LYME-DISEASE CARRIERS
Deer ticks spreading, pose risk to hunters
Saturday, October 9, 2010 02:56 AM
By Frank Thomas
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Black-legged ticks, at lower right, sometimes called deer ticks, are considerably smaller than the more common dog tick.
Four-season danger
Unlike the common American dog tick, which hides during cold weather, deer ticks hunt during warmer winter days and in the early spring. Some tips for dealing with them:
Check everywhere. Dog ticks search for hairy areas on the body before latching on to suck blood. The deer tick isn't picky and will attach itself to any exposed skin.
Respond quickly. Even if you are bitten by a Lyme-disease-infected deer tick, you have 1 1/2 days before the tick can transmit the disease.
You won't know what bit you. Deer-tick saliva carries a numbing agent.
Get a grip. To remove the tick, use tweezers. Grasp the bug as close to the skin as possible and pull.
See a doctor. Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics. The sooner treatment is started, the better.
Sources: Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio State University
Hunters and hikers should be wary of a potentially disease-carrying parasite that has established a foothold in Ohio, the state Department of Natural Resources warns.
A reproducing population of black-legged ticks, or deer ticks, has been found in Coshocton County, said Glen Needham, an entomologist with Ohio State University.
The tick, which can carry Lyme disease, is fairly common in surrounding states, and hikers have come across single ticks in Ohio for years. But scientists didn't discover a population large enough to reproduce and sustain itself until this past spring, he said.
"We're not sure if they'll turn up in other areas around the state. ... We catch them when citizens send in ticks for examination," Needham said. "But with the hunting season already started, we wanted to give hunters and people out looking at fall colors more of a heads-up than in the past."
Lyme disease is a potentially debilitating infection. It starts with a bull's-eye-shaped skin rash around the bite that appears between three and 30 days after a tick attaches itself to the person. Other symptoms include fever, chills, headache, fatigue and severe joint pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
"It can be painful, debilitating almost to the point of crippling," said Steve Lonsinger, director of environmental health at the Coshocton County Health Department.
Doctors confirmed nearly 30,000 Lyme disease cases nationwide last year, according to the CDC.
It is the most common insect-transmitted infection in the U.S., Needham said, adding that, of the deer ticks found in Ohio that he's examined, few carried the disease.
The ticks turned up on several farms in Coshocton County, Lonsinger said, and the state will now look at other areas to determine the scope of the infestation.
"We're not surprised that there's a population here. It's just that we hadn't found them before," he said, adding that many scientists think the pest hitched a ride with migrating birds.
Hunters are particularly vulnerable because deer ticks, which are smaller than dog ticks, blend with camouflage clothing, Lonsinger said, adding that the parasites are common in wooded areas rather than fields.
"You need to do a whole-body check," he said. "These little ticks move so quickly that even if you get them on the outside of your clothing, they can work their way to your skin. And you need to make sure they don't get into your home. Check your clothing."
By Chris Avena 