More info on ticks and Lyme Disease From: patricia curran [mailto:p...@cornell.edu] Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2012 1:52 PM To: Patricia A. Curran Subject: FW: Lyme disease surge predicted for NE U.S.
March 16, 2012 Lyme Disease Surge Predicted for the Northeastern U.S. Boom-and-bust acorn crops and a decline in mice leave humans vulnerable to infected ticks Millbrook, NY - The northeastern U.S. should prepare for a surge in Lyme disease this spring. And we can blame fluctuations in acorns and mouse populations, not the mild winter. So reports Dr. Richard S. Ostfeld, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY. What do acorns have to do with illness? Acorn crops vary from year-to-year, with boom-and-bust cycles influencing the winter survival and breeding success of white-footed mice. These small mammals pack a one-two punch: they are preferred hosts for black-legged ticks and they are very effective at transmitting Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. "We had a boom in acorns, followed by a boom in mice. And now, on the heels of one of the smallest acorn crops we've ever seen, the mouse population is crashing," Ostfeld explains. Adding, "This spring, there will be a lot of Borrelia burgdorferi-infected black-legged ticks in our forests looking for a blood meal. And instead of finding a white-footed mouse, they are going to find other mammalslike us." For more than two decades, Ostfeld, Cary Institute forest ecologist Dr. Charles D. Canham, and their research team have been investigating connections among acorn abundance, white-footed mice, black-legged ticks, and Lyme disease. In 2010, acorn crops were the heaviest recorded at their Millbrook-based research site. And in 2011, mouse populations followed suit, peaking in the summer months. The scarcity of acorns in the fall of 2011 set up a perfect storm for human Lyme disease risk. Black-legged ticks take three bloodmealsas larvae, as nymphs, and as adults. Larval ticks that fed on 2011's booming mouse population will soon be in need of a nymphal meal. These tiny ticksas small as poppy seedsare very effective at transmitting Lyme to people. The last time Ostfeld's research site experienced a heavy acorn crop (2006) followed by a sparse acorn crop (2007), nymphal black-legged ticks reached a 20-year high. The May-July nymph season will be dangerous, and Ostfeld urges people to be aware when outdoors. Unlike white-footed mice, who can be infected with Lyme with minimal cost, the disease is debilitating to humans. Left undiagnosed, it can cause chronic fatigue, joint pain, and neurological problems. It is the most prevalent vector-borne illness in the U.S., with the majority of cases occurring in the Northeast. Ostfeld says that mild winter weather does not cause a rise in tick populations, although it can change tick behavior. Adult ticks, which are slightly larger than a sesame seed, are normally dormant in winter but can seek a host whenever temperatures rise several degrees above freezing. The warm winter of 2011-2012 induced earlier than normal activity. While adult ticks can transmit Lyme, they are responsible for a small fraction of tick-borne disease, with spring-summer nymphs posing more of a human health threat. Past research by Ostfeld and colleagues has highlighted the role that intact forest habitat and animal diversity play in buffering Lyme disease risks. He is currently working with health departments in impacted areas to educate citizens and physicians about the impending surge in Lyme disease. ----- Original Message ----- From: Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes To: CAYUGABIRDS-L Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 7:04 AM Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Fwd: [GeneseeBirds-L] ticks I thought I would forward this information to Cayugabirds-L. We may see a higher incidence of tick reports this year, as is being noted in Western NY, in part due to the light winter weather. Sincerely, Chris T-H Begin forwarded message: From: Susan Robertson <serob...@gmail.com> Date: March 20, 2012 10:02:49 PM EDT To: <geneseebird...@geneseo.edu> Subject: [GeneseeBirds-L] ticks For those interested in having a tick tested for Lyme disease, the University of Mass Extension will test ticks for $40 - see http://extension.umass.edu/agriculture/index.php/services/tick-borne-disease-diagnostics Cornell University has a very informative web page on ticks that has some very good photos and descriptions of various species of ticks, how to prevent tick bites, and how to remove a tick: http://entomology.cornell.edu/cals/entomology/extension/medent/tickbiofs.cfm#Section5 I've gotten into the practice of periodically spraying a set of "outdoor" clothes with permethrin which needs to be applied to clothes and allowed to dry before the clothing is worn. It lasts for a couple weeks and up to six washings. Cornell's web page says "Permethrin (0.5% concentration) provides a high level of protection and effectively kills all tick species and developmental stages that have been tested. In one field study, most ticks removed from permethrin treated clothing were dead or had impaired mobility while 99% of ticks removed from DEET (33.25% lotion) treated and untreated clothing did not show any ill effects." When dry, permethrin has no odor. Some companies sell clothing pre-treated with permethrin. I also use tick & chigger gaiters (which I treat with permethrin) I got from Forestry Suppliers as an alternative to tucking pants in socks: http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?mi=6954 For those of us that don't care for DEET-based repellants on bare skin, picaridin, which one of the newer chemical formulations on the market in recent years, is reported to work well against ticks and mosquitoes in concentrations of about 20%. A Consumer Reports test published in July 2010 showed Natrapel 8-hour with Picaridin repelled ticks for 8 hours and mosquitoes for 7 hours (in lab conditions). Picaridin doesn't seem nearly as greasy to me as DEET-based products, and has virtually no odor. It also doesn't harm plastics and synthetics like DEET can. Some picaridin products are Natrapel 8 hour with Picaridin, Repel Sportsman Gear Smart (which I've found at Target), and Sawyer Premium Inspect Repellent 20-percent Picaridin Pump Spray. Picaridin is definitely harder to find in stores than DEET-based products, though. In addition, as Steve Daniel said, careful tick checks are extremely important. Good birding! Sue Robertson _______________________________________________ GeneseeBirds-L mailing list - geneseebird...@geneseo.edu http://mail.geneseo.edu/mailman/listinfo/geneseebirds-l -- Christopher T. Tessaglia-Hymes TARU Product Line Manager and Field Applications Engineer Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York 14850 W: 607-254-2418 M: 607-351-5740 F: 607-254-1132 http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --