After three mild winters, this year we have cold, snowy weather to satisfy our recreational needs. Currently we have a foot of snow in the yard, with another foot predicted for the next few days. Friends are pulling on snowshoes and cross-country skis, or enjoying downhill skiing and snowmobiling. So why spoil the mood with an article about ticks and tick-borne diseases?
It has been three years since I last wrote about ticks, and it is time for updated information and a strong message to be tick-alert. Graphs from Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention show that tick activity peaks from May through June and from September through October. Take little comfort from that, because in recent warm years, the tick season has started as early as February and continued as late as December. Once temperatures reach 40 degrees, ticks leave their winter hiding spots in leaf litter and become active, looking for the blood meals that sustain their life cycles.
Lyme disease has been the primary storyline for tick-borne diseases since the first case was confirmed 50 years ago in Connecticut. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention receives reports of more than 60,000 confirmed cases each year, but estimates actual cases run close to 500,000. Maine has eclipsed all other states in the incidence of Lyme disease, with 122 out of every 100,000 people infected each year. Reported 2024 cases of Lyme disease were 3,218, up 9% over 2023. This is a fraction of actual cases because reporting is not mandatory.
Even more concerning is Maine’s sharp increase in more serious diseases. Reported babesiosis cases, caused by a protozoan parasite, jumped 65% to 1,284 last year. Anaplasmosis, a bacterial disease, rose 59% to 309 cases. A tick-borne virus called Powassan may cause deadly cases of encephalitis or meningitis. Cases had been running at one or two per year, but last year seven cases were reported, one of them fatal for a Topsham man. For all these diseases, the Midcoast is a primary region for infections because of our moist climate and forests with dense understory.
I am often surprised at how cavalier people can be about the risks of tick-borne diseases. Some people offer that they stay away from tick habitat and simply remove any ticks that hitch a ride. Two people told me that it is too much hassle to use tick repellents and other defensive moves. Perhaps they will reconsider their foolishness thanks to a new study from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Researchers documented more than 50% of adult deer ticks in New England as carriers of Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease bacteria, while 25% of nymph-stage ticks are carriers.
Considering how small ticks can be, especially the nymphs, and their propensity to hide in dark crevices on your body, you may never know of a tick bite, and the famous circular rash only appears in about 70% of cases. The assumption has been that microbes are only passed by engorged ticks after 48 hours, but ongoing research shows that some microbes are passed in less than 24 hours. The Powassan virus has been confirmed as passing into mice in as little as 15 minutes.
Recently, a new tick has been moving north into Maine, and while numbers are still low, it is already having an impact. The lone star tick may carry several diseases, but I want to highlight one that has lifelong implications for a victim.
Alpha gal syndrome is named after a sugar molecule that passes to humans from the tick. Once detected by the immune system, you may end up with mild to severe allergies to a range of foods. These include dairy products or gelatins, but red meat is of particular concern. I have met several people with the syndrome and they report symptoms similar to allergic reactions to seafood. The immune response is difficult to diagnose since it may be delayed as long as eight hours, but the effects range up to anaphylaxis, potentially resulting in suffocation. According to the Cleveland Clinic website, there is no known treatment or cure for alpha gal syndrome.
My previous articles contain additional information on ticks, diseases and, especially, prevention. You can find them on the Anchor website and the Harpswell Heritage Land Trust website. Additional information may be found on websites for Maine’s CDC, MaineHealth and so on. Be sure to get out and enjoy the natural beauty around us. But please take appropriate precautions and deny those infernal ticks a taste of your blood!
