands in front of the ear.
- Oropharyngeal This form results from eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Patients with orophyangeal tularemia may have sore throat, mouth ulcers, tonsillitis, and swelling of lymph glands in the neck.
- Pneumonic This is the most serious form of tularemia. Symptoms include cough, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. This form results from breathing dusts or aerosols containing the organism. It can also occur when other forms of tularemia (e.g. ulceroglandular) are left untreated and the bacteria spread through the bloodstream to the lungs.
Symptoms list referenced from and all photos credited to www.cdc.gov.
Lone Star Tick and Deer Fly
Anaplasmosis and Ehrlichiosis
Western blacklegged tick
These two diseases are extremely similar. Both exhibit flu like symptoms and both can be deadly if not treated by affecting the internal organs. Symptoms of both diseases tend to occur 7 to 14 days after the bite event. Both can be treated with different antibiotics. Anaplasmosis is transmitted by deer tick and by western black-legged tick. Ehrlichiosis is transmitted by the lone star tick.
A New Disease
Just this year, there has been discovered a new tick borne disease that is extremely similar to Lyme disease but is caused by a completely different bacterium. This disease was first discovered in New England. It exhibits flu like symptoms and a relapsing fever. Luckily so far, one treatment of antibiotics appear to clear up the infection.
I have tried to include as much information and pictures as I can here, and I hope you have found this article useful. Tick borne diseases can be very serious, and a good insect repellant should be at the top of your list of spring and summer supplies.
Thanks for the read, and…Keep It Rural.
Page One of Tick Borne Diseases
I am all-too-familiar with tick-borne diseases. My father almost died from erlichiosis a few years ago. He ended up in the ICU for 39 days, some of that time on a ventilator, with multiple organ damage, all because of one little disease-bearing tick. Fortunately, he made a full recovery and is fine now. I also have a friend who has been fighting the after-effects of lyme disease for over a year. Fortunately, she has an excellent doctor who is using specialized treatments, but it means she has to fly from Tennessee to New York State every 2 weeks, because no one around here specializes in Lyme or will get her the high-powered antibiotics and other medicines she needs to fight the disease.
I have heard that with any tick bite, if you see the tick (and remove it), a good idea is to put the dead tick on a piece of Scotch tape, mark the date, and then if you get ANY weird symptoms (even an ongoing headache–which was my dad’s primary symptom at first) within the next month or so, you’ll have the tick speciman available for any testing that they can do.
Thanks for bringing attention to this scary set of diseases. Definitely use insect repellant, and check daily for ticks if you’ve been out and about!