Infestation Nation

I hate bugs, hate their guts. I hate bugs more than I hate washing dishes. I can’t begin to communicate how much I really hate bugs. I hate the ground they crawl on the air they breathe. I get all itchy when I even think about bugs. I hate bugs in general. Four, six, especially eight, ten or ten thousand legs, it really doesn’t matter, I hate them. Every time I see that Disney movie, Ants, I just want to hurl. But of the levels of loathing I have for bugs, of all the dimensions of revulsion I feel for them, I hate ticks the absolute most.

Ticks are among one creature on this green Earth that simply should not have been allowed to get on the ark. Noah should’ve had a squad of farmer women standing at the ramp clearing every man, woman, child, bird, and mammal as they boarded.  These eight-legged spawns of Satan are my only point of contention where going to the woods is concerned. Let us take a moment to see a few of the nuances concerning these dreadful little creatures.

First, there are a lot of different species of tick which cover a broad range of the land mass. A tick doesn’t necessarily see as we might think. The can, in some manner, actually see the hosts breath, body odor, heat, moisture, and vibration. Ticks have eight legs. They can see a trial where potential hosts frequent and will climb to an appropriate height based on the host they are seeking. At that point they will wait, with two legs outstretched, for a host to pass by so they can climb on. Usually, they will climb up at that point to find a place to secure themselves.

Ticks will prefer different hosts based on the particular life-cycle they are in at the moment. Ticks can’t fly or jump, so they will often await their host at about the knee level. Once on board they almost always climb up. Some ticks will quickly find a place to insert their feeding tube while other species will travel to an area with thinner skin. Depending on the species of tick it can take from ten minutes to two hours to prepare to dig in.

Here’s where the little boogers get nasty. The tick will grasp the skin and slice it open so they can insert their feeding tube. Many tick species also secrete a cement like substance that helps them stay attached and they also secrete a saliva that has anesthetic affects so they can attach themselves undetected. Once attached a tick will suck blood from the host for several days, how many depends on the size and species of the tick. If the host has some form of pathogen then the tick ingests that as well and can transmit it through saliva during the feeding process.

The tick’s feeding tube is often equipped with barbs to help keep it in place. The can use this tube to feed on birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. They don’t seem to suffer too bad without air. The feeding tube is a two way organ as it can be used to suck blood from the host, but can also allow regurgitation to pass back to the host if the tick is removed wrong.

After the egg stage a tick must have blood during every one of the usual four stages of its life cycle. Ticks can take up to three years to complete their full lifecycle. Ticks four life cycle stages are the eggs, larva, nymph, and adult. Risks of infecting humans with diseases are greatest when a tick is between the nymph and adult stage, and in the spring to summer. This doesn’t mean that infections cannot take place year round.

            So what to do if you find a tick attached to your skin. The first thing I do is swear. After you have that out of the way you can use a pair of fine tipped tweezers and pull the tick directly away from your body with slow, gentle pressure. Don’t twist or tug as you want to make every effort to remove the entire tick intact. After you’ve dislodged the little demon you can clean the bite area with soap, water, and rubbing alcohol. If you live in an area where there are significant reports of tick borne illnesses you may want to save the tick to have it tested.

Be sure to check your kids and pets regularly and immediately tell your doctor if you develop a strange rash or fever in the weeks following a tick bite. They can carry a number of pathogens that can be transmitted to humans which would make you quite ill, especially if you are very young, in poor health, or very old.

Repel with deet or Permethrin are the best agents to use to avoid tick bites. If you have a chance to travel to Canada you can get Repel with a higher percentage of deet which is nothing short of awesome for keeping ticks at bay. You can also walk in the center of trails when you take to the outdoors. Be sure to vacuum or sweep the floors of your house regularly if you live in an area with a lot of ticks. This will make sure any unwanted passengers aren’t roaming free in your home. Check your dogs regularly, cats too if they spend a lot of time outside. They will often think you’re trying to play when you roll them over. You can also do full body checks of yourself to make sure you don’t have any hitchhikers.

While ticks will often wait for a host at about knee level there are times they will go to the moist layers under the leaves during damp times of the year. Therefore, when hunting it is wise to be cautions in clearing the leaves out from under you. The same can be said for the spring months when you are clearing the leaves out of your yard. You can tumble dry your cloths in a hot dryer for ten minutes to kill ticks on dry cloths after you return indoors.

So, now we get to the dangers of ticks. The diseases they can transmit to humans. The list is long, and not just a little short of scary. For your convenience I am going to copy and paste a excerpt from the Center for Disease Control’s Website regarding some of the diseases they can pass to us. This can act as a guide for further reading as most of the information here may be vary depending on species of tick, and the region. So, according to the Center for Disease Control:

·        “Anaplasmosis is transmitted to humans by tick bites primarily from the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) in the northeastern and upper midwestern U.S. and the western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus) along the Pacific coast.

·        Babesiosis is caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells. Most human cases of babesiosis in the U.S. are caused by Babesia microti.Babesia microti is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and is found primarily in the northeast and upper midwest.

·        Borrelia mayonii infection has recently been described as a cause of illness in the upper midwestern United States. It has been found in blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Borrelia mayonii is a new species and is the only species besides B. burgdorferi known to causeLyme disease in North America.

·        Borrelia miyamotoi infection has recently been described as a cause of illness in the U.S. It is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and has a range similar to that of Lyme disease.

·        Colorado tick fever is caused by a virus transmitted by the Rocky Mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni). It occurs in the the Rocky Mountain states at elevations of 4,000 to 10,500 feet.

·        Ehrlichiosis is transmitted to humans by the lone star tick (Ambylomma americanum), found primarily in the southcentral and eastern U.S.

·        Heartland virus infection has been identified in eight patients in Missouri and Tennessee as of March 2014. Studies suggest that Lone Star ticks may transmit the virus. It is unknown if the virus may be found in other areas of the U.S.

·        Lyme disease is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) in the northeastern U.S. and upper midwestern U.S. and the western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus) along the Pacific coast.

·        Powassan disease is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the groundhog tick (Ixodes cookei). Cases have been reported primarily from northeastern states and the Great Lakes region.

·        Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis is transmitted to humans by the Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum).

·        Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is transmitted by the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), Rocky Mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni), and the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sangunineus) in the U.S. The brown dog tick and other tick species are associated with RMSF in Central and South America.

·        STARI (Southern tick-associated rash illness) is transmitted via bites from the lone star tick (Ambylomma americanum), found in the southeastern and eastern U.S.

·        Tickborne relapsing fever (TBRF) is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected soft ticks. TBRF has been reported in 15 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming and is associated with sleeping in rustic cabins and vacation homes.

·        Tularemia is transmitted to humans by the dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), the wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni), and the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum). Tularemia occurs throughout the U.S.

·        364D rickettsiosis (Rickettsia phillipi, proposed) is transmitted to humans by the Pacific Coast tick (Dermacentor occidentalis ticks). This is a new disease that has been found in California.”

Told ya they shouldn’t have been allowed on the ark. Some of these diseases just sound like a barrel of laughs, don’t you think? Yeah, me either. So I might as well take this opportunity to let you know the fun isn’t over. Most tick-borne illness will first manifest with a rash. The Center for Disease Control says the following:

·        “In Lyme disease, the rash may appear within 3-30 days, typically before the onset of fever. The Lyme disease rash is the first sign of infection and is usually a circular rash called erythema migrans or EM. This rash occurs in approximately 70-80% of infected persons and begins at the site of a tick bite. It may be warm, but is not usually painful. Some patients develop additional EM lesions in other areas of the body several days later.

·        The rash of (STARI) is nearly identical to that of Lyme disease, with a red, expanding "bulls eye" lesion that develops around the site of a lone star tick bite. Unlike Lyme disease, STARI has not been linked to any arthritic or neurologic symptoms.

·        The rash seen with Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) varies greatly from person to person in appearance, location, and time of onset. About 10% of people with RMSF never develop a rash. Most often, the rash begins 2-5 days after the onset of fever as small, flat, pink, non-itchy spots (macules) on the wrists, forearms, and ankles and spreads to the trunk. It sometimes involves the palms and soles. The red to purple, spotted (petechial) rash of RMSF is usually not seen until the sixth day or later after onset of symptoms and occurs in 35-60% of patients with the infection.

·        In the most common form of tularemia, 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.

·        In about 30% of patients (and up to 60% of children), ehrlichiosis can cause a rash. The appearance of the rash ranges from macular to maculopapular to petechial, and may appear after the onset of fever.”

So, now we have an idea of how to handle ticks in the summer months. But, don’t forget these evil little creatures don’t hibernate either, so you’ll need to be on the lookout year round. That especially applies for people living in warmer climates. With some simple preventative measures and early detection you should easily be able to keep yourself, your family, and your pets safe when you’re in the great outdoors. Just remember to show no mercy when you find a tick trying to hitch a ride.