Lucy Barnes
Todays topic is tick (and lice) poo-poo, some diseases found in “it”, and those diseases potentially being transmitted to humans.
Maybe we could convince the CDC/IDSA to develop tiny little rolls of tick toilet paper and leave them along the wood’s edges? True, not as lucrative as a vaccine, but certainly a prevention measure nevertheless, with less side effects involved.
Borrelia burgdorferi
"Furthermore, the results emphasize that borrelial contamination by defecation is a possibility, and that caution should be exercised by researchers investigating pathogen/host/vector interactions.”
Link Here- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22651382
Borrelia recurrentis
"Louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF), caused by Borrelia recurrentis, is 1 of the most dangerous arthropod-borne diseases. Using immunofluorescence assay, transmission electron microscopy, and culture, we detected borreliae excreted in lice feces beginning on day 14 after infection. We conclude that, similar to epidemic typhus and trench fever [Bartonella quintana], transmission of LBRF may be caused by lice feces."
Link Here- http://www.headlice.org/news/research/liceborne_feces.htm
Bat poo-poo & Babesia
"Altogether 221 (mostly individual) bat faecal samples were collected in Hungary and the Netherlands. The DNA was extracted, and analysed with PCR and sequencing for the presence of arthropod-borne apicomplexan protozoa. Babesia canis canis (with 99-100% homology) was identified in five samples, all from Hungary.”
Link Here- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26315069
Spotted Fever- rickettsiae
"The fact that tick faeces were found to certain extent PCR-positive for the presence of SFG rickettsiae is apparently the first report on this subject and contributes to the knowledge of the transmission of these micro-organisms in the nature."
Link Here- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8722295
Tests for bird poo-poo developed
"The method is recommended for detection at the territory under study of circulation of the causative agent of tick-borne rickettsiosis by revealing the specific antigen in bird pellets."
Concern About Rabies Virus & Additional Spirochetal organisms in ticks
Lone Star Ticks on Capybara
"A total of 218 ticks was retrieved from the animals [Capybara]: Amblyomma sp. larvae and nymphs (43%), A. dubitatum adults (52%), and A. cajennense adults (5%).
The capybaras were free from most potentially zoonotic pathogens evaluated; however, the presence of Amblyomma spp. ticks (potential vectors of Rickettsia spp.) and indirect evidence of exposure to the rabies virus, Leptospira sp., and Toxoplasma sp. warrant the maintenance of public health programs and wildlife health monitoring.
Link Here- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24779462
Cabybara- largest rodent in the world- with picture- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capybara
Lucy Barnes