![]() Since its discovery, SFTSV has been associated with 7,419 cases including 355 deaths 14. A recent example is the identification of the novel bunyavirus, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), in 2009 13. With improvements in molecular techniques, novel pathogenic viruses are continually being identified. Ticks are the vectors of several viruses important to human and livestock disease including Powassan virus 3, tick-borne encephalitis virus 4, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus 5, Alkhurma hemorrhagic fever virus 6, Colorado tick fever virus 7, Kyasanur Forest virus 8, Louping ill virus 9, Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus 10, African swine fever virus 11, and Nairobi sheep disease virus 12. Although the public health emphasis for tick-borne diseases has largely focused on bacterial pathogens, there is abundant evidence that viral pathogens are also important. Ticks transmit a wide range of viral, bacterial, and protozoan pathogens to both humans and other animals 2. You can get tested for alpha-gal syndrome by visiting an allergist or another healthcare provider.Many factors, including relative promiscuity in host selection and duration of attachment, contribute to the efficiency of ticks as vectors of microbial pathogens 1. Persons with alpha-gal syndrome can go into a delayed anaphylactic shock 4-6 hours after eating red meat. Instances have also spread up the Eastern seaboard in states with deer populations. Cases of the condition have been found in southern states like Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. ![]() Individuals prone to severe allergic reactions can experience symptoms of anaphylaxis such as vomiting, diarrhea, drop in blood pressure, and difficulty breathing. Common allergic reactions include hives and swelling. Individuals infected with the Heartland virus often experience symptoms like fatigue, fever, headache, muscle ache, diarrhea, appetite loss, and upset stomach.Īnother condition thought to be associated with blood-feeding lone star ticks is a severe red meat allergy called alpha-gal syndrome. This virus, called Heartland virus, was identified in 2012 and as of March 2014, eight cases have been identified among residents of Missouri and Tennessee. Some other diseases associated with lone star ticks are ehrlichiosis, tularemia and a virus suspected to be transmitted by lone star ticks. This rash, if also involving fatigue, headache, fever, muscle and joint pains is a condition called southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI). ![]() Lone star ticks are able to transmit several tick-borne diseases however, they do not transmit Lyme disease even though people bitten by lone star ticks sometimes develop a rash that is similar to the Lyme disease rash. Diseases Transmitted by Lone Star Tick Bites Primarily active in May and June, the lone star tick can become active on warm days during the winter and early spring. The nymphs repeat the questing procedure used by the larvae, except after dropping from their host, nymphs molt into adult ticks. After securing a host, the larva attaches blood-feeds for about 1-3 days drops off the host and soon molts into an eight-legged nymph. Lone star tick larvae exhibit a behavior known as questing and climb on an object or plant and wait for a host to pass by. ![]() Eggs will hatch into six-legged larvae and soon begin searching for a host. Such a habitat best enables the eggs to survive. After a few days, the female lays over 5,000 eggs in a protected area with high humidity, like under leaf litter. The life cycle for a lone star tick begins after a female tick consumes a blood meal and drops off its host. Hosts commonly infested by lone star ticks are humans, domesticated animals such as cattle, dogs and horses, ground-dwelling birds, squirrels, opossums and raccoons, plus white-tailed deer and coyotes. After feeding once in each stage, the tick falls to the ground and molts or a fertile adult female lays eggs. Lone star ticks are three-host ticks, meaning they take a blood meal from different hosts when in their larval, nymphal and adult stages. Amblyomma americanum frequently is located in second-growth woodland habitats, especially where the white-tail deer populations are plentiful. Also, the tick is reportedly found in other areas and is known to be expanding its range both northward and westward. Found across the U.S., the lone star tick is primarily distributed throughout the eastern, southeastern, and midwestern portions of the country. ![]()
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