Author: Dr. Daniel Cameron

A study published in April 2021 looked at the frequency of emergency room visits due to tick bites. The authors examined “ED tick bite visits during January 2017-December 2019 by sex, age group, U.S. region, and seasonality,” writes Marx et al. [2] Their findings revealed that tick bites on a child under the age of…

The Powassan virus (POWV) can be transmitted in as little as 15 minutes and is spread primarily through the bite of an infected deer tick. There is no treatment for the Powassan virus, yet it can cause devastating neurologic damage including encephalitis, meningitis or even death. “About 15% of patients who are infected and have…

A study by Eisen and colleagues addressed a frequently asked question: “How long does it take to get Lyme disease?” According to their findings,  the probability of an individual becoming infected with Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the pathogen which causes Lyme disease, increases the longer the tick is attached. [1] Researchers found the risk increases: Approximately…

This case report describes an elderly woman from Maine, who was diagnosed post-mortem with a rare deer tick virus, known as the Powassan virus. The 72-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with myalgias, chills, and an erythema migrans rash on her left scapula. She reportedly had 2 tick bites over the course of one…

Ticks can be tested for the Lyme disease bacteria and other tick-borne pathogens. But the accuracy of test results may depend on whether the tick is engorged. A study by Gasmi et al. found that results may not be accurate when testing ticks which are engorged. [1] The authors examined 4,596 I. scapularis  (blacklegged) ticks…

The 71-year-old woman underwent an exhaustive evaluation to determine the cause of her abdominal pain. Tests included: CT scan of the chest and abdomen; whole body emission tomography-CT scan (PET-CT); colonoscopy; gastroscopy, and an MRI of the small intestines. Initially, doctors did not consider testing for Lyme disease as a cause of the patient’s stomach…

As the number of tick-borne diseases grows and the geographical spread of ticks continues, there is an increasing interest in what repels ticks naturally and which products are effective and safe to use. Little is known about exactly how ticks detect odors and what smells repel them. “Improving our understanding of tick olfactory mechanisms and…

Lyme disease patients often struggle with ongoing symptoms including arthritis. Findings from this latest study are a “testament to how unique this bacterium is — and how we need to keep working to understand more about what is going on behind the scenes in order to develop future diagnostics and treatments,” states Mari Davis, lead…