Topic: DVM said his MD told him different ticks affect animals than affect humans??
TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
Never heard this one before. Also, a vet believes this??? As far as I know this is not true and makes no sense to me. Anyone know any different??
Local and state health officials cite increases in tick-borne diseases, warning the public to take all measures possible to protect themselves from the parasites.
W. Patrick Parnell, DVM, knows first hand about tick-borne illness. The veterinarian was diagnosed with Lyme disease eight years ago.
``At first, I thought I got it from the animals in my clinic,'' said Parnell, of Animal Care Clinic in downtown Branson.
``But then, my medical doctor told me different kinds of ticks affect animals than affect people.''
Parnell found that his symptoms, including joint pain and swelling, loss of memory and lethargy, were from exposure to a deer tick in a wooded area, rather than from brown dog ticks commonly seen on animals.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported this week that it has seen a rise in the number of reports of ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Tularemia, and Lyme disease. Robert Niezgoda, epidemioloy specialist with the Taney County Health Department said those statistics are also holding true for this area.
``We have seen our cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever double over the last two months for what is usually reported in a two-month time period,'' Niezgoda said.
Parnell said his clinic hasn't seen such a rise in animals, however.
``We see an average of 198 to 20 cases of erlichia, about five Lyme disease, and maybe two or three Rocky Mountain fever per year in dogs,'' he said. Dogs are more likely than cats to catch tick-borne diseases.
Across the state, reports of ehrlichiosis as of the end of July had risen to 100 cases compared to the five-year median of 38 cases. Reports of Rocky Mountain spotted fever have risen to 177, a 186 percent increase over the five-year median of 62 reported cases, with Tularemia cases rising by 46 percent and Lyme and Lyme-like diseases rising by 64 percent.
Niezgoda theorized that one reason for the jump in cases is that precautions are not being taken.
``If people are going to be outside where ticks may be found, we definitely encourage them to use insect repellents containing DEET,'' Niezgoda said. ``People can also tuck the legs of their pants into their socks to prevent ticks from getting to exposed skin.
``I've even heard of people putting double-sided tape on their jeans when they go out hiking to catch ticks.''
Humans, animals affected
differently
While humans and dogs respond differently, some cases are more extreme than others.
Phil Surratt of Branson had to have his 12-year-old yellow labrador retriever put down Wednesday due to complications from tick-borne diseases.
``He was suffering from all three major tick-borne diseases,'' Surratt, whose dog was a patient of Parnell's, said.
``He had ehrilchia, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain Spotted tick fever.'' Surratt paused. ``Wednesday was a hard day.''
Surratt said he used a preventative treatment called Frontline
Such losses cannot always be prevented, Parnell said.
``We pretty much screen all our animals on a routine basis for tick-borne diseases,'' he said. ``Frontline is a good product. The preventic collar is a good product. But, unfortunately, nothing is 100 percent.''
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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TerryK
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What it looks like to me is that his doctor was saying that he couldn't have gotten infected by the ticks that infected the animals in his clinic because the ticks that affect animals are different than the ticks that affect humans.
So you are in agreement with that??
If that were true then we wouldn't have to worry about being infected by the same ticks that infect our dogs??
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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TerryK
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Member # 8552
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I think ticks just want a blood meal, they don't care if it comes from a human or another animal. Borrelia just wants to survive. They don't care if they live in a dog, rat, cat or a human.
Perhaps there are some ticks that don't bite humans but only bite other animals?? Perhaps there are some strains of borrelia that think living inside a human is icky and they'd rather wait for a tasty rat or dog or cat? Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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Melanie Reber
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IF the meaning of this was to state that the Brown Dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, does NOT infect humans, but only animals....
THEN, the article is sadly misinformed!
Rhipicephalus sanguineus is known to carry and infect HUMANS with: Babesiosis Bartonella henselae Colorado Tick Fever Ehrlichiosis Haemobartonellosis Hepatozoonosis Query Fever Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Tick Paralysis
AND Canines with: Canine Babesiosis Canine Ehrlichiosis Salmonella entoritches
Surely...if I can find this information, physicians can too?
Melanie
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
Thanks Melanie - it bothers me that this is printed in a newspaper because I'm afraid this gives people a false sense of security about whether they can be infected by the same ticks that infect dogs and other animals. I also wonder how many people the Vet has given this info to (besides the many who will read this article)?
I won't have time today but I'll try to find something to give the newspaper about this so maybe they can inform the public with the correct info.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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Melanie Reber
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 3707
In the US, the brown dog tick prefers to feed on dogs in all stages. However, it will feed on other mammals, including domestic animals and humans. ..........................
This article reports that a wide-ranging tick previously considered to be little more than a nuisance to people is responsible for at least 11 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in eastern Arizona, researchers report. The cases represent the first documented U.S. outbreak of the disease directly attributable to the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. ............................
This is one of the most widely distributed ticks on the world and there are records of its occurrence on a number of hosts. By far the most common host is the domestic dog and the brown tick is virtually restricted to this host in the United States. There are occasional collection records of people and domestic cats as hosts, but these records are generally for instances where there has been close contact with infested dogs. (hmmm...like a DMV, perhaps?)
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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