Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the garden, another disease, transmitted by ticks, could be coming to a backyard near you. This “new” ailment, babesiosis was first discovered at the turn of the century on the Massachusetts coast where it became known as Nantucket Fever. In 2001 there were six cases reported, all of them in the Hudson River Valley area. By 2008 the number of documented cases had increased 2,000 percent to 118. So far the disease seems to be contained to the northeast and upper midwest. But, we need to take into account that lyme disease, which was named for Old Lyme, Conn., where it was first diagnosed in 1970, slowly found its way south along the Atlantic seaboard then moved inland and is now quite prevalent in our area. babesiosis is carried by the same variety of ticks, Ixodes, which include deer ticks and black legged ticks, and these ticks hitch a ride on the same species of mammals as those that carry Lyme so its spread could very well mimic that of lyme.

The mode of transmission is where the similarities between these two diseases ends.

Lyme is caused by bacteria, Borrelia Bergdorf, which is carried by the Ixodes variety of ticks and is transmitted to humans and mammals during their feeding process. The infection almost always produces a tell tale “bulls eye rash” around the bite. Treatment with antibiotics at this early stage is highly effective and only if left untreated does the disease advance to the debilitating stage which is characterized by chronic fatigue, muscle and joint pain.

Babesiosis on the other hand is caused by the Babesia parasite which lives in red blood cells. There are many varieties of this parasite found in the wild and only a few have been found in humans so far. There is a potential for the disease to spread more rapidly as more ticks are exposed to more varieties of Babesia parasite. The disease infects and destroys red blood cells; a condition known as hemolytic anemia. Symptoms are usually evident within five to 10 days but in many cases healthy patients show no symptoms at all. Other times no symptoms are apparent until the disease is well established. Tell tale symptoms are flu like, including fever, chills, sweats, body aches and nausea. Babesiosis is especially dangerous to people with a compromised immune system, liver or kidney disease and the elderly. People who have had their spleen removed due to disease or injury are at especially high risk because the spleen is the body’s red cell manufacturing plant. A low red cell count can lead to a variety of symptoms, some of them potentially fatal, such as blood clots and organ malfunction. Babesiosis has already proven fatal in several cases.

Due to the non specific symptoms babesiosis can easily be misdiagnosed as the flu and go untreated. A comprehensive medical examination including blood smears is necessary to make a correct diagnosis Even with blood samples examined under a microscope it can be difficult to distinguish babesiosis from other parasites such as malaria. Several blood smears and more than one medical opinion are often necessary. Standard blood tests are generally inconclusive. Babesiosis can be effectively treated with prescription drugs in most cases. Patients that are asymptomatic may not require treatment at all. In severe cases blood pressure medicines or even blood transfusions and dialysis may be prescribed.

It has recently been determined that tick borne diseases can be transmitted through blood transfusions and potential blood donors are now asked if they have been infected by any tick born illness in the past, but there is currently no testing done for tick born illness in donated blood. There is also a potential for these diseases to be passed congenitally from mother to child during pregnancy.

We don’t need to be reminded again of the necessity of using insect repellent whenever we embark into the woods or our gardens this summer. It should be applied thoroughly on the bare skin including around the waist, sleeves and collar where clothing creates a snug area for the tick to get comfortable and be sure to do a thorough tick examination upon returning home. The ticks that carry lyme and babesiosis range in size from practically microscopic to no larger than a poppy seed so using a magnifying glass when checking a suspect area may even be wise. When a tick bites it initially injects an enzyme that numbs the area before it begins feeding so usually the tick is well established before we feel the itch. They may also bite several areas before establishing their feeding spot so if you find an itchy bite without a tick attached there’s a good possibility it’s still crawling around, looking for a better spot to settle in.

The best source for information on tick borne illness and all diseases for that matter is the Center for Disease Control website at http://www.cdc.gov.