3/10/2024 0 Comments Maine tick identification![]() In the near future, the UMaine Tick Lab plans to add more tick-borne pathogens to its test panel. “As far as I know, nobody in Maine uses it yet.” “It’s supposed to be easier to interpret, but I haven’t seen any results from this yet,” Robinson said. The new modified two-tiered test is described as “streamlined” and “easier to interpret” in an FDA press release about the advancement.’ Food and Drug Administration granted clearance to a new test system, ZEUS ELISA, for detecting Lyme disease in humans in July. Lyme and other tick-borne diseases are best treated in their early stages.Īll three diseases are typically diagnosed in people through blood tests and treated with antibiotics. The lab stresses that anyone who has been bitten by a tick should not wait until tick testing results are available to consult a physician. The information collected from this testing is intended to provide surveillance information on ticks and tick-borne diseases in Maine. “Around 38 percent tested positive for … Lyme 8 percent for anaplasmosis and roughly 6 percent for babebiosis.” “Of the 2,000 ticks, we found that roughly 45 percent tested positive for one of the three pathogens,” said Griffin Dill, who manages the Tick Lab within the Diagnostic and Research Laboratory. However, the lab had some preliminary data they were open about sharing. ![]() ![]() They’re still collecting data for an end of year report, which will be made available to the public sometime early next year. The lab launched the service on April 1, and since then have tested around 2,000 ticks for Lyme, anaplasmosis and babesiosis. New tests for tick-borne diseasesĪt the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Tick Identification Lab, 2019 marks the first year the lab has offered testing for tick-borne diseases in tick samples sent by the public. 19, the network displayed 686 cases of anaplasmosis and 138 of babesiosis in Maine this year. The Maine CDC actively updates numbers on diagnosed cases of both anaplasmosis and babesiosis throughout the year, providing near real-time data through the Maine Tracking Network. But we also think that more people are getting sick.” “There are a lot more labs in the state that are testing for those diseases, so it’s easier to get a test result than it used to be. “We’re seeing an increase and there are potentially a lot of factors contributing to that,” Robinson said. All five diseases are transmitted by the deer tick.Īfter Lyme, anaplasmosis and babesiosis are the most common, and confirmed diagnoses of both hit an all-time high this year. They are anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi disease and Powassan encephalitis. Though Lyme is the most common tick-borne disease in Maine, there are four other tick-borne diseases that have been documented in the state. Other tick-borne diseases are at an all-time high In addition, efforts are underway to create an effective vaccine for Lyme disease for humans, but there’s currently no indication of when or if a vaccine will make it to the market. Lyme disease is typically treated by a regimen of antibiotics. “But our expectation, based on anaplasmosis and babiosis trending up, is that Lyme will as well.” “It’s a little tricky to talk about cases for 2019 because we’re still processing them all,” Robinson said. But Sara Robinson, Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program Director for the Maine CDC, isn’t optimistic that trend will continue for 2019. That number dropped by 24 percent from 2017 to 2018 - from 1,852 cases to 1,405 cases, possibly due to the drought that affected much of the state that summer. In 2017, Maine’s incidence of confirmed Lyme cases was 107 per 100,000 residents, the highest of any state. Credit: Griffin Dill | University of Maine Cooperative Extension Lyme disease is still rampantĬarried and transmitted by the deer tick (also known as black-legged tick), Lyme disease is a serious bacterial infection that if left untreated can damage joints, the heart and the nervous system. Here’s rundown on what’s new in the world of ticks in Maine - the good and the bad. In 2019, Maine residents saw a number of new advancements in how Maine is handling this growing problem, including increased public outreach and new testing options for tick-borne diseases. It started in the south and moved up the coast, and it’s moving inland.” “It appears to be continuing to become more common. We know it is,” said Sara Robinson, Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program Director for the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
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