Here Is Yet Another Tick-Borne Disease That You Probably Have Not Heard Of
You may have heard that tick-borne diseases are the most common types of vector-borne diseases in the United States. According to officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around three hundred thousand Americans are diagnosed with lyme disease every year in the US. Rocky Mountain spotted fever is another tick-borne disease that you may have heard of, but lyme disease is the most common of all. Fortunately, many Americans have been made aware of the dangers that come with certain types of ticks. However, many Americans are not aware of just how many different tick-borne diseases exist. Another, lesser known, type of tick-borne disease is referred to as anaplasmosis.
This disease is caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and it is acquired through tick bites. The ticks that carry this bacteria don’t just exist in the midwest and the northeast; even ticks from northern California carry this disease causing bacteria. The black legged tick is responsible for infecting midwesterners and those living in the northeast. The aptly named western black legged tick infects American citizens from northern California and surrounding areas. The symptoms of anaplasmosis vary in severity from individual to individual, but the symptomatology of this disease is reminiscent of lyme disease.
A variety of flu-like symptoms can be expected, such as fever, chills, nausea, diarrhea, cough, and confusion. However, some victims of anaplasmosis experience only a few of these symptoms, whereas others will experience all of the symptoms. This particular tick-borne disease is different from lyme disease in that the symptoms are expressed with a greater degree of variance among infected individuals. Some infected cases may develop neurological defects, but this is rare. Luckily, the fatality rate for victims of anaplasmosis is less than one percent. Many individuals can become infected, but can also completely recover if treatment is administered quickly enough following infection.
Had you ever heard of anaplasmosis? Did you know that ticks located in the western region of the US were also capable of transmitting dangerous bacteria to humans and other animals?