Ticks can cause big problems
By KAY SEDGMERArticle Photos
THE CARRIER is sometimes as small as the head of a pin, but its bite can lead to years of pain and unanswered questions for the unsuspecting host. It can also lead to death.
The deer tick, which feeds on the blood of animals and humans alike, can be so small it is nearly impossible to spot until they begin to feed. At that time, the tick may swell many times their normal size.
Ticks are not insects but Arachnids, a class of Arthropods, which also include mites, spiders and scorpions.
Research throughout the years has shown the deer tick (or black legged tick) normally feeds on the blood of mice, small birds and deer. But the nasty little pest can also target humans, dogs, cats and horses for its food supply.
The parasitic tick imbeds its mouthparts into the host's skin and then begins feeding by sucking blood. The feeding process makes ticks the perfect vectors for a variety of pathogenic agents including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other parasitic diseases including the even more rare infection known as rabbit fever.
Locally, the reported cases of such diseases are rare but in the past, those who contracted the disease were often left to suffer for years without a diagnosis or any type of relief.
Two families have been forced to deal with such diseases and have had their lives changed because of it.
Belmont County resident Judy Coleman said her entire family was infected with the Lyme disease while six-year-old Abi Figurski, whose family has ties to the local area, has also fallen victim to a tick's bite but from a different disease.
Abi's mother, Tara, has been forced to learn all about ticks and she knows her daughter is suffering from a very rare disease.
The little girl became ill shortly after a day in central Ohio's Metro Park. Her mother recalled that after the family returned to their home in Gahanna, a tick was discovered attached to Abi's scalp.
She then developed swollen lymph nodes in her neck. A biopsy led doctors to diagnose her with Tularemia, a rare bacterial infection commonly known as rabbit fever.
The condition is transmitted to humans by ticks and is normally only found in rabbits and rodents. In Ohio, only five cases have been diagnosed in the past nine years while 200 cases are diagnosed each year nationwide.
The incubation period for tularemia is 1 to 14 days while human infections usually become apparent after 3 to 5 days.
In most cases, the clinical signs of Tularemia include fever, lethargy, anorexia, signs of septicemia, and possibly death. Fever is moderate or very high and tularemia bacillus can be isolated from blood cultures. The face and eyes may redden and become inflamed. According to information, inflammation spreads to the lymph nodes, which enlarge and may suppurate, mimicking bubonic plague.
Because of Abi's ordeal, signs were erected at the park warning people of the abundant numbers of ticks this year. A dry and moderately-warm spring created the perfect breeding grounds for the parasitic creatures.
Abi's outcome is looking brighter each day. She has been treated with strong antibiotics and is expected to make a complete recovery.
Lyme disease, which is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, is also primarily carried by the common deer tick.
The disease was first recognized in 1975in Lyme, Connecticut. At that time several mothers made researchers aware of their children being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. This discovery lead researcher to the identification of the bacterial cause of what became known as Lyme disease in 1982.
"My family was first diagnosed with Lyme's disease in the early 1990s," Coleman said. "My oldest daughter was diagnosed first, after an eight year 'mystery illness.' Throughout a period of 12 years, my children missed years of school. The school and community of doctors did not understand the disease and we were judged harshly on many occasions. During this time, I was even investigated for Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome. The caseworker profusely apologized at the time he closed the investigation."
When the correct diagnoses was finally given, the realization led the young mother to organize support groups throughout Ohio and West Virginia.
Coleman said some of those misdiagnoses included Lupus, MS, fibromyalgia, Chronic fatigue, arthritis, epilepsy, Alzheimer's and even migraine headaches.
"Lyme is a very difficult disease to diagnose and treat successfully," she said. "The available tests are for one strain of Lyme disease, but many more strains have been discovered, thus the testing is very inaccurate."
She said documentation show that approximately 75 percent of the Lyme cases are missed. She also noted that Benjamin Luft, M.D., Professor of Medicine at Stony Brook University Medical Center, has concluded the treatment of Lyme disease, which is antibiotics, is sometime ineffective because of the different strains. The doctor also said the same tick bite can transmit other co-infections along with Lyme.
Currently, her family is once again battling the disease.
Her son, who was first diagnosed 15 years ago was re-infected at the age of 21. This time he also has Bartonella, Babesiosis and Mycoplasma.
"After my son's re-infection, I was moved to write a book for children to increase awareness, both to children about the danger of ticks and for parents so they can become more aware of the early symptoms of Lyme disease," she said.
Coleman penned "Timmy and the Tick" and is hopeful the book will be of benefit to others.
"Athough the book does not go into the frustrations involved in diagnosing and treating Lyme disease, it is full of information involving in diagnosing and treating the disease," she said. "I could actually write a horror book of the period when my family was seeking diagnoses and help for the disease. Because of the fact we were undiagnosed and untreated for a period of time after our infection, it took extended treatment from Lyme specialists, alternating antibiotics for long periods of time, and even then the kids suffered many relapses. We went through 15 years of ups and downs with this disease before finally, for the most part, becoming well again."
The book is also offered as a fundraiser by its author.
"I want everyone to be aware of this disease," she said. "Although my book is fiction, the information on symptoms, treatment, and prevention of Lyme disease is very useful and educational."
For more information on the book, where it can be purchased and the fundraising possibilities, visit Coleman's Website at www.kidsboosbyjudycolement.com.
More than 20,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported each year in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC says those numbers represent only a fraction of those infected, as many cases are not diagnosed and reported.?Ticks can be transported anywhere by migrating birds, and travelers, so everyone needs to be aware and take precautions.
To contract any disease carried by these parasite, you must be bitten by an infected tick. The bacteria enter your skin through the bite and eventually make their way into your bloodstream. Only ticks that are attached to your skin and are feeding can transmit the bacteria. An attached tick that has a swollen appearance may indicate that enough time has elapsed to transmit bacteria. Removing the tick as soon as possible may prevent infection.
Authorities advise everyone to take precautions to prevent theses diseases by routinely practicing personal protective measures and implementing tick control strategies around the yard, including:
Checking your body thoroughly every day for ticks.
Using a sharp tick-removal tweezer to safely detach ticks.
Treating clothing with a repellent containing Permethrin and wearing the treated clothing whenever going in areas where ticks may lurk.
Keeping the edge of the yard clear of leaf litter because that's where exposure to ticks is most likely to occur.
Hiring a professional pest controller or arborist to apply a tick treatment around the yard.
For more details on the disease and its treatment, a variety of Websites offer information including www.lymeinfo.net.
Sedgmer may be reached at ksedgmertimesleaderonline.com
