Deer Ticks ...One bite can change your life... Orleans Conservation Trust October 21, 2014 Larry Dapsis Deer Tick Project Coordinator - Entomologist www.capecodextension.org 508-375-6642
Ticks have NO friends… The Dalai Lama “I love everything in the world…except for ticks…”
CDC - 30,000 Cases per Year???
2011 - MA Lyme Incidence per 100,000 people 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0
Avg Incidence Rate Lyme - 2005 to 2013 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Incidence per 10,000 people
More “annoying” than a disease threat in MA, but… Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Tularemia Rare in MA Dog Tick
Cuttyhunk & Prudence Islands Sandy Neck and ? Aggressive biter Erlichiosis STARI Tularemia Lone Star Tick …Red Meat Allergy
Deer Tick, or Blacklegged Tick
Tick Ambush Behavior – Questing …Designed to latch onto any creature that brushes up against it
The Lyme Disease Cycle 1. Tick Larvae Hatch – Meal #1 2. Nymphs – Meal #2 Retain and transmit the disease back to mice, birds, etc. 3. Adult Ticks – Meal #3 Deer and other larger vertebrates…Female Ticks need meal to make eggs…lotsa’ eggs
About hosts… 125 vertebrate species play in the tick-disease ecosystem… Rodents are important infective hosts – Mice are extremely “competent”, as are chipmunks Birds play a role Hosts that are “incompetent” are important for supporting tick numbers
Risk of infection is year round, but the greatest risk… is NOT the tick adults Fall thru Spring, 50% infected Bite more likely to be detected …it’s from the nymph stage Late May into August, 25% infected Bite is difficult to detect
Tick SIZE WISE ? check your bagels Adult – Sesame Seed Sized Nymph - Poppy Seed Sized
Number of Confirmed and Probable Lyme Disease Cases Reported in Massachusetts by Month of Onset, 2012 1400 1200 Number of Cases 1000 800 Probable Cases Confirmed Cases 600 400 200 0 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC Month of Onset
Incidence Rates of Confirmed and Probable Lyme Disease Cases in Massachusetts, by Age Group, 2012 140 120 Cases (per 100,000) 100 80 Probable Cases 60 Confirmed Cases 40 20 0 <5 5-9 10- 15- 20- 25- 30- 35- 40- 45- 50- 55- 60- 65- 70- 75- 80- 85+ 14 19 24 29 34 39 44 49 54 59 64 69 74 79 84 Age (years)
Lyme Disease Transmission is Not Immediate 24 Hour “Rule”…for Lyme
“Watson, the plot continues to thicken….”
Other Diseases Transmitted by Deer Ticks o Babesiosis o Invades Red Blood Cells (malaria-like) o Symptoms include fever/chills, severe anemia o Blood Transfusion
Other Diseases Transmitted by Deer Ticks o Anaplasmosis (HGA) o Invades White Blood Cells o Symptoms include fever, nausea, headache, muscle pain, abdominal pain, confusion…
Incidence Rate of Confirmed Babesiosis Cases in Massachsetts, by Age Group, 2011 14.0 Cases (per 100,000) 12.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0 0.0 < 5 5 to 9 10 to 15 to 20 to 25 to 30 to 35 to 40 to 45 to 50 to 55 to 60 to 65 to 70 to 75 to 80 to 85 + 14 19 24 29 34 39 44 49 54 59 64 69 74 79 84 Age Group Incidence Rate of Confirmed HGA Cases Reported in Massachusetts, by Age Range, 2011 10.0 9.0 Cases (per 100,000) 8.0 7.0 6.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 < 5 5 to 10 to 15 to 20 to 25 to 30 to 35 to 40 to 45 to 50 to 55 to 60 to 65 to 70 to 75 to 80 to 85 + 9 14 19 24 29 34 39 44 49 54 59 64 69 74 79 84 Age Group
Nymph Stage Tick Infection Punkhorn Conservation % Bor-Bab-Ana 2013 28 12 0 2012 20 20 2 2011 22 20 0 2010 47 13 8 Bells Neck Conservation % Bor-Bab-Ana 2013 20 12 4 2012 32 22 9 2011 23 20 0 2010 27 0 5
Borrelia miyamotoi Known for 10 years First linkage to human disease in 2012 – Russia U.S. cases followed Misdiagnosed as Anaplasmosis 2014 - Found in 3% of nymph stage ticks, Cape & Island sites
Phase 1 Game Plan- Protect Yourself
Phase 1 Game Plan- Protect Yourself Proper Tweezers Proper Removal Save Tick…Record Date Infection Test Available Laboratory of Medical Zoology Umass-Amherst
Community Innovation Challenge Grant - 2014 Tick Testing – UMass Amherst Four Counties – 32 Towns Barnstable, Nantucket, Middlesex, Franklin 100 Ticks per town No charge to submitter www.TickReport.com
Protect Yourself – Proper Clothing Long pants - tucked into socks Light colors…easier to see ticks Shower and tumble-dry clothes for 20 minutes Shoes Deet containing products on exposed skin
Tick Repellent Clothing – Permethrin Fabric only…Active thru 6 washings Brands Ben’s, Coleman Note, Permethrin is an insecticide that repels and kills ticks. Read the Label…
Pre-treated Tick Repellent Clothing Proprietary process to bond permethrin to fabric… 70 Washings EPA Claim
Permethrin Facts 2,250 times more toxic to ticks than humans EPA: Reasonable certainty that permethrin-treated clothing poses no harm to infants or children Low skin absorption…metabolized quickly Exposure data studied by National Academy of Sciences Used for scabies and head lice control
Phase 2 Game Plan - Protect Your Yard Wildlife and habitat management ? Perimeter sprays effective …NOT the entire yard Consider all “edges”
Damminix Tubes – Eco-Health, Inc.
Phase 3 Game Plan - Protect Your Pets Tick check Products such as K9 Advantix, Frontline Vaccine available for dogs
Don’t let ...one bite change your life... Simplified Game Plan Summary Tick Checks and Use of Permethrin- Treated Clothing Perimeter Yard Spray Pet Protection
Damminix Tubes Several initial university studies looked promising – Fewer ticks on mice Follow-up studies, NY & CT – Replicated, multi-year – No significant effect on nymph tick populations …not all tick -carrying animals take cotton Company website – testimonial driven, no baseline data in company trial
Can Deer Exclusion Fencing reduce tick populations on a homeowners property??? Fact or Myth
Effect of Deer Exclusion Fencing on Tick Numbers Effect of Exclusion Fencing 3 More Ticks 2 1 0 0 5 10 15 20 -1 -2 Fewer Ticks -3 Acres Fenced Off Perkins, 2008
Ticks are designed to stay a while…
Protect Yourself Tick Checks…Choose Proper tool for removing an attached tick C A NO NO E B D NO NO YES…pointy tweezers
So, WHAT IS LYME DISEASE ?
Lyme, Connecticut 1975 Cluster of 51 cases “Arthritis”, children & adults 1982 - Link between ticks and the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi Known as a “condition” for several 100 years 2012 Europe - 5,300 old mummy Italian Alps
Lyme disease bacteria take cover in lymph nodes June 16, 2011 University of California Makes the lymph nodes less effective in fighting infection May explain why people can get repeated infections
IDSA Guidelines, 2006 - There is no convincing biologic evidence for the existence of symptomatic chronic B. burgdorferi infection among patients after receipt of recommended treatment regimens for Lyme disease ILADS, respectfully disagrees… Longer courses of antibiotics treatment Repeat antibiotics for recurrence
New York Cary Institute, 1992-2005 Nymph density (per 100 m 2 ), year t 25 R 2 = 0.007 20 15 10 5 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 Fall deer density (obs/hr), year t-2 Ostfeld et al., 2006
Deer & Nymph Tick Populations 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Cape Cod Martha's Vineyard Nantucket Avg Nymph Ticks per Hour - 2007 to 2012 Deer per Sq Mile
Cape Cod 2014 Winter: Kill Ticks???
Nymph Stage Tick Infection Jehu Pond Conservation % Bor-Bab-Ana 2012 19 4 8 2011 11 20 30 2010 13 0 7
Nymph Stage Tick Infection Almanack Pond % Bor-Bab-Ana 2012 24 12 0 2011 17 40 0 2010 29 5 5 Loring Foundation % Bor-Bab-Ana 2012 50 33 0 2011 20 20 40 2010 0 0 33
Nymph Stage Tick Infection Burgess Conservation % Bor-Bab-Ana 2012 4 0 0 2011 0 0 0 2010 9 0 18
Nymph Stage Tick Infection Jehu Pond Conservation % Bor-Bab-Ana 2013 21 21 4 2012 19 4 8 2011 11 20 30 2010 13 0 7
Permethrin Distribution Eastern Mountain Sports – Hyannis, Bourne Hyannis Country Gardens Scenic Roots – Sandwich Aubuchon Hardware – Sandwich Ace Hardware – Yarmouth, Sandwich Nickerson State Park – Brewster Agway – Dennis, Orleans, Chatham Green Spot Garden Center - Yarmouth
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