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Ticks have a new threat to offer
Infection feels like flu, but can get much worse; it affects those over 65
By Cathleen F. Crowley
Published 10:58 pm, Sunday, April 8, 2012
- The emergency entrance at Albany Medical Center Thursday March 29, 2012. (John Carl D'Annibale / Times Union)
Lyme disease gave ticks notoriety, but the tiny critters carry other nasty diseases.
One tick-borne infection in particular is showing up more frequently in emergency rooms around the greater Capital Region.
It is called anaplasmosis, and it feels like a terrible case of the flu or mononucleosis. The bacterial infection causes a fever, headache, muscle pain, malaise, chills, nausea and confusion. The illness, which usually affects people over 65, can come on so strong that patients need to be hospitalized.
In one case seen by infectious disease specialist Dr. Alan Sanders last year, the patient was in the intensive care unit on a ventilator and dialysis.
But once diagnosed and treated with the antibiotic doxycycline, patients recover fast. Very fast.
"They are better with the snap of a finger," said Sanders, of Upstate Infectious Disease Associates in Albany. "I've never seen anybody get better so quickly."
In 2009, there were 58 cases of anaplasmosis in the nine counties around Albany, but the number doubled by 2011, reaching 114, according to the state Department of Health. Statewide (excluding New York City), there were 321 cases of anaplasmosis in 2011, which is still rather small when compared to Lyme disease, which has about 9,000 diagnosed cases each year. Ticks can also carry other infections such as the malaria-like babesiosis, "cat-scratch fever" bartonellosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and erhlichiosis, which is closely related to anaplasmosis.
In Minnesota, another state plagued by Lyme disease, cases of anaplasmosis have almost caught up with Lyme.
While most bacterial infections cause an increase in white blood cells — the soldiers in the body's immune system — people with anaplasmosis have a drop in white blood cells. The Anaplasma phagocytophilum bacteria attack the cells, causing a dramatic decrease in white blood cell counts, which can be a signal for doctors to consider the tick-borne disease. Blood tests also may show poor liver function and low platelets. The infection does not cause a rash.
In many ways, the disease isn't as tricky as Lyme. Lyme has a wide variety of symptoms and tests for Lyme are sometimes inconclusive. Anaplasmosis often can be confirmed with tests that can identify the bacteria's DNA in the patient's blood.
The infection is usually seen in people over 65, which indicates that younger people with healthy immune systems are able to fight off the bacteria, Sanders said.
Untreated, the mortality rate is between 1 percent and 3 percent.
This year's tick season started early because of the warm temperatures and it is expected to be a bad one because of factors in the tick's ecosystem. Health officials have warned New Yorkers to take precautions against tick bites.
"Checking for ticks is the single most advantageous thing you can do for yourself," said Marcia Fabiano, an epidemiologist with the Albany County Department of Health.
ccrowley@timesunion.com • 518-454-5348 • @cathleencrowley • http://facebook.com/cathleenFcrowley
One tick-borne infection in particular is showing up more frequently in emergency rooms around the greater Capital Region.
It is called anaplasmosis, and it feels like a terrible case of the flu or mononucleosis. The bacterial infection causes a fever, headache, muscle pain, malaise, chills, nausea and confusion. The illness, which usually affects people over 65, can come on so strong that patients need to be hospitalized.
In one case seen by infectious disease specialist Dr. Alan Sanders last year, the patient was in the intensive care unit on a ventilator and dialysis.
But once diagnosed and treated with the antibiotic doxycycline, patients recover fast. Very fast.
"They are better with the snap of a finger," said Sanders, of Upstate Infectious Disease Associates in Albany. "I've never seen anybody get better so quickly."
In 2009, there were 58 cases of anaplasmosis in the nine counties around Albany, but the number doubled by 2011, reaching 114, according to the state Department of Health. Statewide (excluding New York City), there were 321 cases of anaplasmosis in 2011, which is still rather small when compared to Lyme disease, which has about 9,000 diagnosed cases each year. Ticks can also carry other infections such as the malaria-like babesiosis, "cat-scratch fever" bartonellosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and erhlichiosis, which is closely related to anaplasmosis.
In Minnesota, another state plagued by Lyme disease, cases of anaplasmosis have almost caught up with Lyme.
While most bacterial infections cause an increase in white blood cells — the soldiers in the body's immune system — people with anaplasmosis have a drop in white blood cells. The Anaplasma phagocytophilum bacteria attack the cells, causing a dramatic decrease in white blood cell counts, which can be a signal for doctors to consider the tick-borne disease. Blood tests also may show poor liver function and low platelets. The infection does not cause a rash.
In many ways, the disease isn't as tricky as Lyme. Lyme has a wide variety of symptoms and tests for Lyme are sometimes inconclusive. Anaplasmosis often can be confirmed with tests that can identify the bacteria's DNA in the patient's blood.
The infection is usually seen in people over 65, which indicates that younger people with healthy immune systems are able to fight off the bacteria, Sanders said.
Untreated, the mortality rate is between 1 percent and 3 percent.
This year's tick season started early because of the warm temperatures and it is expected to be a bad one because of factors in the tick's ecosystem. Health officials have warned New Yorkers to take precautions against tick bites.
"Checking for ticks is the single most advantageous thing you can do for yourself," said Marcia Fabiano, an epidemiologist with the Albany County Department of Health.
ccrowley@timesunion.com • 518-454-5348 • @cathleencrowley • http://facebook.com/cathleenFcrowley
By the numbers
Cases of the tick-borne disease anaplasmosis are on the rise. The chart below shows the number of cases from 2009-2011:
COUNTY 2009 2010 2011
Albany 1 4 15
Columbia 48 38 57
Greene 5 16 9
Rensselear 2 6 27
Saratoga 0 0 1
Schenectady 2 1 4
Schoharie 0 0 0
Warren 0 0 0
Washington 0 0 1
Region total 58 65 114
State (excluding NYC) 241 220 321
Source: The New York Department of Health. 2011 figures are preliminary data.
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