Anaplasmosis - USA: (WI)
Date: Mon 7 Sep 2009
Source: LaCrossetribune.com [edited]
<http://www.lacrossetribune.com/news/article_ded7b774-9b65-11de-9e68-001cc4c002e0.html>
La Crosse area health officials are seeing more cases of a new
tick-borne infection carried by the same deer tick that causes Lyme
disease. Gundersen Lutheran researchers have been monitoring
anaplasmosis the last 3 years and report 50 human cases in the La
Crosse area. The researchers have developed a test for the disease
and have been testing blood samples in Gundersen Lutheran Medical
Foundation's microbiology laboratories at the La Crosse Health Science Center.
"It is an emerging infection in this area," said Dean Jobe,
researcher and supervisor of Gundersen Lutheran's laboratories. "In
collecting ticks, we have found it in 10 to 15 percent of the ticks."
Only a few years ago, the disease was rare in the La Crosse area, he
said. "It is mimicking early Lyme," Jobe said. "We used to say we
couldn't find ticks with Lyme south of I-90, and now we see plenty of
ticks, and the same is happening with anaplasmosis." Unlike Lyme,
anaplasmosis is an infection of the white blood cells, he said. Lyme
disease is primarily a skin infection that gets into the bloodstream
and spreads into the joints, Jobe said.
"We've seen an increase in anaplasmosis over the last couple years,
but particularly more this year [2009]," said Dr. Todd Kowalski, a
Gundersen Lutheran physician specializing in infectious diseases.
"It's been on our radar for 15 years or more with cases in northern
Wisconsin, but the last few years, it has been emerging in our area."
Kowalski said symptoms are similar to Lyme, such as fever, headache
and body aches, but people don't get a rash with anaplasmosis. "It's
not a subtle disease," Kowalski said. "Most people feel worse, and
it's a little bit more abrupt than Lyme with perhaps a higher fever
and more severe headache and body aches. "With anaplasmosis, patients
don't wait as long to see their physician or go to urgent care or the
ER," he said. "But it is a very treatable disease."
Kowalski said anaplasmosis is treated the same way as Lyme, with a
tetracycline antibiotic. "What's rewarding is when patients are put
on antibiotics, within 24 to 36 hours they feel a lot better," he
said. He also said prevention measures and the tick season from early
spring to late fall are the same for both diseases. Kowalski said the
same person can get the 2 infections at the same time. He said most
La Crosse area primary care, urgent care and emergency medicine
physicians are aware of anaplasmosis.
Gundersen Lutheran has conducted research on the disease and
developed an accurate molecular test which detects a gene unique to
the organism, and it can be done rapidly, Jobe said. He said
Gundersen Lutheran also is studying the best time to use the test in
the course of the disease.
Jobe said the number of Lyme cases has continued to rise every year
due to a bigger deer population and mild winters. "We have a huge
deer population that supports ticks, and I think anaplasmosis has
established itself in the area," Jobe said. "It's a little too early
to say if anaplasmosis will be as common as Lyme, but there is a
growing concern it could become problematic," he said.
[Byline: Terry Rindfleisch]
Source: LaCrossetribune.com [edited]
<http://www.lacrossetribune.com/news/article_ded7b774-9b65-11de-9e68-001cc4c002e0.html>
La Crosse area health officials are seeing more cases of a new
tick-borne infection carried by the same deer tick that causes Lyme
disease. Gundersen Lutheran researchers have been monitoring
anaplasmosis the last 3 years and report 50 human cases in the La
Crosse area. The researchers have developed a test for the disease
and have been testing blood samples in Gundersen Lutheran Medical
Foundation's microbiology laboratories at the La Crosse Health Science Center.
"It is an emerging infection in this area," said Dean Jobe,
researcher and supervisor of Gundersen Lutheran's laboratories. "In
collecting ticks, we have found it in 10 to 15 percent of the ticks."
Only a few years ago, the disease was rare in the La Crosse area, he
said. "It is mimicking early Lyme," Jobe said. "We used to say we
couldn't find ticks with Lyme south of I-90, and now we see plenty of
ticks, and the same is happening with anaplasmosis." Unlike Lyme,
anaplasmosis is an infection of the white blood cells, he said. Lyme
disease is primarily a skin infection that gets into the bloodstream
and spreads into the joints, Jobe said.
"We've seen an increase in anaplasmosis over the last couple years,
but particularly more this year [2009]," said Dr. Todd Kowalski, a
Gundersen Lutheran physician specializing in infectious diseases.
"It's been on our radar for 15 years or more with cases in northern
Wisconsin, but the last few years, it has been emerging in our area."
Kowalski said symptoms are similar to Lyme, such as fever, headache
and body aches, but people don't get a rash with anaplasmosis. "It's
not a subtle disease," Kowalski said. "Most people feel worse, and
it's a little bit more abrupt than Lyme with perhaps a higher fever
and more severe headache and body aches. "With anaplasmosis, patients
don't wait as long to see their physician or go to urgent care or the
ER," he said. "But it is a very treatable disease."
Kowalski said anaplasmosis is treated the same way as Lyme, with a
tetracycline antibiotic. "What's rewarding is when patients are put
on antibiotics, within 24 to 36 hours they feel a lot better," he
said. He also said prevention measures and the tick season from early
spring to late fall are the same for both diseases. Kowalski said the
same person can get the 2 infections at the same time. He said most
La Crosse area primary care, urgent care and emergency medicine
physicians are aware of anaplasmosis.
Gundersen Lutheran has conducted research on the disease and
developed an accurate molecular test which detects a gene unique to
the organism, and it can be done rapidly, Jobe said. He said
Gundersen Lutheran also is studying the best time to use the test in
the course of the disease.
Jobe said the number of Lyme cases has continued to rise every year
due to a bigger deer population and mild winters. "We have a huge
deer population that supports ticks, and I think anaplasmosis has
established itself in the area," Jobe said. "It's a little too early
to say if anaplasmosis will be as common as Lyme, but there is a
growing concern it could become problematic," he said.
[Byline: Terry Rindfleisch]
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