THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 10, 1996 TAG: 9607100337
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 97 lines
Last winter's snowfalls and a damp spring probably didn't invigorate too many humans in Hampton Roads.
But the area's tick population got a boost. On the ground, where tick eggs are laid, snow and moisture provided insulation from the cold air above.
Such conditions may have fostered a larger than normal number of ticks, ready to feast on mice, rabbits, deer, dogs and other mammals - including humans - state epidemiologists said this week.
July is the height of Virginia's tick season, which begins around April and continues through early fall.
Because ticks can transmit illnesses, such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, health officials said people should look for the organisms on skin and clothing and on pets, especially dogs.
``Check yourself and your children daily if you're going to be outside, even if it's out in the yard,'' said Eric Day, manager for the Insect Identification Laboratory at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
In 1995, there were 55 cases of Lyme disease and 34 cases of spotted fever statewide.
This year, seven cases of Lyme disease and five cases of spotted fever had been reported in Virginia by the end of June, said Elizabeth Turf, an epidemiologist for the Virginia Department of Health in Richmond. None was in Hampton Roads, she said.
It's too early to tell if tick-borne illnesses in Virginia will rise this year, Turf said.
Ticks are most commonly found in wooded or marshy areas, in fields and on high grasses, where they await a ride on passing prey.
They prefer mice, deer, dogs, rabbits and other hairy mammals, but will settle for humans, Day said. Ticks feed on their host's blood, burrowing into the skin with their head and mouth.
They're large enough to be seen - usually brown and about the size of a pin head, he said. But engorged, ticks can balloon to the size of a pencil-top eraser, and often appear black.
After feasting, ticks retract their feeding mechanisms and fall from their hosts, awaiting another victim or renewing the cycle by laying eggs, Day said.
At least three types of ticks - the lone-star, American dog and deer tick - make their home in southeastern Virginia, said Dr. Daniel E. Sonenshine, professor of biological sciences at Norfolk's Old Dominion University. Most common is the lone-star tick, said Sonenshine, who has studied ticks and wrote a book about them - ``Biology of Ticks.'' (Oxford University Press, 1993).
Not all ticks carry disease. ``Millions of people get tick bites and do not get infected,'' Sonenshine said.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Ehrlichiosis are the most common tick-borne illnesses in Virginia, Sonenshine said. Lyme disease is rare but can occur here. All are potentially fatal if untreated, but also are easily thwarted with anti-biotics, he said.
Symptoms of spotted fever, transmitted by the American dog tick, include headache, chills, sudden fever, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting within two to 12 days of the bite. About three days after the bite, a rash may begin on the victim's hands or feet, then spread over the body, said Betty Rouse, epidemiologist for the eastern region of the Virginia Health Department.
Lyme disease, first identified in 1975 in Lyme, Conn., is transmitted by the deer tick and, possibly, the lone-star tick, Sonenshine said. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue and stiff neck, within three to 30 days of the bite.
The telltale sign of Lyme disease is a reddened area about the size of a half dollar where the bite occurred, Rouse said. Untreated, the disease can cause facial palsy, severe joint inflammation and other medical conditions.
Ehrlichiosis, studied in Virginia for only about five years, can be carried by all three ticks, said Turf. Symptoms include fever, headache, malaise, muscle aches, chills, sweating, nausea and vomiting, and usually begin one to three weeks after the bite.
In Virginia, doctors are required to report confirmation of spotted fever and Lyme disease. Ehrlichiosis is not on the list of reportable diseases, Turf said, because it only recently has been recognized.
``There's no reason to go to the doctor if you find a tick on your clothing or running around on your skin,'' Sonenshine said.
Check with a doctor if you develop symptoms and suspect you have been infected, he said.
Seeing one tick is reason to inspect your clothing and body for others, Sonenshine said. Long hair, in particular, attracts ticks. Pay attention to the hairline, ears and neck.
Remove attached ticks with tweezers dipped in rubbing alcohol, Rouse said. ``Go to the base and pull gently and steadily as close to the attachment as you can.'' Leaving behind part of the tick can cause skin irritation or infection.
If possible, preserve the tick in rubbing alcohol and take it to the doctor. From there, it can be sent to a laboratory that checks for disease. ILLUSTRATION: Color graphic
Source: Old Dominion University, Virginia Department of Health
The Risks of Ticks
Diseases
Ticks likely to carry it
Most likely symptoms
For complete text, see microfilm.
KEYWORDS: TICKS HAMPTON ROADS by CNB