by Jodi Ralston
Two More Deer-Tick-Borne Diseases You Should Know About
This blog has touched on Lyme disease, the main and well-known disease of the deer tick or Ixodes scapularis. However, there are two other conditions this #backyard pest carries that you need to watch out for: anaplasmosis and babesiosis.
Anaplasmosis
Quite a mouthful, this word, but this tick-borne illness is no joke. According to the CDC, the late or severe stages can lead to 'respiratory failure, bleeding problems, organ failure, [and] death.' Early symptoms sound like #flusymptoms: 'fever, chills, severe headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, [and] loss of appetite.' However, you won't notice the symptoms of anaplasmosis right away. It usually takes one to two weeks.
All of this starts with a tick carrying the bacterium called Anaplasma phagocytophilum, first identified in humans in 1990, according to the #CDC. The Wisconsin patient died a couple weeks after being bitten by the infected tick. Severe illness generally happens more often in the elderly and those with weak immune systems.
Babesiosis
Instead of a bacterium being at fault in this other tick-borne disease, parasites are the culprit. It seems odd that a parasite would prey upon another parasite, but it happens. In the case of babesiosis, the CDC says many of the infected humans are asymptomatic - in other words, they don't show signs. However, there is a treatment for those who have been made ill by parasites like Babesia microti. This parasite affects the red blood cells and causes 'a low and unstable blood pressure,' bleeding, anemia, blood clots, organ malfunction, and even death.
The year 1957 marked the first case of babesiosis in humans, although earlier cases may have mistakenly been diagnosed as malaria (another insect-borne disease) due to the similarity of the symptoms. In this case, the patient had no spleen. Besides those who have undergone splenectomy, those commonly infected suffer from weak immune systems or severe health conditions. Also, the elderly are more often affected.
These diseases are nothing to mess around with, and prevention is important to reduce your risk of exposure. Some of our previous articles touched on various methods of keeping ticks off you and off your property, but a more surefire way is to reduce the tick population dramatically through #pestcontrol #professionals. #BugsandBlades uses #nontoxic, #kidsafe products that eliminate #ticks by 85% to 95%. If you live in #Fairfield, #Norwalk, #Darien, or the three Ws—#Weston, #Westport, and #Wilton—and are interested in becoming a #customer, ask for a #freeconsultation.
Call Chris at 203.434.3279.