4 Reasons You Should Be Concerned About Tick Prevention

Tick prevention is crucial in Massachusetts for various reasons. The prevalence of these blood-sucking arachnids is much cause for concern.

Massachusetts is home to different species of ticks, some of which can transmit diseases to humans. Here are four compelling reasons why tick prevention is essential in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts tick prevention — Ticks in Massachusetts can be harmful to your health.

1. Lyme Disease

Massachusetts consistently ranks among the states with high reported cases of Lyme disease. This tick-borne illness is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Deer ticks, also known as black-legged ticks, are common carriers of this bacterium. These ticks thrive in wooded areas and tall grasses, which are prevalent in Massachusetts. Lyme disease can have severe consequences. It can adversely affect the joints, heart, and nervous system if left untreated. Tick prevention measures are the key to preventing Lyme disease. You should use tick repellents and wear protective clothing out in nature. And don’t forget to call in the professionals to treat your property for ticks.

2. Lesser-Known, Emerging Tick-Borne Illnesses

Beyond Lyme disease, Massachusetts faces emerging threats from other tick-borne diseases. The region has witnessed an increase in cases of diseases like babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and Powassan virus. These illnesses are all transmitted by ticks, some of which have only arrived in Massachusetts in recent years.

Babesiosis is caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells. It can result in mild to severe symptoms, particularly in individuals with weakened immune systems.

Anaplasmosis is caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum. It can lead to flu-like symptoms, which if not treated promptly, may cause complications.

Powassan virus, although rare, can have severe consequences, including encephalitis. When Powassan results in encephalitis, the afflicted individual has a 1 in 3 chance of dying. Effective tick prevention measures become crucial to mitigate the risk of these emerging tick-borne diseases.

3. Recreational Opportunities Aplenty

Massachusetts boasts a diverse landscape that attracts outdoor enthusiasts. From hiking trails to coastal areas and parks, the state offers an array of recreational opportunities. However, these environments also provide ideal tick habitats. Those who love outdoor exploits, such as hiking, camping, or gardening, are at an increased risk of tick exposure. Wearing long sleeves, using repellent, and staying on designated paths will help allay that risk.

4. Livestock, Pets At Risk

Tick prevention does not stop with humans. We must also protect our pets and livestock. Ticks can transmit diseases to animals, posing a threat to both pets and livestock. In Massachusetts, where agriculture and pet ownership are significant, proper tick prevention measures are vital. This includes using tick control products recommended by veterinarians, regular grooming to check for ticks, and maintaining a safe environment for pets and livestock. Professional tick control services will augment the aforementioned measures.

Search for tick control near me and choose a trustworthy tick prevention company.

Tick control and prevention are of utmost importance in Massachusetts. Taking proactive measures to prevent tick bites is a shared responsibility that contributes to the well-being of individuals and communities across the state. Professional tick control methods are available for homes and businesses, which offer protection all year in Massachusetts.

Latest Recommendations for Managing Lyme Disease

Managing Lyme disease does not only pertain to treatment therapies.

In November 2020, a panel of experts published an evidence-based study for the Infectious Diseases Society of America, detailing the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme. This study, led by Paul M Lantos, from the Duke University School of Medicine, is the latest benchmark for managing Lyme disease.

managing Lyme disease includes prevention, diagnosis, and treatment — Managing Lyme disease includes prevention, diagnosis, and treatment

Managing Lyme disease: Prevention

When it comes to management of Lyme, prevention is paramount. The 2020 study advises that anyone at risk of exposure should be proactive in preventing tick bites. There are high-risk areas, like Central Massachusetts, with large deer tick populations. You should be protected from tick bites every time you are outdoors. The study recommends using repellents. On the list of effective repellents, are DEET, picaridin, and permethrin. Oil of lemon eucalyptus is also on the list of recommended tick repellents. If a tick is found, the study recommends removal with clean, fine-tipped tweezers – never using alternate means for removal, such as burning or applying essential oils.

tick control Andover MA — Barrier tick control spray for tick bite protection

Gardner tick treatment measures at home should be employed in high-risk areas, such as Central Mass. While many areas have municipal sprays, they do not reach far enough to offer complete protection. Professional EPA-registered and all-natural tick control sprays are available, and should be considered.

Lyme Management: Diagnosis & Treatment

3 stages of Lyme disease — The black-legged tick is a vector of Lyme disease

The study also recommends submitting a tick for identification after removal, to determine if it is a known vector of Lyme. It suggests that testing the tick for infection does not reliably determine whether a person will contract Lyme disease. Therefore, testing for Lyme bacteria would not be helpful.

Prophylactic antibiotic treatment is recommended only if these three criteria are met:

The tick is identified as a Lyme vector species
The person lives in an endemic area
The tick is attached for more than 36 hours

If these criteria apply, the study recommends a single prophylactic dose of doxycycline up to 72 hours after removal of the tick. The dosage should be 200mg for adults and up to 200mg for children, based on weight. If these criteria are not met, the recommendation is to wait and watch for symptoms.

Lyme disease bullseye rash — Bullseye rash after tick bite

If a rash appears after a tick bite, a clinical diagnosis is recommended, rather than laboratory testing. Patients with the bullseye rash should begin a 10-day course of doxycycline, or a 14-day course of amoxicillin or cefuroxime axetil. If patients cannot tolerate those antibiotics, a 7-day course of azithromycin is recommended for treatment. If a patient has Lyme-related facial paralysis, the study makes no additional treatment recommendations over antibiotics. For patients with Lyme-related arthritis, a 28-day antibiotic regimen is recommended. If the arthritis is severe, and does not respond to this regimen, an additional 2 to 4-week treatment of IV antibiotics is recommended. If severe symptoms of arthritis persist after IV treatment, the patient should be referred to a rheumatology specialist.

Lyme disease can manifest in neurological complications, specifically of the central nervous system. If a patient shows these symptoms, spinal fluid should be tested. A serum test should also be performed. These cases of Lyme disease should be treated with IV ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, penicillin G, or oral doxycycline. Intravenous treatment can be switched to oral treatment, with a recommended treatment duration of 10 to 14 days.

More About This Study

There are extensive recommendations for managing many other facets of Lyme-related illnesses, like carditis, dermatitis, cognitive impairment, and lymphocytoma. Additionally, there are recommendations for co-infection diagnosis and treatment. Read the complete publication here.

Dave Macchia, tick control enthusiast — Dave Macchia, Central Mass tick control enthusiast

Woburn MA Tick Control for Lyme Prevention

Ticks really suck. Both literally and figuratively. Living in Massachusetts, you likely know that Lyme disease is rampant here. But there’s another, much worse tick-transmitted disease on the rise, Powassan virus.

While it is rare, it’s often fatal, and CDC reports that between 2007-2016, there were 16 cases of Powassan in Massachusetts. In fact, the CDC recently in May 2018 that diseases from both ticks and mosquitoes have more than tripled since 2004, and that rate is steadily increasing. In this report, the CDC also quite frankly states that about 80% of vector control organizations lack critical prevention and control capabilities.

Woburn MA tick control

Fortunately, reputable tick control companies pick up the slack where the government falls behind, and with a barrier treatment, you’re protected from both mosquitoes and ticks in your yard by nearly 90% for up to 21 days at a time — guaranteed. But if it’s specific protection from ticks that you’re looking for, professional Woburn tick control goes above and beyond the standard barrier treatment to make sure ticks in every stage of life are eliminated. By enlisting the help of furry friends.

How Woburn MA tick control works

Just like a professional mosquito barrier treatment, tick control specialists treat the perimeter of your yard first with a traditional barrier spray, working from the perimeter of your yard inward, being sure to cover all surface areas, including pieces where ticks like to hang out, like tall grass, leaf piles, wood piles, and generally anywhere they’d be likely to hitch a ride on any unsuspecting host walking by. A barrier treatment alone will eliminate nearly 90% of adult ticks on contact and continue to eliminate them for up to three weeks, but then your tick control technician will go a step further to make sure ticks in their younger life stages are eliminated, too.

tick control Woburn MA

Enter tick tubes for year-round tick control

tick tubes Woburn MA These are small, biodegradable tubes that are stuffed with cotton treated with permethrin, a mild insecticide. Contrary to their name, “deer ticks,” the ones primarily responsible for Lyme disease, don’t feed off deer most of the time. In their larval and nymph stages, most deer ticks actually get their blood meal from small mammals in your yard, specifically mice, squirrels, and rabbits. These critters love to take the cotton back to their nests to make them nice and cozy, and when they do so, the permethrin rubs off on their fur. Not to worry — it’s harmless to them, but to ticks it’s fatal. When a young tick tries to take a bite out of one of these small animals, they get exposed to the chemical and die off.

By implementing tick tubes, you’re both halting the life cycle of the tick population in your yard and giving the critters some insulation for their homes. And for you — it gives you the peace of mind knowing that the chances of you getting infected with a tick-borne disease in your yard are reduced drastically. This professional method of Woburn tick control is nearly 90% effective for up to 21 days, making it the best on the market.

Prefer something a little “greener” for your Woburn tick control?

all natural tick control Reputable tick control products are EPA-registered, but I understand that there are some people who won’t settle for anything less than 100% natural. That’s why tick control companies have developed an all-natural barrier treatment solution that is based on essential oils and mixed in-house. It is applied to your yard the same way as a traditional barrier treatment — with a special mist-blower backpack.

Like the traditional formula, an all-natural solution eliminates bugs on contact, but after it’s dry (about 30 minutes) it acts like a repellent, essentially confusing and “chasing” the bugs away. It’s a slightly less potent treatment than traditional formulas, but homeowners who elect this method report around 80% reduction of yard pests. Because of its botanical makeup, the all-natural formula breaks down a little faster than the traditional, therefore I recommend re-application every two weeks instead of three.

With tick-borne illnesses on the rise in Central Massachusetts, I recommend professional at-home tick control for all families. Whether you choose the traditional tick barrier spray, or an all-natural solution, professional tick control is a must for the health of your family.

Is gene editing the answer to Lyme disease prevention?

For the last couple of years, MIT evolutionary biologist, Kevin Esvelt, has been in discussions with residents and health officials of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, about the release of transgenic mice to fight Lyme disease.

His research and ideas are part of a new Netflix docu-series, Unnatural Selection. CRISPR is the name of the technology, which allows us to cut and paste DNA into any living thing – plant, animal, human – to change, or arguably improve the DNA of the recipient. CRISPR could be the answer to congenital disease eradication. Alzheimer’s and Cystic Fibrosis could become diseases of the past. But at what cost? Truth is, we don’t know. What does CRISPR mean for Lyme disease prevention?

Is gene editing the answer to Lyme prevention?

Esvelt presents a strong case when it comes to the idea of using CRISPR technology to prevent Lyme disease. It all begins with the white-footed mouse, conveyor of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. When a tick feeds on the blood of white-footed mice, it contracts the bacteria. This bacteria is then transmitted to humans, who are bitten by an infected tick. About 50% of the residents of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket report having acute Lyme infection at least once in their lives. Currently, tick control is the only preventive measure we can take against Lyme disease.

white footed mouse

What will happen if we genetically edit the DNA of the white-footed mouse to prevent Lyme disease?

what will an engineered ecosystem look like? While all of this sounds like a wild science-fiction movie, it is real life. The idea is simpler than the science behind it, so I will explain the anticipated outcome of gene-edited mice. Esvelt says that they intend to edit the DNA of 2,000 mice, or less, and release them into the wild. The white-footed mouse already produces natural antibodies for the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. Because of these antibodies, not all mice are infected with the Lyme-causing bacteria. The idea is to edit the DNA of white-footed mice, so they naturally produce higher levels of the natural bacteria-fighting antibodies. These transgenic mice will reproduce new generations, who naturally have higher antibodies against the bacteria. When they are bitten by ticks, they will have no Lyme bacteria to pass on to the tick – essentially breaking the cycle of the spread of Lyme disease. The problems is, we are unsure of what an engineered ecosystem will look like. That will not be known until highly-controlled field trials are carried out – long before they can be released into the human population of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

Deer ticks are the main culprits in the spread of Lyme disease. Why not edit the DNA of deer?

For that matter, why not edit the DNA of ticks? The white-footed mouse is the prime candidate for gene editing to prevent Lyme for a couple of reasons. There is a massive population of deer on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. One deer can have up to 1,000 ticks feeding at once. Deer are not carriers of the Lyme bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi. They cannot spread Lyme disease.

gene editing to prevent Lyme disease

Ticks are not viable candidates, because they have a two-year life cycle, and do not become reproductive quickly. Mice can begin reproducing at the age of 8 to 10 weeks, making them the only viable candidate for gene editing to stop the spread of Lyme. Will these proposed measures come to be?

We are likely a couple of years away from field trials and the eventual release of DNA-edited mice – if the proposal is approved by residents and health officials. Until then, it is important that you practice personal tick protection when you are away from home. As always, I recommend professional tick control around your home – all year long.

Tag: lyme disease prevention