The Commercial Appeal Digital Edition

TICK, TICK, BOOM

Bug season gets worse every year

Frank Gluck For the Memphis Commercial Appeal | USA TODAY NETWORK – TENNESSEE

A bug bite caused Julie Curtis to become allergic to meat and, as a result, upended her life.

A Lone Star tick got on her skin while she was working on her farm in Mt. Juliet. It initially caused a red welt the size of a baseball and produced mild symptoms that seemed like normal fatigue: achy joints and dizziness.

But, before long, eating a variety of meats – or even consuming products whose ingredients included by-products of those animals, such as marshmallows – made her sick. Doctors eventually diagnosed her with alpha-gal syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening allergy to pork, beef, rabbit, lamb and/or venison.

For Curtis, eating certain kinds of meat initially made breathing difficult, the feeling similar to her throat closing, she said.

“It was pretty devastating,” Curtis said. “It changes your life completely.”

Lone Star tick counts high in Tennessee

Spring and summer are generally prime tick months in Tennessee. Ticks carry a variety of diseases, a number of which are commonly transmitted in Tennessee. Some, while rare, can cause

life-threatening illnesses. Tennessee is among the states with the highest number of Lone Star ticks, which carry diseases like alpha-gal, studies show.

Ticks are commonly found in grassy, brushy and wooded areas. Ticks that cause Lyme disease are more commonly found in the middle and eastern parts of the state, according to the Tennessee Department of Health. The overall number of tick-borne diseases has also grown in recent decades, the department has found.

Part of that may be because of the expanding range of ticks. The department has seen more black-legged ticks, which transmit Lyme disease, from the north, where they have historically been more common, said spokesman Dean Flener. Similarly, Gulf Coast ticks, which transmit illness-causing Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis (the cause of Rocky Mountain spotted fever) have moved north into Tennessee, Flener said.

An overall warming climate likely hasn’t helped.

“Ticks can be out throughout the entire year. It just needs to be above 45 degrees Fahrenheit for their bodies to start moving again,” said Nick Oldham, a pollinator ecology technician at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “So, if we have a warmer winter or a warmer spring, they’ll start moving pretty early. The further south you go, the more ticks you’ll get, like in Georgia. But we’ve got a pretty big handful here, to say the least.”

Curtis said she has since become a bit more tolerant of meat since she was bitten in 2021. She credits some alternative medical treatments, including acupuncture, for helping, though she said she limits her fast food and red meat intake.

“I’m not going to eat hamburger five days a week, you know?” she said. “I’m careful. I’m more cautious.”

Research on the acupuncture treatment she sought out is limited, at best. It can also be very expensive — in her case, nearly $1,000. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said alphagal is best managed with antihistamines, corticosteroids and other medications. The CDC also notes that infected people may begin eating meat again after avoiding re-exposure and tick bites for a long enough period of time.

How worried should you be?

It’s worth noting that the most serious of tick diseases are rare, experts say.

Tennessee counted 372 cases of Lyme disease between 2012 and 2022, according to the Health Department. Most years, the state sees a few dozen cases.

The most common tick-borne diseases are spotted fever rickettsioses, a group that includes Rocky Mountain spotted fever, said Flener, the Health Department spokesman.

Again, these are commonly treated with antibiotics.

Tennessee sees about 15 cases per million people each year, according to the CDC.

Before going outside where ticks may be, the Department of Health advises people to use insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD) or 2-undecanone.

For more information, visit the Environmental Protection Agency’s website and search for insect repellents. The department notes that very small children should not wear such repellants.

“It’s really important for you to check yourself over if you’ve been out and locate the tick and remove it as soon as possible,” said Oldham, with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “And if you catch it right away, these are all treatable. There’s definitely a lot better treatment options the earlier you catch it.”

The Tennessee Department of Health has identified six primary ticks that live in Tennessee. Most are disease-spreading ticks of concern.

American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis)

Where they live: East of the Rocky Mountains and on parts of the Pacific Coast

Diseases spread: Tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Tularemia causes a variety of symptoms and can be life-threatening but is usually treated with antibiotics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever usually leads to fever, headache, and rash, according to the CDC. But it can also be life-threatening if not treated early with antibiotics, the CDC states.

When they tend to be out: Highest risk is in the spring and summer

Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis)

Where they live: Eastern United States (recently found in eastern Tennessee)

Diseases spread: Nothing that affects humans in the United States

Worth noting: This is an invasive species that can reproduce quickly and cause infestations, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

Black-legged tick, or deer tick (Ixodes scapularis)

Where they live: Eastern United States

Diseases spread: Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and Powassan virus. Lyme disease usually causes fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans, according to the CDC.

If left untreated, Lyme disease can spread to the joints, the heart and the nervous system. It is treated with antibiotics. Anaplasmosis commonly causes fever, headache, chills, and muscle aches, according to the CDC.

It is treated with doxycycline, a type of antibiotic.

Babesiosis is a potentially lifethreatening infection that may cause flu-like symptoms but may be more serious for the elderly or those with compromised immune symptoms.

Treatments vary, depending on the patient. Powassan virus is a rare but often fatal disease that has no treatment or preventative medicines, according to the CDC. Many people have no symptoms, while others develop fever, headache, vomiting and weakness. It can also cause an infection of the brain known as encephalitis or of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord, something known as meningitis. One in 10 people with severe disease die from it, according to the CDC.

Half of those who survive a severe disease have long-term health problems.

When they tend to be out: These ticks bite people whenever temperatures are above freezing

Tennessee counted 372 cases of Lyme disease between 2012 and 2022, according to the Health Department. Most years, the state sees a few dozen cases.

Brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)

Where they live: Worldwide Diseases spread: Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Worth noting: These ticks mostly bite dogs but may bite people and other mammals, according to the Tennessee Department of Health.

Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum)

Where they live: Southeastern and mid-atlantic states

Diseases spread: Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Worth noting: These ticks mostly bite birds, small rodents, deer and other wildlife, according to the state Department of Health.

Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum)

Where they live: Eastern and (more commonly) Southeastern United States

Transmits: Ehrlichiosis, tularemia, Heartland virus, southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI) and Alpha-gal Syndrome. Ehrlichiosis commonly causes fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and, sometimes, upset stomach, according to the CDC. It’s treated with an antibiotic. Heartland virus usually causes fever, fatigue, decreased appetite, headache, nausea, diarrhea, and muscle or joint pain. Some people may need to be hospitalized, according to the CDC. There is no treatment.

Southern tick-associated rash illness usually starts with a bull’s eye rash followed by fatigue, fever, headache, muscle and joint pain. It’s often mistaken for Lyme disease and treated with antibiotics, according to the CDC.

Worth noting: These are “very aggressive” ticks. They are distinguishable by a white dot on the backs of adult females, according to the state’s Department of Health.

Frank Gluck is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at fgluck@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Frankgluck.

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2023-05-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

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