Tick-borne illness

Dear Editor, Ticks carry many diseases, bacteria, and viruses and represent a very important healthcare issue both in Croatia and globally. Although most ticks are not infected with pathogens dangerous to humans, some ticks can transmit infectious diseases with significant morbidity and mortality. This is caused by the increasing incidence of many tick-borne diseases over a growing geographical area. Many factors influence which species of ticks are present in a given geographical area, as well as the density of their population and the risk of human exposure to infected ticks...

BACKGROUND: Emerging tick-transmitted illnesses are increasingly recognized in the United States (US). To identify multiple potential tick-borne pathogens in patients from the Upper Midwest and Northeast US with suspected anaplasmosis, we used state-of-the-art methods (polymerase chain reaction [PCR] and paired serology) to test samples from patients in whom anaplasmosis had been excluded. METHODS: Five hundred sixty-eight patients without anaplasmosis had optimal samples available for confirmation of alternative tick-borne pathogens, including PCR and/or paired serology (acute-convalescent interval ≤42 days)...

Ticks are responsible for the vast majority of vector-borne illnesses in the United States. The number of reported tick-borne disease (TBD) cases has more than doubled in the past 20 years. The majority of TBD cases occur in warm weather months in individuals with recent outdoor activities in wooded areas. The risk of contracting a TBD is also highly dependent on geographic location. Between 24 and 48 hours of tick attachment is required for most disease transmission to occur. Only 50% to 70% of patients with a TBD will recall being bitten by a tick, and TBDs are often initially misdiagnosed as a viral illness...

Based on increases in reported cases of tick-borne illnesses, expanding ranges of native ticks, and repeated documentation of arrivals of nonnative tick species, there is a clear need for their effective management in the United States. Synthetic acaricides have proven efficacious in tick management, but real/perceived negative impacts to the environment and nontarget, beneficial insects must be addressed. We sought to determine whether late fall synthetic acaricide application, when most susceptible beneficial insects are presumably dormant or have migrated, could effectively manage host-seeking spring Ixodes scapularis Say abundances as compared to traditional spring application...

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) is a tick-borne infection caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Only seven cases of HGA have been reported in Japan to date. We report the case of a 61-year-old female farmer who developed HGA with rash and rhabdomyolysis. The patient had fever and erythema covering the entire body, including the palms. An induration with an eschar was observed on the right leg, indicating that the patient had been bitten by a tick. Elevated serum creatinine and creatinine kinase levels and hematuria indicated rhabdomyolysis...

Lyme disease (LD), caused in the United States primarily by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, is a tick-borne illness characterized by a spectrum of clinical manifestations depending on the stage of illness. Most clinicians are familiar with the classic bullseye appearance of the erythema migrans (EM) rash that occurs in the early stage of the disease. However, many providers may not be aware of alternate appearances for the rash. This paper reports the case of a 69-year-old female with LD, exhibiting an atypical rash with purplish discoloration that was devoid of an outer ring or central clearing...

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) secondary to tick-borne infections is a rare but potentially life-threatening syndrome. We performed a scoping review according to PRISMA guidelines to systematically analyze the existing literature on the topic. A total of 98 patients were included, with a mean age of 43.7 years, of which 64% were men. Most cases, 31%, were reported from the USA. Immunosuppression was present in 21.4%, with the most common cause being previous solid organ transplantation. Constitutional symptoms were the most common, observed in 83...

UNLABELLED: Heartland virus (HRTV) is an emerging tick-borne bandavirus that causes a febrile illness of varying severity in humans, with cases reported in eastern and midwestern regions of the United States. No vaccines or approved therapies are available to prevent or treat HRTV disease. Here, we describe the genetic changes, natural history of disease, and pathogenesis of a mouse-adapted HRTV (MA-HRTV) that is uniformly lethal in 7- to 8-week-old AG129 mice at low challenge doses. We used this model to assess the efficacy of the ribonucleoside analog, 4'-fluorouridine (EIDD-2749), and showed that once-daily oral treatment with 3 mg/kg of drug, initiated after the onset of disease, protects mice against lethal MA-HRTV challenge and reduces viral loads in blood and tissues...

Emerging and reemerging tick-borne orthonairovirus infections (family Nairoviridae), which are genetically distinct from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, have been recently reported in East Asia. Here, we have established a mouse infection model using type-I/II interferon receptor-knockout mice (AG129) both for a better understanding the pathogenesis of these infections and validation of antiviral agents using Yezo virus (YEZV), a novel virus causing febrile illnesses associated with tick bites in Japan and China...

Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted via Ixodes ticks, is a common vector-borne illness in the United States, with an estimated 476,000 annual cases. While primarily known for its neurological and rheumatological manifestations, Lyme disease can also involve the cardiac system, known as Lyme carditis, which occurs in about 4% to 10% of cases. This case report details a rare instance of Lyme carditis presenting as ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in a 31-year-old female with no significant medical history...

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is an emerging pathogen in the Netherlands. Multiple divergent viral strains are circulating and the focal distribution of TBEV remains poorly understood. This may, however, be explained by differences in the susceptibility of tick populations for specific viruses and viral strains, and by viral strains having higher infection success in their local tick population. We investigated this hypothesis by exposing Dutch Ixodes ricinus ticks to two different TBEV strains: TBEV-NL from the Netherlands and TBEV-Neudoerfl from Austria...

CONTEXT: Environmental changes will foster the spread of Ixodes scapularis ticks and increase the incidence of Lyme disease in Québec in the coming years. The objective of this study is to estimate the epidemiological and clinical burden and part of the current economic burden of Lyme disease in Québec and to estimate the number of cases expected by 2050. METHODS: Cases of Lyme disease reported in Québec from 2015 to 2019 were used to describe their demographic, geographical and clinical characteristics and the cost of their initial care...

Ehrlichiosis is a vector-borne illness transmitted by the lone star tick ( Amblyomma americanum ). Most patients have risk factors for tick exposure, such as hobbies or careers involving hunting, camping, and hiking. This case exposes a rare case of severe ehrlichiosis, ultimately resulting in fatal sepsis, in an elderly patient without any reported tick bites or exposures. This patient had a history of cognitive impairment, which was confounded by acute encephalopathy at presentation. Unfortunately, this hindered his ability to report any known tick exposures, which posed a challenge in the diagnosis and ultimately delayed treatment as there were no clear findings of a tick bite or known exposures...

Louping ill virus (LIV) is a tick-borne flavivirus that predominantly causes disease in livestock, especially sheep in the British Isles. A preventive vaccine, previously approved for veterinary use but now discontinued, was based on an inactivated whole virion that likely provided protection by induction of neutralizing antibodies recognizing the viral envelope (E) protein. A major disadvantage of the inactivated vaccine was the need for high containment facilities for the propagation of infectious virus, as mandated by the hazard group 3 status of the virus...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVES: Kyasanur forest disease (KFD) is a tick-borne disease in India affecting humans and two local non-human primate species. A critical knowledge gap in the scientific literature is the lack of information on how people's sociodemographic factors influence KFD occurrence. METHODS: We analyzed available data on KFD from three data sources: (a) 104 peer-reviewed articles using keyword searches on PubMed Central and Google Scholar, (b) 116 Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases reports, and (c) an acute febrile illness surveillance data set on KFD from a report by the government of India...

Human viruses and viruses from animals can cause illnesses in humans after the consumption of contaminated food or water. Contamination may occur during preparation by infected food handlers, during food production because of unsuitably controlled working conditions, or following the consumption of animal-based foods contaminated by a zoonotic virus. This review discussed the recent information available on the general and clinical characteristics of viruses, viral foodborne outbreaks and control strategies to prevent the viral contamination of food products and water...

Eight hunting dogs were visited by a state veterinarian on the island of Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, as owners reported anorexia and paralysis in five of their dogs. The veterinarian observed a combination of clinical signs consistent with tick-borne illness, including fever, anorexia, anaemia, lethargy and paralysis. Blood and ticks were collected from each dog and submitted to a diagnostic laboratory for analysis. Microscopic analysis revealed a mixed infection of intracytoplasmic organisms consistent with Babesia spp...

BACKGROUND: Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus is a tick-borne bunyavirus prevalent across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. The virus causes a non-specific febrile illness which may develop into severe haemorrhagic disease. To date, there are no widely approved therapeutics. Recently, we reported an alphavirus-based replicon RNA vaccine which expresses the CCHFV nucleoprotein (repNP) or glycoprotein precursor (repGPC) and is protective against lethal disease in mice. METHODS: Here, we evaluated engineered GPC constructs to find the minimal enhancing epitope of repGPC and test two RNA vaccine approaches to express multiple antigens in vivo to optimize protective efficacy of our repRNA...

Babesiosis is a tick-borne parasitic infection seen in the Northeast and upper Midwest regions of the United States. Clinically, this intra-erythrocytic parasitic infection can present in a variety of ways, including fever, fatigue, malaise, or myalgia. Of note, these presenting symptoms are very similar to symptoms that can also be seen in patients with low-grade lymphoma. Thus, differentiating between babesiosis infection and active, symptomatic low-grade lymphoma can be difficult. We present a patient with concurrent severe babesiosis infection and follicular lymphoma...