hacked by p@3t_b@y for turks

Mar 20, 2008

AUSTIN – Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples announced his support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to invest more than $5 million in emergency funding to implement a fever tick eradication program.
“I am pleased to report that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has responded to our state’s critical needs,” Commissioner Staples said. “The eradication program is essential to maintain a strong cattle industry. Texans are appreciative of this important partnership with the federal government.”

Fever ticks are capable of carrying and transmitting a tiny parasite that destroys red blood cells in cattle. This causes the disease, known as “cattle tick fever,” which can kill up to 90 percent of infected cattle, and it’s the reason the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) was created in 1893.

Although TAHC has permanently quarantined 852 square miles through eight south Texas counties to contain the pest, Texas is experiencing increased fever tick infestations, prompting the agency to impose additional temporary quarantines. The latest stretches across five Texas border counties – Starr, Zapata, Maverick, Dimmit and Webb – covering roughly 1,100 square miles. Without quarantines the ticks could spread throughout the nation, resulting in losses of $1 billion a year to the beef industry.

“I congratulate the Texas Animal Health Commission for its diligent work to defend Texas cattlemen against the harm this pest can do to their herds and ultimately the Texas economy,” Commissioner Staples said.

TAHC initially requested $13.3 million federal funds to stop the incursion of the fever tick in the formerly tick free areas. Although the actual $5 million allotment fell short of the requested amount, Commissioner Staples commended USDA for making this issue a priority.

“I personally thank Under Secretary Bruce Knight for his commitment to this issue and for touring the fever tick zone last week to get a first-hand view of the challenges our producers face in treating this pest.”

Additional funding will provide more people, surveillance, training and treatments to ensure the containment and early detection of new infestations. More mounted inspectors will patrol against livestock harboring ticks crossing into Texas from Mexico. Additional animal health technicians will control outbreaks and surveillance outside the permanent quarantine zone.

© Copyright 2002-2006 by North Texas e-News, llc

http://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publish/article_44744.shtml

Published Date: 16 March 2008
Source: Scotland On Sunday
By Jeremy Watson

THEY are the noble monarchs of the glen, running wild on the Scottish hills and providing a major draw for tourists and hunters alike.

But red deer in Scotland are being dosed with a herbal remedy to stop the spread of tick borne-disease which can be fatal to humans.

Trials of a compound containing a combination of 10 herbs and other plants including garlic, thyme and walnut, have been carried out among deer herds in three areas of the Highlands and Islands.

The concoction is aimed at killing ticks which carry a range of infections such as tick-borne fever and Lyme disease.

The incidence of tick-borne disease in the UK has risen five-fold in the past decade, according to experts, because of an explosion in numbers of the insects caused by mild winters.

In Scotland, the number of cases of Lyme disease – caused by the bacterium borrelia spread by insects – rose from 10 a decade ago to 177 in 2006.

Although rarely fatal, it can cause muscle pain, serious flu-like symptoms, paralysis, blindness, arthritic, neurological, psychiatric and cardiac problems.

The ticks are normally carried on animals such as sheep, deer and cattle, but can be transferred to humans walking through undergrowth.

One high-profile victim is US President George Bush, who is believed to have contracted a mild version while out mountain biking in Maine in 2006. The progress of the disease was halted by antibiotics.

As the largest land mammal in Scotland, red deer can carry thousands of blood-sucking ticks, which are about the size of a grape pip, on their hides.

The herbal blocks change the composition of tick saliva, which solidifies and leaves the insect unable to feed. Without nutrition, the insect dies.

Three estates, which have not been named – in Islay, the Cairngorms and near Inverness – have helped biologists conducting the trial over the last three years.

Hundreds of deer have been fed the herbal combination in feed buckets and the results will be published in a scientific journal later this year.

If proved to be successful, the technique could be used on herds throughout Scotland. The country’s population of wild deer – red, roe, sika and fallow – is estimated at around 500,000 animals and rising due to a lack of natural predators and a warming winter climate.

Roy Brown, visiting professor of biology at Birkbeck College, London, and an authority on ticks, said the trial began three years ago and is due to end in June.

He said: “The ticks are feeding on the deer, which are feeding on the herbal products. They get into the deer’s bloodstream, stop the ticks feeding and they wither and die. More testing is needed but it appears to be a successful technique.”

A former nurse who contracted Lyme disease in Scotland is Katrina Anderson, 48. She was bitten by an infected tick 17 years ago and expects her ordeal to continue for the rest of her life.

“The symptoms are arthritic pain and muscle pain,” she said. “Your whole body is sensitive and aches. I also get headaches and tinnitus.”

Anderson, who is vice-chair of Borreliosis and Associated Diseases Awareness UK, says the medical profession is still misdiagnosing the condition.

Top tick tips

Tick numbers are growing because of climate change, more people visiting the countryside and a rise in the number of host animals such as deer.

The main ways to protect yourself against ticks are:

- Use a Deet insect repellent that is effective against ticks;

- Avoid wearing shorts or skirts in rural and wooded areas and tuck trousers into socks;

- If possible, cover up all exposed skin with protective clothing;

- Removing a tick as soon as possible minimises the possibility of a disease being transferred. Examine your skin for ticks and remove them with fine-tipped tweezers; do not burn them off. They tend to seek out warm, damp areas such as the groin, armpit and back of the knee, making self-inspection important.

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Herbal-remedy-for-natural-deerborne.3882918.jp

Matthew Franklin, Chief political correspondent | March 12, 2008

AN embarrassing bungle by Australian quarantine authorities has exposed the entire New Caledonian beef herd to the potentially disastrous tick fever and could leave taxpayers with the cost of a major clean-up.

Agriculture Minister Tony Burke revealed yesterday that the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service had allowed Australian cattle to be exported to the island nation last year after being vaccinated against the disease.

Cattle vaccinated with the disease can pass it on to ticks and New Caledonian import laws require cattle to instead be drenched to kill ticks.

Mr Burke said the cattle exported from Australia on November 23 last year had infected ticks in New Caledonia, which were passing the disease to local cattle.

The bungle follows widespread criticism of AQIS last year after equine influenza entered Australia and paralysed the multi-million-dollar racing industry for months.

The equine influenza affair is being examined in detail by former High Court judge Ian Callinan. And AQIS is facing a wider review by Roger Beale, a former secretary of the Department of Environment and Heritage.

Tick fever, also known as babesiosis, can devastate cattle herds.

It occurs in eastern and northern Australia and despite being under control, costs the Australian beef industry up to $28 million a year.

Mr Burke met French ambassador Francois Descoueyte late yesterday to discuss Australian efforts to repair the damage caused by the bungle.

He earlier told parliament it was possible to treat affected cattle in New Caledonia with a chemical called Imazol, which would kill the tick fever organisms in the cattle and prevent further transmission of the disease to ticks.

However, it is understood Mr Burke was continuing to meet exporters last night about the more serious problem of eradicating the disease among the New Caledonian tick population.

“I am advised that the export of vaccinated cattle to New Caledonia has allowed the disease to enter their tick population and cause a disease outbreak in their local cattle,” Mr Burke told parliament earlier.

“While information on this issue is still coming to hand, it seems clear, first of all, that there was a certification error by AQIS, and that as a result of that error there may be a significant impact on the beef industry in New Caledonia.”

He said the Government was working with the Queensland Tick Fever Centre.

It was unclear last night about the cost of the clean-up program or whether New Caledonian cattle producers would have any case for compensation because of the AQIS error.

Sources said attention was instead being focused on finalising treatment plans.

Mr Burke said he would ensure that Australia met all of its obligations to New Caledonia.

And he said he hoped the Beale review into AQIS would help strengthen Australia’s quarantine arrangements.

“It is critically important both for the protection of biosecurity in Australia and for our neighbouring countries to which we provide a service under agreed protocols that our quarantine and biosecurity services are robust,” he said.

A spokesman for Mr Descoueyte last night confirmed the ambassador met Mr Burke late yesterday. The pair had agreed to work together on tick fever problem, particularly through co-operation between their respective science agencies.

“We are still establishing the facts of the situation,” the spokeswoman said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23360145-5013871,00.html

doi:10.1016/j.parint.2007.07.004, Copyright © 2007 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

J. Vennestrøma, , 1, , H. Egholmb and P.M. Jensenb
aSection for Genetics and Microbiology, Department of Ecology, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Frederiksberg, Denmark
bSection for Zoology, Department of Ecology, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Frederiksberg, Denmark
Received 21 July 2006;  revised 17 July 2007;  accepted 19 July 2007.  Available online 1 August 2007.

Abstract
The pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi causes Lyme Borreliosis in human and animals world-wide. In Europe the pathogen is transmitted to the host by the vector Ixodes ricinus. The nymph is the primary instar for transmission to humans. We here study the infection rate of five Borrelia genospecies: B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii, B. garinii, B. valaisiana, B. lusitaniae in nymphs, by IFA and PCR. 600 nymphs were collected in North Zealand of Denmark. Each nymph was first analysed by IFA. If positive for spirochaetal infection, the genospecies was determined by PCR. The infection rate of B. burgdorferi sensu lato was 15.5%, with the primary genospecies being B. afzelii (64.3%), B. garinii (57.1%), and B. lusitaniae (26.8%). It is the first time B. lusitaniae is documented in Denmark.

Even though, the highest infection rate was discovered for B. afzelii and B. garinii, mixed infections are more common than single infections. Fifty-one percent (29/56) of these were infected with two genospecies, 7.1% (4/56) with three, and 5.3% (3/56) with four. We try to explain the high infection rate and the peculiar number of multiple infections, with a discussion of changes host abundance and occurrence of different transmission patterns.

Keywords: Borrelia burgdorferi; B. lusitaniae; Ixodes ricinus; Infection rate; Multiple infections; Co-feeding

Abbreviations: LBg, Lyme Borreliosis; PCR, Polymerase Chain Reaction; IFA, Immunofluorescence Assay
Corresponding author. Denmark Technical University, Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Kemitorvet building 208, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark. Tel.: +45 45252421, +45 45931585.
1 The corresponding author has moved from The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Section for Genetics and Microbiology, Frederiksberg Denmark to the address listed above.

Parasitology International
Volume 57, Issue 1, March 2008, Pages 32-37 

http://tinyurl.com/2e4b9f

Emerg Infect Dis. 2007 Dec;13(12):1948- 50.

Duncan AW, Maggi RG, Breitschwerdt EB.

North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, North
Carolina, USA.

Bartonella species, transmitted by arthropods or animal bites and scratches, are emerging pathogens in human and veterinary medicine. PCR and DNA sequencing were used to test oral swabs collected from dogs. Results indicated the presence of 4 Bartonella species: B. bovis, B. henselae, B. quintana, and B. vinsonii subspecies berkhoffii.

PMID: 18258056 [PubMed - in process]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

by All Hungary News
2008-02-28 08:19:00

Thanks to warm temperatures so far this year, ticks have already started appearing in green areas, and 20-50 percent of them carries Lyme disease, while every thousandth is infected with encephalitis, reports hvg.hu.

According to Ildikó Menyhárt, regional head of National Public Health and Medical Officers Service ÁNTSZ in Zalaegerszeg, the whole of Zala County in the west of Hungary is infected by ticks. Ticks carry and spread almost 300 different diseases of which the most serious are tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease. In 2006, 47.2 percent of tick-borne encephalitis cases was registered in Zala County. This disease can be prevented by vaccination, which is extremely important for those who work in places where ticks are common. Another source of infection is milk from infected animals. This resulted in 20 encephalitis cases last August.

The risk of infection with Lyme disease is much higher and 80-100 cases are reported each year in Zala County. The sooner the person removes the tick the smaller the chance of infection. Although there is no vaccine for Lyme disease, in the early stage it can be easily treated with antibiotics. The first symptom is a red rash around the bite which later disappears. Other early symptoms might include tiredness, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint aches and swollen lymph nodes. If the condition is not treated in time, arthritis, myocarditis, neuritis and other serious complications can appear.

http://www.caboodle.hu/nc/news/news_archive/single_page/article/11/tick_invasio/?cHash=76be32b1ab