The News Leader
June 22, 2006

Ticking Time Bomb

Pests could harbor dangerous Lyme disease
By: Karen Bolipata/staff

After an afternoon romp outside, you might have noticed an eight-legged critter burrowed into the skin of your four-legged friend. These easy-to-miss arthropods may be more than a nuisance, however, and harbor infectious diseases. Fortunately, routine combing through your pet's fur and monthly doses of medication should keep the ticks, the slew of antibiotics and visits to the local vet at bay.

But animals aren't the only ones susceptible to tick-borne illnesses. Humans also are likely targets, and according to some health officials, incidents of Lyme disease—potentially debilitating illness—may be on the rise.

Lyme disease cases in the state have experienced an upward trend in the past 10 years, said David Gaines, public health entomologist of the Virginia Department of Health. But the numbers, he added, are a conservative estimate since the cases are underreported.

"We have a small idea of what's going on in the state by what doctors report to us," Gaines said.

State law requires licensed health care providers to report cases of Lyme disease to the county, but some doctors may be more diligent than others in reporting the disease, Gaines said.

In 2004, there were 216 cases of Lyme disease in Virginia, the second-highest number of cases since 1992, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The highest number of reported cases occurred in 2002, with 259 documented.

Incidents of Lyme disease hovered below 100 cases from 1993 to 1998, except for a spike in 1994 with 131 cases. Since 1999, the cases have surpassed the mark.

One explanation for the spread of deer ticks could be the creation of housing developments in areas inhabited by deer, said Jonathan Sleeman, wildlife veterinarian for the Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries. Increased awareness of the disease, he added, also might lead more people to report the illness.

A third theory, Sleeman said, involves the loss of biodiversity in forests. With a lack of other hosts to feed on, ticks continually might feed on white-footed mice, which harbor the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Certain regions in Virginia, he added, are more affected than others, including the eastern shore. Compared to northeastern states, Virginia has a low rate of Lyme disease cases.

Cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, another tick-borne illness, occurs less frequently in the state with about 30 or 40 reported cases each year, Gaines said. Unlike Lyme disease, the numbers for the fever haven't experienced an upward trend.

Incidents of Lyme disease are most common in the spring and summer months because nymphs—immature ticks—feed most in warmer temperatures. Adult ticks are most active in cooler weather, but are bigger and easier to spot.

Transmission occurs when the tick attaches itself to the host. The disease takes about 36 hours to be transmitted, according to the center. Left untreated, the disease can affect muscles and joints, and is often misdiagnosed as other diseases with similar symptoms.

Dogs, which often spend more time outdoors than their human and feline counterparts, are prime targets for deer ticks. In recent years, increased Lyme disease cases prompted veterinarians to test dogs for Lyme disease and ehrlichiosis, another tick-borne illness, during routine checkups.

Some area veterinarians say they have seen an increased number of ticks on dogs in the last year.

"This year has been a particularly bad year," said Leslie Shelton, a licensed veterinary technician at Westwood Animal Hospital in Staunton.

While tick cases usually are common in warmer months, Shelton said she has seen them all through wintertime. Robert Partridge, a veterinarian at the Animal Hospital of Waynesboro, has seen more tick infestations this year. Of those animals tested at the hospital for Lyme disease, 8 to 10 percent have tested positive.

Still, the increase in positive results may just be because more animals are being tested, Partridge added. Just because the tests come back positive doesn't mean the disease is active in the pet. Further lab results are conducted in these instances, and the results determine whether the animal should be given a four-week course of antibiotics.

Other veterinarians say this year's numbers for the amount of dogs testing positive for Lyme disease are on par with last year's numbers. As many as 10 to 15 percent of the dogs tested at the Commonwealth Veterinary Clinic PC in Waynesboro have yielded positive results, said Bruce Bowman, a veterinarian.

But he says pet owners should take heed that they may be as vulnerable as their pets.

"Part of our responsibility is to educate pet owners if they could be exposed to ticks in the area," Bowman said.

Heather Ballengee, a licensed veterinary technician of the Woodsworth Animal Hospital in Waynesboro, advises pet owners to bring their pets to the vet for annual exams to help combat the upward trend of tick-borne diseases.

"Every season, it just slowly increases," Ballengee said.

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