-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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glm1111
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 16556
posted
Off the top of my head for now....
brucella
leptosporosis
filarial worms
tularemia
parasites
Good one TuTu!!
... parasites
-------------------- PARASITES/WORMS ARE NOW RECOGNIZED AS THE NUMBER 1 CO-INFECTION IN LYME DISEASE BY ILADS* Posts: 6418 | From philadelphia pa | Registered: Jul 2008
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Melanie Reber
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 3707
posted
Well, I guess Melanie gets the prize! sheesh!!
I would just like a nap for my prize...thanks! Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
A very extensive list Melanie. But the really discouraging part is that even if someone had the money to test for every possible tickborne infection I don't think there are any tests available outside of a research setting for the majority of the infections on the list.
Another issue is that there are very few viruses on the list. I am pretty certain that hubby got his Borna virus from a tick, but there are no longer any labs in the U.S. which even offer a test for this. I think I read somewhere that Dr K in Washington state believes that all tickborne disease patients have this virus.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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I guess the answer also depends on if you are asking how many tick-borne infections are found in ticks in the U.S. or North America or if you meant world wide? A very quick search at pubmed found a few for the list.
There are some really nasty tick-borne infections in other countries -- just a few examples --
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV)
Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus (OHFV)
and this one I had totally forgotten about --
African swine fever virus.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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I thought the only difference in HME and HGE was the different gene it affected/attacked???
Jez...more research.
I don't even know what anaplasmosis is...
Shalome
Posts: 893 | From Florida | Registered: Dec 2008
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
Ms. Melanie,
I should have known you would win.
I am kind of glad I didn't know about all of those diseases.
Kind of wishing I didn't now.
Oh well. Knowledge is power.
Praying for a nap without bad dreams.
Only dreams of puppies, babies and ice-cream!
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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Melanie Reber
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 3707
posted
Some more info for you:
Human Ehrlichiosis is caused by rickettsial-type organism, which are transmitted in part by the same ticks that carry Lyme disease. There are 2 forms of Human Ehrlichiosis: Granulocytic and Monocytic. Clinical symptoms include high fever, malaise, headache, myalgia, sweats and nausea.
Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis (HME) is caused by the bacterium Ehrlichiosis chaffeensis. It is contracted with the bite of an infected tick (Amblyomma americanum). 25% of all patients require intensive care therapy. The Fatality rate is 5-10%.
Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis (HGE) is caused by the bacterium Ehrlichia ewingii. It is typically contracted with the bite of infected ticks (Amblyomma americanum, Amblyomma maculatum, Ixodes scapularis, Ixodes Dermacentor variabilis and Rhipicephalus sanguineus), however, it has also been transmitted through contact with blood of fresh venison. The Fatality rate is 2-5%.
Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (HGA) is caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum. It is contracted with the bite of infected ticks (Amblyomma americanum, Ixodes pacificus, Ixodes scapularis, Ixodes spinipalpis and Ixodes Dermacentor variabilis). It has also been documented to transmit congenitally, through blood transfusion and through direct contact with blood or respiratory secretions.
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
i was going to refer folks to melanie's memorialsite that has this info on.
so i knew either melanie or tincup would win since they have both dealt with these all, and TC did a special project last year involving MORE co-infections yet.
i did the research one that one that my dad personally had:
BLASTOMYCOSIS caused by cattle !!
so 13 is only for the original STATES and not co-infections. paul revere would be riding his horse for quite some time with over 100 co-infections !!
THE TICKS ARE COMING, THE TICKS ARE COMING!
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Brussels
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Member # 13480
posted
Candida dubliniensis
Posts: 6200 | From Brussels | Registered: Oct 2007
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Leelee
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 19112
posted
quote:Originally posted by disturbedme: Hah... the CDC would say "lymes disease" only but that it's 'hard to catch and easy to cure'.
Sad, but true.
-------------------- The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King,Jr Posts: 1573 | From Maryland | Registered: Feb 2009
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posted
I'm sure with my luck I've got one of the ones unknown to science.
Posts: 743 | From New York | Registered: Apr 2009
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Melanie Reber
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 3707
posted
Just to clarify... the above list IS from the Lyme Memorial site: www.LymeMemorial.org
and these are co-infections only found in the USA in ticks, they do not include infections from other vectors or animals or systemic issues that we develop once ill.
The list is ever changing whenever I find new abstracts or information, so if you run across something not listed and can provide the abstracts, references or weblinks to prove them, PLEASE let me know so I can update. Thanks, M
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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Melanie Reber
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 3707
posted
Nice to see you Dolphin my friend and also nice to see you back Miss Betty.
Bea, Alv and Brussels...do any of you have references for the listed co-infections you provided? Thanks.
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Is that transferred by ticks?? The Chlamydia Pneumoniae??
If it is, now I know exactly when I got bit. I was 5 years old. Because I was in the hospital in a bubble for pneumonia for weeks.
When the doctor did my bacterial and viral panels I have high chlamydia pneumoniae titers, and shows old disease.
Shalome
Posts: 893 | From Florida | Registered: Dec 2008
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Melanie Reber
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Member # 3707
posted
Chlamydial and rickettsial transmission through tick bite in children. [Letter] Facco F, Grazi G, Bonassi S, et al. Lancet 1992 Apr 18; 339(8799):992-3.
...
McKercher DG, Wada EM, Ault SK, et al. Preliminary studies on transmission of Chlamydia to cattle by ticks (Ornithodoros coriaceus). [Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't] Am J Vet Res 1980 Jun; 41(6):922-4.
There is more where this came from but I have to go for now.
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
melanie, i sent my research on BLASTOMYCOSIS to tincup when she was working on that monstrous project with all those disease names.
Melanie Reber
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 3707
posted
Miss B, I remember when you did that, but was it transmitted by ticks? Do you remember?
Posts: 7052 | From Colorado | Registered: Mar 2003
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
mel, i couldn't remember, but had it on my word processor, so am copying it all below in case someone else is looking for this disease & will save them time looking it up.
BOTTOM LINE .... CONTAMINATED "SOIL"!! ****************************************************
anyone NOT interested in reading this, hit the END key to take you to bottom for anyone else's reply ok! 12 pages below!! betty
symptoms so identical to lyme and co-infections !!
Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases ... CDC
Disease Listing | General Information | Technical Information | Additional Information
Clinical Features Symptomatic infection (50% of cases) usually presents as a flu-like illness with fever, chills, productive cough, myalgia, arthralgia and pleuritic chest pain. Some patients fail to recover and develop chronic pulmonary infection or widespread disseminated infection (affecting the skin, bones, and genitourinary tract). Occasionally affects the meninges. Etiologic Agent Blastomyces dermatitidis. Reservoir Moist soil enriched with decomposing organic debris. Endemic in parts of the south-central, south-eastern and mid-western United States. Microfoci in Central and South America and parts of Africa. Incidence 1-2 cases per 100,000 population in areas with endemic disease. Sequelae Permanent lung damage with chronic disease. Mortality rate is about 5%. Transmission Inhalation of airborne conidia (spores) after disturbance of contaminated soil. Risk Groups Persons in areas with endemic disease with exposures to wooded sites (e.g., farmers, forestry workers, hunters, and campers). Surveillance Reportable in a few states in areas with endemic disease. No national surveillance exists. Challenges Improving understanding of sources and routes of transmission from the environment. Developing more sensitive and specific tests for diagnosis.
Date: October 6, 2005 Content source: Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases / Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases Error! Filename not specified.
Home | Policies and Regulations | Disclaimer | e-Government | FOIA | Contact Us
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333, U.S.A Tel: (404) 639-3311 / Public Inquiries: (404) 639-3534 / (800) 311-3435
References Bradsher RW, Chapman SW, Pappas PG. Blastomycosis. Infect Dis Clin North Am 2003; 17: 21-40.
Cano MV, Ponce-de-Leon GF, Tippen S, et al. Blastomycosis in Missouri: epidemiology and risk factors for endemic disease. Epidemiol Infect 2003; 131: 907-914.
Chapman SW, Bradsher RW, Campbell GD, et al. Practice guidelines for the management of patients with blastomycosis. Clin Infect Dis 2000; 30: 679-683.
Date: October 6, 2005 Content source: Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases / Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases
Other encyclopedia topics: A-Ag Ah-Ap Aq-Az B-Bk Bl-Bz C-Cg Ch-Co Cp-Cz D-Di Dj-Dz E-Ep Eq-Ez F G H-Hf Hg-Hz I-In Io-Iz J K L-Ln Lo-Lz M-Mf Mg-Mz N O P-Pl Pm-Pz Q R S-Sh Si-Sp Sq-Sz T-Tn To-Tz U V W X Y Z 0-9
Alternative Names Return to top North American blastomycosis; Gilchrist's disease Definition Return to top Blastomycosis is a rare infection caused by breathing in (inhaling) a fungus called Blastomyces dermatitidis, which is found in wood and soil.
Causes Return to top Blastomycosis occurs in people living in the south-central and midwestern United States and Canada. The infection is seen in 1-2 out of every 100,000 people in areas where the fungus most frequently occurs. It is even less common outside those areas. Being around infected soil is the key risk factor. The disease usually affects people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV or organ transplant recipients. Men are more likely to be affected than women. Lung infection may produce no symptoms, but when the infection spreads, skin lesions or bone lesions may appear and the bladder, kidney, prostate, and testes may be affected.
Symptoms Return to top * Cough (may produce brown or bloody mucus) * Shortness of breath * Sweating * Fever * Fatigue * General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill-feeling (malaise) * Unintentional weight loss * Joint stiffness and joint pain * Muscle stiffness and pain * Rash * Skin lesions * Chest pain
Exams and Tests Return to top * History of living in an area where the fungus is commonly found * Chest x-ray * Tissue biopsy * Skin biopsy * Sputum culture and special stains
Treatment Return to top Medicines may not be needed for a blastomycosis infection that remains in the lungs, unless it becomes severe. When the disease is severe, or when it spreads outside of the lungs, the following medicines (anti-fungals) may be prescribed: * Itraconazole * Fluconazole * Ketoconazole Amphotericin B may be used for severe infections. You should follow-up regularly with your doctor to make sure the infection doesn't return.
Outlook (Prognosis) Return to top Patients with minor skin sores (lesions) and relatively mild lung infections usually recover completely. If the infection is not treated, it can become severe enough to cause death.
Possible Complications Return to top * Large sores with pus (abscesses) * Return of the infection (relapse or disease recurrence) * Unpleasant side effects to drugs such as amphotericin B
When to Contact a Medical Professional Return to top Call your health care provider if symptoms of blastomycosis occur.
Prevention Return to top Avoiding travel to areas where the infection is known to occur may help prevent exposure to the fungus, but this may not always be possible. Update Date: 7/26/2006 Updated by: Charlotte Grayson, MD, Private Practice specializing in Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, Smyrna, GA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
* Introduction * The disease process * Diagnosis * Treatment
Introduction Blastomycosis is an infection found in dogs, people, and occasionally cats. It is caused by the fungal organism Blastomyces dermatitidis, which is found as a mold in the soil or at room temperatures and as a yeast in tissues or at body temperatures. The mold occurs in sandy, acid soils near river valleys or other waterways. Endemic in Ohio, Mississippi, and St. Lawrence river valleys, the Great lakes region, and along the eastern seaboard, veterinarians report blastomycosis more frequently in the fall. While any dog may contract blastomycosis under the right circumstances, certain populations are at greater risk. These include the hunting and sporting breeds since their use involves exposure to soil in wet areas, and young adult dogs, which are more likely to be used in hunting or field trials than old dogs or pups. For unknown reasons, male dogs are more likely to contract blastomycosis than females. One study found that, while female dogs may have better survival rates with therapy, they are more likely to suffer relapses than males. So, while all dogs are susceptible to blastomycosis, those at greatest risk for infection are two-to-four year old intact males of hunting or sporting breeds that weigh 50-75 pounds and are exposed to river valleys or lakes during late summer or fall.
The disease process Dogs usually acquire blastomycosis by inhaling the spores from the soil into the lungs, where it induces a self-limiting pulmonary infection. Direct inoculation of the spores into the skin through puncture wounds may cause local cutaneous infection. By far, the most common form of blastomycosis seen by veterinarians is the generalized or disseminated form, which spreads via the bloodstream or lymphatic system from the lungs to involve the eyes, brain, bone, lymph nodes, urogenital system, skin, and subcutaneous tissues. The clinical signs of blastomycosis may vary with the target organs affected and may include one or all of the following: anorexia, depression, weight loss, fever (103 degrees or higher) that doesn't respond to antibiotics, coughing, shortness of breath, exercise intolerance, enlarged lymph nodes, eye disease, or skin lesions that drain bloody or purulent material.
Diagnosis Diagnosis of blastomycosis involves finding the yeast organism in samples from draining skin lesions or a lymph node. Chest x-rays and a complete blood count (CBC) are important tests but are not diagnostic by themselves. Serum chemistries are usually within normal limits. Fungal titers confirm the diagnosis and help differentiate blastomycosis from histoplasmosis, a related fungal condition with similar signs and geographic distribution. About 65 percent of dogs diagnosed with blastomycosis do survive. Because the treatment is long, complicated, and expensive with the potential for serious side effects, some owners elect to euthanize affected pets. In treated dogs, survival rates are approximately 85 percent, with up to 25 percent suffering relapses. Dogs with brain or eye involvement have a worse prognosis, and dogs with poor liver or kidney function may not be able to tolerate the necessary medications that must be metabolized by these organs. If an eye is involved, it usually must be removed since eyes don't respond well to therapy and serve as a source of infection.
Treatment For many years, the standard therapy for blastomycosis has been amphotericin B. It is still the best choice for acute, life-threatening illness, and treated dogs show improvement in three to five days.
Amphotericin must be given as an intravenous injection, either as a slow IV drip over several hours or as rapid IV bolus injections, one to three times weekly until a maximum cumulative dose is reached.
Rapid injections increase the potential for acute drug reactions, and the drug has a toxic effect on kidney function, which requires close monitoring. The veterinarian may temporarily delay therapy while the kidneys recover from the injury.
Ketoconazole given orally twice a day has been effective against blastomycosis. Although it may take 10-14 days to see clinical improvement with this drug, it may be useful in a dog with poor kidney function and a mild form of the disease.
Given alone, ketoconazole has a lower cure rate than amphotericin, but when given together, the two drugs work synergistically, allowing veterinarians to use lower doses of amphotericin and minimize the risk of kidney failure as well as promoting a more rapid and complete cure. The side effects of ketoconazole are related to liver toxicity and include anorexia, nausea, and vomiting. It can be harmful to pregnant dogs and may also affect the fertility of male dogs.
Itraconazole is the newest drug used to treat blastomycosis. It is given orally twice a day at first, then once daily for 60-90 days. Like amphotericin, it takes effect quickly, and has the same cure rate as the amphotericin-ketoconazole combination. The side effects are related to liver toxicity, like ketoconazole, with the addition of ulcerative skin lesions and swelling of the legs at the higher dose.
The biggest drawback to itraconazole is the cost, about $10 per day for a 40-pound dog for the medication alone, about twice the cost of ketoconazole. Because these drugs are dosed on body weight, larger dogs will have comparably larger drug costs. Blood tests and other veterinary services must also be considered in the cost of treatment. Total fees of $1000 or more would not be unusual.
Blastomycosis is not generally considered a zoonotic disease, meaning one that is potentially contagious to people.
If you have a pet with this infection, it indicates that you may be at risk for contracting the disease through a common environmental source such as contaminated soil near a waterway.
Since it is the mold form that releases infective spores through the air, you cannot get blastomycosis from the air around your dog who is infected with the yeast form of the fungus.
Recent studies indicate some risk of exposure through penetrating wounds with sharp contaminated objects such as a sharp stick or a dog bite, so good safety and hygiene precautions are indicated. Needless to say, persons with deficient immune systems should not be handling infected dogs. --By Kathleen R. Hutton DVM-- (Dr. Hutton wrote this article after we received a request to report about blastomycosis from a reader who lost her Siberian Husky to this fungus disease. Dog Owner's Guide is always open to article submissions and suggestions from readers. Medical articles must be written by a veterinarian or other professional, but ideas are always welcome.) Norma Bennett Woolf
[Dog Owner's Guide: Blastomycosis (www.canismajor.com/dog/blstomyc.html)] is a part of the Dog Owner's Guide internet website and is copyright 2007 by Canis Major Publications. You may print or download this material for non-commercial personal or school educational use. All other rights reserved. If you, your organization or business would like to reprint our articles in a newsletter or distribute them free of charge as an educational handout please see our reprint policy.
Blastomycosis is a fungal infection caused by the organism Blastomyces dermatitidis. Endemic to portions of North America, blastomycosis causes clinical symptoms similar to histoplasmosis.[1] *
[edit] History Blastomycosis was first described by Thomas Casper Gilchrist [1] in 1894 and sometimes goes by the eponym Gilchrist's disease [2]. It is also sometimes referred to as Chicago Disease.
[edit] Epidemiology In the United States, blastomycosis is endemic in the Mississippi river and Ohio river basins and around the Great Lakes. The annual incidence is less than 1 case per 100,000 people in Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Arkansas. The cases are greater in northern states such as Wisconsin, where from 1986 to 1995 there were 1.4 cases per 100,000 people.[2] In Canada, most cases of blastomycosis occur in northwestern Ontario, particularly around the Kenora area. The moist, acidic soil in the surrounding woodland harbors the fungus. Blastomycosis is distributed internationally; cases are sometimes reported from Africa.[3]
[edit] Pathology Infection occurs by inhalation of the fungus from its natural soil habitat. Once inhaled in the lungs, they multiply and may disseminate through the blood and lymphatics to other organs, including the skin, bone, genitourinary tract, and brain. The incubation period is 30 to 100 days, although infection can be asymptomatic.
[edit] Clinical features /wiki/Image:Blastomycosis_of_skin.jpg/wiki/Image:Blastomycosis_of_skin.jpg /wiki/Image:Blastomycosis_of_skin.jpgBlastomycosis of skin Blastomycosis can present in one of the following ways: * a flulike illness with fever, chills, myalgia, headache, and a nonproductive cough which resolves within days. * an acute illness resembling bacterial pneumonia, with symptoms of high fever, chills, a productive cough, and pleuritic chest pain. * a chronic illness that mimics tuberculosis or lung cancer, with symptoms of low-grade fever, a productive cough, night sweats, and weight loss. * a fast, progressive, and severe disease that manifests as ARDS, with fever, shortness of breath, tachypnea, hypoxemia, and diffuse pulmonary infiltrates. * skin lesions, usually asymptomatic, appear as ulcerated lesions with small pustules at the margins * bone lytic lesions can cause bone or joint pain. * prostatitis may be asymptomatic or may cause pain on urinating. * laryngeal involvement causes hoarseness.
[edit] Diagnosis Once suspected, the diagnosis of blastomycosis can usually be confirmed by demonstration of the characteristic broad based budding organisms in sputum or tissues by KOH prep, cytology, or histology. Tissue biopsy of skin or other organs may be required in order to diagnose extra-pulmonary disease. Commercially available urine antigen testing appears to be quite sensitive in suggesting the diagnosis in cases where the organism is not readily detected. While culture of the organism remains the definitive diagnostic standard, its slow growing nature can lead to delays in treatment of up to several weeks. However, sometimes blood and sputum cultures may not detect blastomycosis; lung biopsy is another option, and results will be shown promptly.
[edit] Treatment Itraconazole given orally is the treatment of choice for most forms of the disease. Cure rates are high, and the treatment over a period of months is usually well tolerated. Amphotericin B is considerably more toxic, and is usually reserved for critically ill patients and those with central nervous system disease.
[edit] Prognosis Mortality rate in treated cases * 0-2% in treated cases among immunocompetent patients * 29% in immunocompromised patients * 40% in the subgroup of patients with AIDS * 68% in patients presenting as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
[edit] See also * Histoplasmosis * Paracoccidioidomycosis
[edit] References 1. ^ Ryan KJ; Ray CG (editors) (2004). Sherris Medical Microbiology, 4th ed., McGraw Hill, pp.676-8. ISBN 0838585299. 2. ^ (1996) "Blastomycosis--Wisconsin, 1986-1995". MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 45 (28): 601-3. PMID 8676851. 3. ^ Alvarez G, Burns B, Desjardins M, Salahudeen S, AlRashidi F, Cameron D (2006). "Blastomycosis in a young African man presenting with a pleural effusion". Can Respir J 13 (8): 441-4. PMID 17149463.
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