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Warnasooriya S, Kularatne D, Kularatne S, Weerakoon K. Massive Tick Bites Causing Spotted Fever Rickettsial Infection: A Hazard in a Tea Plantation, Sri Lanka. Wilderness Environ Med 2021; 32:499-502. [PMID: 34334302 DOI: 10.1016/j.wem.2021.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Tea plantations in Sri Lanka cover the central hills of the island, where spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsial infection is common. In most cases, the history of tick bite is obscure and eschars are not present. A 45-y-old female experienced massive tick bites while working in her tea plantation. She developed fever 2 d after exposure, but the diagnosis of SFG infection was not considered until a skin rash appeared on the eighth day. She had a very high titer of antirickettsial antibodies detected by immunofluorescence assay and responded to doxycycline. Here, we highlight the high risk of exposure to ticks and tick bites within tea estates and its causal relationship to SFG infection, which is increasing in Sri Lanka. Active case detection, notification, surveillance, and community awareness are imperative. Possible preventative measures for tick bites have to be introduced. There is a need to explore the effectiveness of local remedies currently in use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sithara Warnasooriya
- Centre for Research in Tropical Medicine (CRTM), Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
| | - Damsara Kularatne
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
| | | | - Kosala Weerakoon
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
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Egizi A, Bulaga-Seraphin L, Alt E, Bajwa WI, Bernick J, Bickerton M, Campbell SR, Connally N, Doi K, Falco RC, Gaines DN, Greay TL, Harper VL, Heath ACG, Jiang J, Klein TA, Maestas L, Mather TN, Occi JL, Oskam CL, Pendleton J, Teator M, Thompson AT, Tufts DM, Umemiya-Shirafuji R, VanAcker MC, Yabsley MJ, Fonseca DM. First glimpse into the origin and spread of the Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, in the United States. Zoonoses Public Health 2020; 67:637-650. [PMID: 32638553 DOI: 10.1111/zph.12743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Established populations of Asian longhorned ticks (ALT), Haemaphysalis longicornis, were first identified in the United States (US) in 2017 by sequencing the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) 'barcoding' locus followed by morphological confirmation. Subsequent investigations detected ALT infestations in 12, mostly eastern, US states. To gain information on the origin and spread of US ALT, we (1) sequenced cox1 from ALT populations across 9 US states and (2) obtained cox1 sequences from potential source populations [China, Japan and Republic of Korea (ROK) as well as Australia, New Zealand and the Kingdom of Tonga (KOT)] both by sequencing and by downloading publicly available sequences in NCBI GenBank. Additionally, we conducted epidemiological investigations of properties near its initial detection locale in Hunterdon County, NJ, as well as a broader risk analysis for importation of ectoparasites into the area. In eastern Asian populations (China/Japan/ROK), we detected 35 cox1 haplotypes that neatly clustered into two clades with known bisexual versus parthenogenetic phenotypes. In Australia/New Zealand/KOT, we detected 10 cox1 haplotypes all falling within the parthenogenetic cluster. In the United States, we detected three differentially distributed cox1 haplotypes from the parthenogenetic cluster, supporting phenotypic evidence that US ALT are parthenogenetic. While none of the source populations examined had all three US cox1 haplotypes, a phylogeographic network analysis supports a northeast Asian source for the US populations. Within the United States, epidemiological investigations indicate ALT can be moved long distances by human transport of animals, such as horses and dogs, with smaller scale movements on wildlife. These results have relevant implications for efforts aimed at minimizing the spread of ALT in the United States and preventing additional exotic tick introductions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Egizi
- Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division, Tinton Falls, NJ, USA.,Center for Vector Biology, Department of Entomology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | | | - Erika Alt
- West Virginia Department of Agriculture, Animal Health Division, Charleston, WV, USA
| | - Waheed I Bajwa
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Vector Surveillance and Control, New York, NY, USA
| | - Joshua Bernick
- Virginia Department of Health, Division of Surveillance and Investigation, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Matthew Bickerton
- Center for Vector Biology, Department of Entomology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.,Bergen County Department of Health Services, Paramus, NJ, USA.,Rutgers Center for Vector Biology, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Scott R Campbell
- Suffolk County Department of Health Services, Arthropod-Borne Disease Laboratory, Yaphank, NY, USA
| | - Neeta Connally
- Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, CT, USA
| | - Kandai Doi
- Laboratory of Wildlife Medicine, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Japan
| | - Richard C Falco
- New York State Department of Health, Louis Calder Center, Fordham University, Armonk, NY, USA
| | - David N Gaines
- Virginia Department of Health, Division of Surveillance and Investigation, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Telleasha L Greay
- Vector and Waterborne Pathogens Research Group, College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
| | | | - Allen C G Heath
- AgResearch Ltd, Hopkirk Research Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Ju Jiang
- Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Terry A Klein
- Force Health Protection & Preventive Medicine, MEDDAC-Korea/65th Medical Brigade, APO AP 96271-5281, USA
| | | | - Thomas N Mather
- TickEncounter Resource Center, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA
| | - James L Occi
- Center for Vector Biology, Department of Entomology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Charlotte L Oskam
- Vector and Waterborne Pathogens Research Group, College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
| | | | | | - Alec T Thompson
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Danielle M Tufts
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rika Umemiya-Shirafuji
- National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Meredith C VanAcker
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael J Yabsley
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.,Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Dina M Fonseca
- Center for Vector Biology, Department of Entomology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
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Akin Belli A, Dervis E, Kar S, Ergonul O, Gargili A. Revisiting detachment techniques in human-biting ticks. J Am Acad Dermatol 2016; 75:393-7. [PMID: 26944595 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaad.2016.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2015] [Revised: 01/23/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early and complete removal of ticks using the right technique is important to reduce tick-transmitted diseases. Several chemical and mechanical detachment techniques have been described previously. OBJECTIVE We aimed to compare the performance of 4 tick-detachment techniques that are widely used in human beings and to determine the optimal method from these techniques. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted on 160 patients between April and June 2010. Patients with reported tick bite were reviewed retrospectively and divided into the following 4 groups according to the tick-detachment technique used: card detachment, lassoing, freezing, and tweezers. Performance of each technique was evaluated according to the number of fully detached, nondetached, and crushed ticks and the duration of application. RESULTS Of the 160 tick-bite cases assessed, we found the following efficacy rates: 82.5% (33/40), technique using tweezers; 47.5% (19/40), lassoing technique; 7.5% (3/40), card detachment; and 0% (0/40), freezing technique. The efficacy rate of the technique using tweezers was significantly higher than that of the other 3 techniques (P < .05). LIMITATIONS This was a relatively small sample size and not designed as a randomized clinical trial. CONCLUSION Tick detachment using tweezers, performed in an appropriate manner, is the easiest and most effective technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asli Akin Belli
- Department of Dermatology, Mugla Sitki Kocman University Training and Research Hospital, Mugla, Turkey.
| | - Emine Dervis
- Department of Dermatology, Haseki Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Sirri Kar
- Department of Biology, Namik Kemal University, Tekirdag, Turkey
| | - Onder Ergonul
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Koc University Medical School, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Aysen Gargili
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey
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