Eye opening article at NYTimes about tick borne diseases & lack of vaccines/drugs in the USA

[William Gaatjes]

I'm curious how someone can not notice being bitten by a tick and also why testing for Lyme disease isn't SOP when someone has been bitten by a Tick (esp. if it can progress to an "incurable" stage).

Ticks are relatively large by parasite standards and they're really built for feeding on deer etc. Humans just don't have the hair cover (insert missing link joke here) and ticks are very easy to both notice and get rid of thanks to all this opposable thumb action. So how do you get bit and not know?

Given Lyme disease can become chronic, I figure it would be in the best interest of any insurance/healthcare network to catch it early and treat it than let it languish and turn into a chronic problem that ends up costing a bunch of money.

For as far as i know, you actually do not feel the bite. The proboscis to drill in your skin and the saliva released, is filled with chemicals to prevent detection and to keep the blood from clotting by platelets.
Bloodsucking worms also seem to be able to do the same trick. You do not feel them bite but you sure can see them.


I found this site, it has some information about it.

Tick Anatomy (A Basic + In-Depth Look) | TickSafety.com

Learn all about tick anatomy, how they breathe, feed, how they transmit diseases, and if they even have a brain. Tick anatomy is actually fascinating!

ticksafety.com

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

I'm curious how someone can not notice being bitten by a tick and also why testing for Lyme disease isn't SOP when someone has been bitten by a Tick (esp. if it can progress to an "incurable" stage).

You don't even know they're on you until after they've dug in and began feeding.

Every once in a while, I'll feel something odd, like a kind of tickle and find one crawling that hasn't attached itself yet.

The smallest ones are barely the size of a grain of ground pepper. Bigger ones can be the diameter of a full peppercorn.

I've been feasted on by dozens over the last 20 years and so far, no disease. Just a lot of itching for a few days after you snatch them off until the wound heals.

 

[Brainonska511]

I'm curious how someone can not notice being bitten by a tick and also why testing for Lyme disease isn't SOP when someone has been bitten by a Tick (esp. if it can progress to an "incurable" stage).

Ticks are relatively large by parasite standards and they're really built for feeding on deer etc. Humans just don't have the hair cover (insert missing link joke here) and ticks are very easy to both notice and get rid of thanks to all this opposable thumb action. So how do you get bit and not know?

Given Lyme disease can become chronic, I figure it would be in the best interest of any insurance/healthcare network to catch it early and treat it than let it languish and turn into a chronic problem that ends up costing a bunch of money.

Because you don't really feel it, and they have a habit of crawling to places where you might not think to look. And sometimes, they fall off before you find them.

As for testing for Lyme, generally, they do ELISA to look for antibodies, and those take time to develop. The test also has a modestly high false positive rate, so it should really only be used in places where someone may have been exposed to ticks.

That's why if you live or hike through tick country, you should use DEET to keep them off in the first place, and then also carefully examine your body at the end of the day, because they will crawl up your leg before biting. Then just monitor any bite areas for a rash. The median time for Lyme infection transmission is several hours of bite time. Climate change is going to be hell though: less harsh winters means more ticks and more range.

As for what insurance companies don't proactively pay for screening, they do lots of things that don't make sense. Mainly, they just look to throw up barriers to anything beyond basic care for what seem to be arbitrary reasons.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

For all I know, I might have had a mild case for years. Maybe that's why I feel like crap all the time and am so weak and without energy.

But if I get kilt by a bug ... well how many of them have I kilt?

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I'm curious how someone can not notice being bitten by a tick and also why testing for Lyme disease isn't SOP when someone has been bitten by a Tick (esp. if it can progress to an "incurable" stage).

Ticks are relatively large by parasite standards and they're really built for feeding on deer etc. Humans just don't have the hair cover (insert missing link joke here) and ticks are very easy to both notice and get rid of thanks to all this opposable thumb action. So how do you get bit and not know?

Given Lyme disease can become chronic, I figure it would be in the best interest of any insurance/healthcare network to catch it early and treat it than let it languish and turn into a chronic problem that ends up costing a bunch of money.

My GF got nabbed by one a few years back, got her on the back of the leg and she didn't notice until several hours later when she was changing. Since then we do full body checks every time we come out of the woods but it's totally plausible to miss one if you don't look for one.

 

[Muse]

I wonder if it is possible to develop a medicine that makes animals and humans taste deadly to ticks.

You can apply compounds to repel them. To you, to your clothing and the latter can be effective after a bunch of washes, for example permethrin.

 

[Muse]

My GF got nabbed by one a few years back, got her on the back of the leg and she didn't notice until several hours later when she was changing. Since then we do full body checks every time we come out of the woods but it's totally plausible to miss one if you don't look for one.

Before feeding they are the size of a sesame seed.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

My GF got nabbed by one a few years back, got her on the back of the leg and she didn't notice until several hours later when she was changing. Since then we do full body checks every time we come out of the woods but it's totally plausible to miss one if you don't look for one.

-Yeah but it sounds like she caught it? I'm not saying catch them before getting bit, I'm saying catch them after getting bit.

If you know you've been bit, then you can be on your guard for early symptoms or even start emailing your doc to see what needs to happen to get tested.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

-Yeah but it sounds like she caught it? I'm not saying catch them before getting bit, I'm saying catch them after getting bit.

If you know you've been bit, then you can be on your guard for early symptoms or even start emailing your doc to see what needs to happen to get tested.

She didn't feel it at any point, she 'caught' it because she physically felt it behind her leg while changing. You don't generally feel them once they're attached, and feeling them when crawling depends on them tripping over a nerve ending or a hair or something which is unlikely.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

I 'catch' them under my finger nail when I go to scratch an itch. That's usually the first indication. If they don't come off with that first scratching motion, you might have to pull at them a bit, or even get tweezers. They don't come off easily at that point. Either part of them stays behind, or part of you goes with it.

 

[Red Squirrel]

The thing is if you're in the bush you're getting bit by all sorts of other bugs too, getting whipped by tree branches, poked by pine needles etc. so it's kinda hard to make out a microscopic bug bite over all the other stuff coming at you that is much bigger like horse flies, deer flies, black flies, mosquitoes etc. If you want to get any thing done you pretty much just tune it out. If it's on a part of the body that's hard to see, like your back or head etc then good luck actually knowing you even got bit by one.

Saw a pic of someone that got one in the eye. Felt like he had sand in his eye but could not get rid of it so ultimately went to the doctor and they did one of those retina images where they can see behind your eye and that's when they spotted it.

Found it: https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/doc-i-think-i-have-something-in-my-eye

That's some scary shit right there.

 

[Muse]

The thing is if you're in the bush you're getting bit by all sorts of other bugs too, getting whipped by tree branches, poked by pine needles etc. so it's kinda hard to make out a microscopic bug bite over all the other stuff coming at you that is much bigger like horse flies, deer flies, black flies, mosquitoes etc. If you want to get any thing done you pretty much just tune it out. If it's on a part of the body that's hard to see, like your back or head etc then good luck actually knowing you even got bit by one.

Saw a pic of someone that got one in the eye. Felt like he had sand in his eye but could not get rid of it so ultimately went to the doctor and they did one of those retina images where they can see behind your eye and that's when they spotted it.

Found it: https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/doc-i-think-i-have-something-in-my-eye

That's some scary shit right there.

It was a Lone Star Tick larvae in his eye.

 

[nakedfrog]

The thing is if you're in the bush you're getting bit by all sorts of other bugs too, getting whipped by tree branches, poked by pine needles etc. so it's kinda hard to make out a microscopic bug bite over all the other stuff coming at you that is much bigger like horse flies, deer flies, black flies, mosquitoes etc. If you want to get any thing done you pretty much just tune it out. If it's on a part of the body that's hard to see, like your back or head etc then good luck actually knowing you even got bit by one.

Saw a pic of someone that got one in the eye. Felt like he had sand in his eye but could not get rid of it so ultimately went to the doctor and they did one of those retina images where they can see behind your eye and that's when they spotted it.

Found it: https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/doc-i-think-i-have-something-in-my-eye

That's some scary shit right there.

I know you live in a perpetual state of enhanced fear, but you don't get Lyme disease from just being bitten, it has to stay attached for a day or more.

 

[Brainonska511]

I know you live in a perpetual state of enhanced fear, but you don't get Lyme disease from just being bitten, it has to stay attached for a day or more.

It can happen in less than a day. But otherwise, yes, he lives in perpetual fear. Precautions are easy enough to take: pants, socks, repellent, post outdoor tick checks if you're venturing into tall grasses and/or tick country.

 

[nakedfrog]

It can happen in less than a day. But otherwise, yes, he lives in perpetual fear. Precautions are easy enough to take: pants, socks, repellent, post outdoor tick checks if you're venturing into tall grasses and/or tick country.

Hm, interesting, guess there's less consensus than I'd been previously aware of. I wonder how much longer this CDC page will remain up...

How Lyme Disease Spreads

<em>Borrelia </em>bacteria are spread to people through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick.

www.cdc.gov

But yes, this one does seem to support the idea that it can happen faster, with the caveat that we aren't great at knowing when attachment occurred.

Lyme borreliosis: a review of data on transmission time after tick attachment - PMC

Lyme borreliosis is increasing rapidly in many parts of the world and is the most commonly occurring vector-borne disease in Europe and the USA. The disease is transmitted by ticks of the genus Ixodes. They require a blood meal at each stage of ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Brainonska511]

Hm, interesting, guess there's less consensus than I'd been previously aware of. I wonder how much longer this CDC page will remain up...

How Lyme Disease Spreads

<em>Borrelia </em>bacteria are spread to people through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick.

www.cdc.gov

But yes, this one does seem to support the idea that it can happen faster, with the caveat that we aren't great at knowing when attachment occurred.

Lyme borreliosis: a review of data on transmission time after tick attachment - PMC

Lyme borreliosis is increasing rapidly in many parts of the world and is the most commonly occurring vector-borne disease in Europe and the USA. The disease is transmitted by ticks of the genus Ixodes. They require a blood meal at each stage of ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

If I recall, I had read it can happen in hours, with a median time around 8 hours. Mainly driven by how long it takes a tick to actually start feeding. They generally don't feed immediately after attachment, like a mosquito.

 

[William Gaatjes]

Hm, interesting, guess there's less consensus than I'd been previously aware of. I wonder how much longer this CDC page will remain up...

How Lyme Disease Spreads

<em>Borrelia </em>bacteria are spread to people through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick.

www.cdc.gov

But yes, this one does seem to support the idea that it can happen faster, with the caveat that we aren't great at knowing when attachment occurred.

Lyme borreliosis: a review of data on transmission time after tick attachment - PMC

Lyme borreliosis is increasing rapidly in many parts of the world and is the most commonly occurring vector-borne disease in Europe and the USA. The disease is transmitted by ticks of the genus Ixodes. They require a blood meal at each stage of ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

I read that the larva do not carry disease causing bacteria until they suck blood from an infected animal.
I kind of doubt that.
That makes me wonder if these ticks are the real hosts for these bacteria : Borrelia burgdorferi and, rarely, B. mayonii,.
But in the case that these ticks suck blood from infected animals.
I think it would be interesting to know which animal acts as a host for these bacteria like Borrelia burgdorferi and, rarely, B. mayonii,.
Are deers the real hosts for these bacteria ?

 

[William Gaatjes]

This youtube video explains in detail what happens, Ticks are not just carriers of spiral shaped bacteria, but also circular shaped bacteria.
And on top of that parasites that supress the immunesystem, called babesia microti.

About Babesiosis

Babesiosis is a disease caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells.

www.cdc.gov

"

Causal Agents​

Babesiosis is caused by apicomplexan parasites of the genus, Babesia. While more than 100 species have been reported, only a few have been identified as causing human infections, including B. microti, B. divergens, B. duncani, and a currently un-named strain designated MO-1.
"

 

[VashHT]

I'm curious how someone can not notice being bitten by a tick and also why testing for Lyme disease isn't SOP when someone has been bitten by a Tick (esp. if it can progress to an "incurable" stage).

Ticks are relatively large by parasite standards and they're really built for feeding on deer etc. Humans just don't have the hair cover (insert missing link joke here) and ticks are very easy to both notice and get rid of thanks to all this opposable thumb action. So how do you get bit and not know?

Given Lyme disease can become chronic, I figure it would be in the best interest of any insurance/healthcare network to catch it early and treat it than let it languish and turn into a chronic problem that ends up costing a bunch of money.

I've had a fair amount of tick bites throughout my life and it's crazy how easy it is not to notice them unless you do a thorough body check. I've had two in the last few years, one on the back of my head and one under my arm, didn't notice either until they got a bit bloated with blood, and even then I thought it was just a pimple or something until I looked at it closer.

 

[Muse]

This youtube video explains in detail what happens, Ticks are not just carriers of spiral shaped bacteria, but also circular shaped bacteria.
And on top of that parasites that supress the immunesystem, called babesia microti.

About Babesiosis

Babesiosis is a disease caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells.

www.cdc.gov

"

Causal Agents​

Babesiosis is caused by apicomplexan parasites of the genus, Babesia. While more than 100 species have been reported, only a few have been identified as causing human infections, including B. microti, B. divergens, B. duncani, and a currently un-named strain designated MO-1.
"

There is a mind boggling variety of diseases you can get by virtue of being bitten by a tick, depending a lot on the species of tick and some on where you are and, of course, what pathological organisms the tick is carrying, also how long the tick has been attacked to you. Lyme is one of the worst. There's also Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

I don't know if you need a subscription to see this, I don't see a way to provide a paywall penetrating link. This is really good article:

Let’s Do a Tick Check​

By Melinda Wenner MoyerJune 11, 2021
These pervasive bloodsuckers can give you more than just Lyme disease. Here's how to protect yourself.

Let’s Do a Tick Check (Published 2021)

These pervasive bloodsuckers can give you more than just Lyme disease. Here's how to protect yourself.

www.nytimes.com

 

[William Gaatjes]

There is a mind boggling variety of diseases you can get by virtue of being bitten by a tick, depending a lot on the species of tick and some on where you are and, of course, what pathological organisms the tick is carrying, also how long the tick has been attacked to you. Lyme is one of the worst. There's also Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

I don't know if you need a subscription to see this, I don't see a way to provide a paywall penetrating link. This is really good article:

Let’s Do a Tick Check​

By Melinda Wenner MoyerJune 11, 2021
These pervasive bloodsuckers can give you more than just Lyme disease. Here's how to protect yourself.

Let’s Do a Tick Check (Published 2021)

These pervasive bloodsuckers can give you more than just Lyme disease. Here's how to protect yourself.

www.nytimes.com

It needs a subscription.

But since NYT has very good articles, i am close to deciding to take a subscription and pay the fee every month.
I live in the Netherlands but i noticed that i often have to read about exclusive subjects in foreign news media, since in the Netherlands, there is some kind of suppresion of factual news : On a need to know basis.