new tick virus?

big bubba · Aug 6, 2013

Unusual Tick-Borne Virus Lurks In Missouri's Woods : Shots - Health News : NPR

might check out for those of us in mid west out in field & woods. triple R, u there? MO is where it is.......

greasemonkeyok · Aug 6, 2013

Good info.

Thanks for the heads-up.

txdon · Aug 8, 2014

It is also called the Lone Star Tick and can cause allergies to red meat. Yep, get bit and turn into a vegetarian.

KiotiKowboy · Aug 8, 2014

Also here:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/319155-new-tick-concern.html

MinnesotaEric · Aug 9, 2014

FWIW, if you find a tick biting you, throw it into a little baggie and have the tick tested. The tick tests on people are not always accurate. Up here in Mn we have a bunch of different tick diseases.

txdon · Aug 9, 2014

EricTheOracle said:
FWIW, if you find a tick biting you, throw it into a little baggie and have the tick tested. The tick tests on people are not always accurate. Up here in Mn we have a bunch of different tick diseases.

Where do you sent it to?

txdon · Aug 9, 2014

This is an informative short video on this tick bite. The connection was made in 2009.

Alpha Gal and the Lone Star Tick | NutritionFacts.org

This video states that as many as 20% of the population's meat allergies in the "tick states" are the results of tick bites.

Tick Bites, Meat Allergies, and Chronic Urticaria | NutritionFacts.org

Maybe the moderators can combine the two tick threads.

tman1020 · Aug 9, 2014

Most county health departments have testing available.

KiotiKowboy · Aug 9, 2014

EricTheOracle said:
FWIW, if you find a tick biting you, throw it into a little baggie and have the tick tested. The tick tests on people are not always accurate. Up here in Mn we have a bunch of different tick diseases.

There were days before I started using permethrin that I would have been sending more than a dozen per day - lol.

txdon · Aug 9, 2014

tman1020 said:
Most county health departments have testing available.

Our county does not a hospital or health department, the only testing of blood is done by request of a doctor. I imagine the test would be expensive and not covered by insurance since the person insured is not being tested. Has anyone ever had a tick tested and what is the cost?

KiotiKowboy · Aug 9, 2014

I would suspect it would be far less costly to test your own blood- not the tick(s). Besides, just because the tick is carrying a virus, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have become infected. At least "some" of the virus strains require prolonged attachment ... 24 hrs or longer.

As an aside - Did you know there is a vaccine for Lyme Disease? Yes, but they no longer make it available. With noted increases in tick problems, one can only hope there will be more concern/action to address these very serious infections. Heartland Virus, in particular, can be a death sentence.

6thgpSF · Aug 9, 2014

lot of deer,lone star and dog ticks around my parts.I always check me and my dogs after working outside.I hear there's some new tropical disease that is showing up in the states spread by skeeters....russ

tman1020 · Aug 9, 2014

There is a lab that some of the health departments send it out to I had it done in Northwest Indiana for about $25-$30 about six years ago. There is a vaccine still available for pets. that's very interesting to know there was one for people would love to see that come back again.

Soundguy · Aug 9, 2014

the tick bite that causes the meat alergy is not a virus.

it is because the tick has a sugar we don't make. because of the bit the imune system goes into overdrive and makes antibodies for the sugar too. then poof, next time you encounter that sugar ( red meta..e tc. ). you can get an imune response...

KiotiKowboy said:
I would suspect it would be far less costly to test your own blood- not the tick(s). Besides, just because the tick is carrying a virus, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have become infected. At least "some" of the virus strains require prolonged attachment ... 24 hrs or longer.

As an aside - Did you know there is a vaccine for Lyme Disease? Yes, but they no longer make it available. With noted increases in tick problems, one can only hope there will be more concern/action to address these very serious infections. Heartland Virus, in particular, can be a death sentence.

txdon · Aug 9, 2014

Soundguy said:
the tick bite that causes the meat alergy is not a virus.

it is because the tick has a sugar we don't make. because of the bit the imune system goes into overdrive and makes antibodies for the sugar too. then poof, next time you encounter that sugar ( red meta..e tc. ). you can get an imune response...

So does that mean all ticks have it (Alpha Gal) so it's useless to test a tick. It seems like the cattleman's association would be all over this. A person's autoimmunity towards meat could be far worse than PETA could ever be.

dave1949 · Aug 10, 2014

txdon said:
So does that mean all ticks have it (Alpha Gal) so it's useless to test a tick. It seems like the cattleman's association would be all over this. A person's autoimmunity towards meat could be far worse than PETA could ever be.

At this very moment Monsanto's frankenscientists are perfecting genetically modified humans. Primates are apparently the only type of mammals that have this issue with Alpha Gal. Little genetic tweak here and there, no worries.