scholarly journals Tick-Borne Diseases in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle G Rodino ◽  
Elitza S Theel ◽  
Bobbi S Pritt

Abstract Background Tick-borne diseases are an important cause of human morbidity and mortality in the United States. The past several decades have witnessed an increase in both the number of recognized tick-borne pathogens and the number of tick-borne disease cases, whereas tick surveys have revealed substantial geographic expansions of tick populations throughout the country. Multiple laboratory testing options exist for diagnosis of tick-borne diseases, including serology, microscopy, and molecular-based methods. The preferred approach varies by the specific disease, locally available test options, and the stage of illness at patient presentation. Accurate and timely detection of tick-borne illness is of utmost importance, as prompt treatment is strongly linked to better outcomes. Content This review covers the clinical manifestations and preferred diagnostic approaches for important bacterial, viral, and parasitic tick-borne diseases in the United States, including Lyme disease, tick-borne relapsing fever, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, spotted fever rickettsioses, and babesiosis. Infection with emerging pathogens such as Borrelia miyamotoi, Powassan virus, Heartland virus, Colorado tick fever virus, and Bourbon virus are also covered. Summary Our understanding of tick-borne diseases in the United States continues to improve with the detection of novel pathogens and development of new diagnostic modalities. While conventional diagnostic methods, including serology and microscopy, will play an ongoing role in the diagnosis of tick-borne diseases, implementation of advanced molecular diagnostics will further broaden our understanding of these diseases by facilitating detection of emerging pathogens and providing more accurate and timely diagnosis.

Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 744
Author(s):  
Eliane Esteves ◽  
Chanida Fongsaran ◽  
Ingeborg M. Langohr ◽  
Sean P. Riley ◽  
Marcelo B. Labruna ◽  
...  

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a life-threatening tick-borne disease caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, which is widely distributed throughout the Americas. Over 4000 cases of RMSF are recorded annually in the United States, while only around 100 cases are reported in Brazil. Conversely, while case fatality rates in the United States oscillate around 5%, in Brazil they can surpass 70%, suggesting that differences in tick vectoring capacity, population sensitivity, and/or variability in virulence of the rickettsial strains may exist. In this study, we compared the susceptibility of C3H/HeN mice to two highly virulent strains of R. rickettsii, one from the United States (Sheila Smith) and the other from Brazil (Taiaçu). Animals inoculated with the Taiaçu strain succumbed to infection earlier and exhibited severe histological lesions in both liver and spleen sooner than mice infected with the Sheila Smith strain. These differences in survival and signs of the disease are not related to a greater proliferation of the Taiaçu strain, as there were no significant differences in the rickettsial load in mice tissues inoculated with either strain. The present study is the first step to experimentally assess differences in fatality rates of RMSF in two different regions of the American continent.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-257
Author(s):  
Suresh Antony

Background:In the United States, tick-borne illnesses account for a significant number of patients that have been seen and treated by health care facilities. This in turn, has resulted in a significant morbidity and mortality and economic costs to the country.Methods:The distribution of these illnesses is geographically variable and is related to the climate as well. Many of these illnesses can be diagnosed and treated successfully, if recognized and started on appropriate antimicrobial therapy early in the disease process. Patient with illnesses such as Lyme disease, Wet Nile illness can result in chronic debilitating diseases if not recognized early and treated.Conclusion:This paper covers illnesses such as Lyme disease, West Nile illness, Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, Ehrlichia, Tularemia, typhus, mosquito borne illnesses such as enteroviruses, arboviruses as well as arthropod and rodent borne virus infections as well. It covers the epidemiology, clinical features and diagnostic tools needed to make the diagnosis and treat these patients as well.


Author(s):  
Kathryn T Duncan ◽  
Meriam N Saleh ◽  
Kellee D Sundstrom ◽  
Susan E Little

Abstract Throughout North America, Dermacentor spp. ticks are often found feeding on animals and humans, and are known to transmit pathogens, including the Rocky Mountain spotted fever agent. To better define the identity and distribution of Dermacentor spp. removed from dogs and cats in the United States, ticks submitted from 1,457 dogs (n = 2,924 ticks) and 137 cats (n = 209 ticks) from veterinary practices in 44/50 states from February 2018-January 2020 were identified morphologically (n = 3,133); the identity of ticks from regions where Dermacentor andersoni (Stiles) have been reported, and a subset of ticks from other regions, were confirmed molecularly through amplification and sequencing of the ITS2 region and a 16S rRNA gene fragment. Of the ticks submitted, 99.3% (3,112/3,133) were Dermacentor variabilis (Say), 0.4% (12/3,133) were D. andersoni, and 0.3% (9/3,133) were Dermacentor albipictus (Packard). While translocation of pets prior to tick removal cannot be discounted, the majority (106/122; 87%) of Dermacentor spp. ticks removed from dogs and cats in six Rocky Mountain states (Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado) were D. variabilis, suggesting this species may be more widespread in the western United States than is currently recognized, or that D. andersoni, if still common in the region, preferentially feeds on hosts other than dogs and cats. Together, these data support the interpretation that D. variabilis is the predominant Dermacentor species found on pets throughout the United States, a finding that may reflect recent shifts in tick distribution.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen L. Knapp ◽  
Nancy A. Rice

Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, andBabesia microti, a causative agent of babesiosis, are increasingly implicated in the growing tick-borne disease burden in the northeastern United States. These pathogens are transmitted via the bite of an infected tick vector,Ixodes scapularis, which is capable of harboring and inoculating a host with multiple pathogens simultaneously. Clinical presentation of the diseases is heterogeneous and ranges from mild flu-like symptoms to near-fatal cardiac arrhythmias. While the reason for the variability is not known, the possibility exists that concomitant infection with bothB. burgdorferiandB. microtimay synergistically increase disease severity. In an effort to clarify the current state of understanding regarding coinfection withB. burgdorferiandB. microti, in this review, we discuss the geographical distribution and pathogenesis of Lyme disease and babesiosis in the United States, the immunological response of humans toB. burgdorferiorB. microtiinfection, the existing knowledge regarding coinfection disease pathology, and critical factors that have led to ambiguity in the literature regarding coinfection, in order to eliminate confusion in future experimental design and investigation.


Author(s):  
Robyn M Nadolny ◽  
Ashley C Kennedy ◽  
James M Rodgers ◽  
Zachary T Vincent ◽  
Hannah Cornman ◽  
...  

Abstract During September–December 2018, 25 live ticks were collected on-post at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in a home with a history of bat occupancy. Nine ticks were sent to the Army Public Health Center Tick-Borne Disease Laboratory and were identified as Carios kelleyi (Cooley and Kohls, 1941), a species that seldom bites humans but that may search for other sources of blood meals, including humans, when bats are removed from human dwellings. The ticks were tested for numerous agents of human disease. Rickettsia lusitaniae was identified by multilocus sequence typing to be present in two ticks, marking the first detection of this Rickettsia agent in the United States and in this species of tick. Two other Rickettsia spp. were also detected, including an endosymbiont previously associated with C. kelleyi and a possible novel Rickettsia species. The potential roles of C. kelleyi and bats in peridomestic Rickettsia transmission cycles warrant further investigation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 337-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismael A. Conti-Díaz ◽  
Jonas Moraes-Filho ◽  
Richard C. Pacheco ◽  
Marcelo B. Labruna

We report three new rickettsiosis human cases in Uruguay. The three clinical cases presented clinical manifestations similar to previous reported cases of Rickettsia parkeri in the United States; that is mild fever (< 40 ºC), malaise, headache, rash, inoculation eschar at the tick bite site, regional lymphadenopathy, and no lethality. Serological antibody-absorption tests with purified antigens of R. parkeri and Rickettsia rickettsii, associated with immunofluorescence assay indicated that the patients in two cases were infected by R. parkeri. Epidemiological and clinical evidences, coupled with our serological analysis, suggest that R. parkeri is the etiological agent of human cases of spotted fever in Uruguay, a disease that has been recognized in that country as cutaneous-ganglionar rickettsiosis.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghu V Durvasula ◽  
Jonathan Himmelfarb

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a clinical syndrome arising from progressive kidney injury, formerly known as chronic renal failure, chronic renal disease, and chronic renal insufficiency. It is classified into five stages based primarily on glomerular filtration rate (GFR). This article discusses the epidemiology of CKD and end-stage renal disease (ESRD), as well as etiology and genetics, pathophysiology, and pathogenesis. The section on diagnosis looks at clinical manifestations and physical findings, laboratory (and other) tests, imaging studies, and biopsy. A short section on differential diagnosis is followed by a discussion of treatment, including hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Long-term complications of patients on dialysis include cardiovascular disease, renal osteodystrophy, dialysis-related amyloidosis, and acquired cystic disease (renal cell carcinoma). The final section addresses prognosis and socioeconomic burden. Figures include the classification system for CKD, prevalence of CKD in the United States, rising prevalence, risk of, and leading causes of ESRD in the United States, plus the changing prevalence of ESRD over time, clinical manifestations of uremia, and an overview of hemodialysis circuit. Tables look at the burden of CKD relative to other chronic disorders, the specific hereditary causes of kidney disease, and situations when serum creatinine does not accurately predict GFR. Other tables list equations for estimating GFR, the causes of CKD without shrunken kidneys, and clinical features distinguishing chronic kidney disease from acute kidney injury. ESRD and indications for initiation of dialysis are presented, as well as typical composition of dialysate and reasons for failure of peritoneal dialysis. This chapter contains 71 references.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raghu V Durvasula ◽  
Jonathan Himmelfarb

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a clinical syndrome arising from progressive kidney injury, formerly known as chronic renal failure, chronic renal disease, and chronic renal insufficiency. It is classified into five stages based primarily on glomerular filtration rate (GFR). This article discusses the epidemiology of CKD and end-stage renal disease (ESRD), as well as etiology and genetics, pathophysiology, and pathogenesis. The section on diagnosis looks at clinical manifestations and physical findings, laboratory (and other) tests, imaging studies, and biopsy. A short section on differential diagnosis is followed by a discussion of treatment, including hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Long-term complications of patients on dialysis include cardiovascular disease, renal osteodystrophy, dialysis-related amyloidosis, and acquired cystic disease (renal cell carcinoma). The final section addresses prognosis and socioeconomic burden. Figures include the classification system for CKD, prevalence of CKD in the United States, rising prevalence, risk of, and leading causes of ESRD in the United States, plus the changing prevalence of ESRD over time, clinical manifestations of uremia, and an overview of hemodialysis circuit. Tables look at the burden of CKD relative to other chronic disorders, the specific hereditary causes of kidney disease, and situations when serum creatinine does not accurately predict GFR. Other tables list equations for estimating GFR, the causes of CKD without shrunken kidneys, and clinical features distinguishing chronic kidney disease from acute kidney injury. ESRD and indications for initiation of dialysis are presented, as well as typical composition of dialysate and reasons for failure of peritoneal dialysis. This chapter contains 71 references.


2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (8) ◽  
pp. 918-926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily G. Pieracci ◽  
Juan Diego Perez De La Rosa ◽  
Daniel Luna Rubio ◽  
Mario Eduardo Solis Perales ◽  
Manuel Velasco Contreras ◽  
...  

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Wisely ◽  
Gregory Glass

Globally, vector-borne diseases are an increasing public health burden; in the United States, tick-borne diseases have tripled in the last three years. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes the need for resilience to the increasing vector-borne disease burden and has called for increased partnerships and sustained networks to identify and respond to the most pressing challenges that face vector-borne disease management, including increased surveillance. To increase applied research, develop communities of practice, and enhance workforce development, the CDC has created five regional Centers of Excellence in Vector-borne Disease. These Centers are a partnership of public health agencies, vector control groups, academic institutions, and industries. This special issue on tick and tick-borne disease surveillance is a collection of research articles on multiple aspects of surveillance from authors that are affiliated with or funded by the CDC Centers of Excellence. This body of work illustrates a community-based system of research by which participants share common problems and use integrated methodologies to produce outputs and effect outcomes that benefit human, animal and environmental health.


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