Tick incidence and Lyme disease

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

Anthony Dennison — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 13:39:40 GMT

I grew up on the Norfolk/Suffolk border and there was a very specific area (quite small really) that had a high incidence of Lyme disease called Lynford Arboretum. My Dad used to always remind us of the fact to the point whenever I walk through long grass I subconsciously rub down my lower legs afterwards to brush off any potential ticks!

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

Clair Firth — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 08:26:36 GMT

I'm in Austria where we have many more ticks and a much bigger tick-borne disease problem than the UK (at least in humans!). Here in Vienna, people are recommend to regularly vaccinate against the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBE), which can be fatal. A lot of people are also diagnosed with borreliosis (Lyme disease), my husband has had it twice, both times with the easy to diagnose "target" erythema migrans, easily treatable with doxycyclin.

The situation in dogs is not so clear cut! One of the chief neurologists (Michael Leschnik) at Vetmeduni Vienna wrote a very interesting editorial in the Veterinary Journal in 2014: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023313005595?via%3Dihub (It's behind a paywall, so I have attempted to attach the PDF to this post, I hope it works!)

Vaccination of dogs against Lyme disease used to be quite routine here, but is no longer seen as essential or even useful. I'm a farm vet but have heard from small animal colleagues about how difficult it is to prove or disprove a diagnosis.....

Anyway, I thought you might find the paper interesting. I used to work for a human pharma company in the vaccines dept, researching both TBE and borreliosis vaccines. The TBE vaccine has been on the market throughout Europe since the 70s, whereas the human borreliosis vaccine (although very promising in clinical trials) was put on hold after the company sold its vaccines research :-(

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

Bob Russell — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 16:04:26 GMT

Some research was done close to us here and found nearly a third of ticks to be carrying Lyme disease.

There are estimates for human cases between 2000-3000 new cases per year. Some have speculated it may be tens of thousands as it is not notifiable in England.

My main comfort is that it takes quite a long time for the parasite to be transmitted.

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

Thomas Johnson — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 08:43:12 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

The deer will have already brought them in so the sheep are a diversion.

All the tablet type parasite products should kill any ticks before they have a chance to spread Lyme. Permethrin type products should be adequate to repel them.

[/quote]

It's also worth remembering that in The Big Tick project carried out at the University of Bristol only 2.3% of ticks were found to be carrying Lyme Disease, though this was a national figure so there may be some variation between different areas.

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 12:56:46 GMT

We live near to several forested parks that are full of deer, mainly Muntjacs but also Roe and the occasional Fallow. I see the odd tick but never suspected, let alone diagnosed, Lyme Disease. While there is no one product that treats all parasites if something has got to give it is ticks as fox mange and lungworm present a much greater risk in this part of the fringes of west London/Buckinghamshire.

I do however suggest that they might like to add in some tick treatment if going on holiday to New Forest/Dartmoor/Exmoor etc.

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

Bob Russell — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 11:28:22 GMT

The deer will have already brought them in so the sheep are a diversion.

All the tablet type parasite products should kill any ticks before they have a chance to spread Lyme. Permethrin type products should be adequate to repel them.

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

Derek Lyon — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 10:31:43 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

[quote user="David Mills"]

The tests are terrible.

Lack of logical thinking makes people think positive serology means lymes disease.

There was a discussion here a couple of years ago where Malcolm Ness said the same thing.

I don't really care about humans as they suffer the same diagnostic inaccuracy.

[/quote]

Just the opposite (probably)!

I suspect it may be the most underdiagnosed condition. In 30+ years I have failed to diagnose it convincingly once in any of my patients. I work in the centre of the worst tick and Lyme disease area.

The tests are so useless that I no longer bother testing. This decision was made in discussion with our lab!

Many/most human cases are diagnosed on clinical symptoms perhaps backed up be serology. It is really quite common here and severe symptoms are seen.

We have several clients that have had life changing Lyme disease.

It has been recorded very, very rarely in cats.

Positive serology (if you ever get them) means exposure, no more.

[/quote]

I really appreciate all your wise inputs. It's just we have a holiday home in North Wales where sheep are becoming a big problem. They have gained entrance to our Park and my worry is/has been tick issues and possible Lyme disease. We have found ticks at various times on our 2 dogs who go to areas of the park where sheep are/have been. Really I suppose it is up to owner of sheep to stop them from wandering?

Regards

Derek

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

Bob Russell — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 10:19:19 GMT

[quote user="David Mills"]

The tests are terrible.

Lack of logical thinking makes people think positive serology means lymes disease.

There was a discussion here a couple of years ago where Malcolm Ness said the same thing.

I don't really care about humans as they suffer the same diagnostic inaccuracy.

[/quote]

Just the opposite (probably)!

I suspect it may be the most underdiagnosed condition. In 30+ years I have failed to diagnose it convincingly once in any of my patients. I work in the centre of the worst tick and Lyme disease area.

The tests are so useless that I no longer bother testing. This decision was made in discussion with our lab!

Many/most human cases are diagnosed on clinical symptoms perhaps backed up be serology. It is really quite common here and severe symptoms are seen.

We have several clients that have had life changing Lyme disease.

It has been recorded very, very rarely in cats.

Positive serology (if you ever get them) means exposure, no more.

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

Thomas Johnson — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 09:23:57 GMT

[quote user="Ceri Gruffudd Jones"]

No figures - only anecdote and 15 years working in North Wales. Like Utlendigur I’ve never had a positive titre on testing, see very many ticks. I have however had a few clients diagnosed with it more recently. They could of course have picked it up elsewhere.

[/quote]

I wonder if people are more susceptible to Lyme Disease than dogs. We have a lot of ticks and there are occasional reports of people in the area catching it. I've also seen some purported pictures of typical target lesions on people that look more like a 'wheal and flare' allergic reaction to me... However I've never diagnosed a dog with Lyme disease, despite testing some suspected cases, and I'm aware that a positive antibody titre wouldn't necessarily indicate active infection

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

Ceri Gruffudd Jones — Sat, 01 Sep 2018 22:13:25 GMT

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

David Mills — Sat, 01 Sep 2018 20:35:44 GMT

The tests are terrible.

Lack of logical thinking makes people think positive serology means lymes disease.

There was a discussion here a couple of years ago where Malcolm Ness said the same thing.

I don't really care about humans as they suffer the same diagnostic inaccuracy.

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

Utlendigur — Sat, 01 Sep 2018 20:27:02 GMT

[quote user="David Mills"]

Lyme disease - the most overdiagnosed condition in veterinary medicine?

[/quote]

Evidence??

Conversely the medical profession is critcised for under-diagnosing it.

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

David Mills — Sat, 01 Sep 2018 20:09:55 GMT

Lyme disease - the most overdiagnosed condition in veterinary medicine?

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

Utlendigur — Sat, 01 Sep 2018 19:39:32 GMT

PHE = public health England. More info for Wales on here

http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/888/page/43862

I've always associated high risk of Lyme disease with the Scottish Highlands, Western Isles and New Forest (from years of fellrunning/orienteering - they always seemed to be the areas where competitions published warnings). Seemed to be mainly areas with high deer rather than sheep populations. I've worked in North Wales for nearly 30yrs and never had bloods come back with a positive titre result yet - plenty of ticks though. There was a recent article in the Daily Post about Lyme Disease on the Great Orme - but it's not the most reliable of sources

RE: Tick incidence and Lyme disease

Iain Richards — Sat, 01 Sep 2018 16:12:31 GMT

Lyme figures will be on PHE web site. Lyme isn't associated with any animal other than dogs, as far as I am aware. Ixodes ricinus is unbiquitous