Emergency room visits for tick bites are higher in the U.S. this year than they have been in over a decade. Just this week, New York state had its first case of the rare tick-borne Bourbon virus. This past spring, a person in Northern California was identified as the state’s third case - and only the fourth ever worldwide - of another rare, newly discovered tick-borne disease.
In California, the culprit was the Rickettsia lanei bacteria, which causes symptoms similar to Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). It was first discovered in 2018. It’s probable that many more people have had this, but the symptoms are so similar to RMSF that it’s likely underreported.
Rickettsia lanei, RMSF, and Bourbon virus can all cause serious illness, hospitalization, and even death. Symptoms are similar and can include fever, muscle aches, headache and rash. Severe disease can progress to gangrene, brain inflammation, or even coma.
Spotted fevers, but especially RMSF, can be particularly deadly - with up to a 50% case fatality rate. Granted, that stat is from a study of the Americas as a whole, particularly in Mexico and Brazil, so the survival rate is likely higher in the U.S. But if it’s anywhere close to that number, it’s more deadly than hantavirus, measles, and even the current strain of Ebola in Congo. Bourbon virus is so rare that we can’t give a case fatality rate with confidence, but there have been 2 deaths out of only 6 known cases.
Ultimately, this is probably not the mutation of brand new bacteria and viruses, but rather chalked up to changing climate. Tick season is longer, and their survivable habitat range has gotten much bigger over the past decade. Plus, as suburbs expand into previously forested areas, humans come into more contact with ticks on their own turf. As more people get bitten, more diseases carried by these little buggers get discovered – at least 8 since 2000.
The only way to prevent these tick-borne diseases is to prevent tick bites. Wear long sleeves and pants outdoors, stay out of tall grass, shower and check for ticks after outdoor activities, and keep your pets up on their tick meds.
Sources: LA Times, SFGate, CDPH, CDC, NIH, Atlantic
We loved this very realistic portrayal that sounds a lot like what our ZHH Clinical Team experiences regularly. While contact tracing for COVID and measles may not be met with enthusiasm, the reality in most foodborne illness investigations is that people love to be heard…even (especially?) about their bowel movements.