Description

Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are similar tick-borne diseases that can cause similar symptoms to the flu, including fever, muscle aches, and headache. The signs and symptoms of ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis typically appear within 14 days after the bite of a tick.

If treated quickly with appropriate antibiotics, it is likely to recover in a couple of days. Without treatment of ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis may cause serious injury or life-threatening complications.

The best way to prevent infection is to avoid tick bites. Tick repellents, thorough body checks after it was out, and the proper removal of ticks are your best defenses against these diseases transmitted by ticks.

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are generally the same, although they are usually most severe in the ehrlichiosis. The symptoms of ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis, which vary greatly from person to person, include:

  • Moderate fever
  • Chills
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches or pains
  • General feeling of discomfort
  • Pain in the joints
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Loss of appetite

Other signs and symptoms associated with ehrlichiosis, but rarely with anaplasmosis are:

  • Confusion or changes in mental status
  • Eruption

Some people can be infected and not show symptoms.

When to see a doctor

To get a bite to display the signs and symptoms is usually five to 14 days. If you experience any of the signs or symptoms after a tick bite or after a possible exposure to ticks, consult your doctor.

Causes

Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis are caused by different bacteria.

Ehrlichiosis is caused by different species of ehrlichia bacteria. The Lone Star tick — is located in the center-south, the southeast and the east coast of the united states — is the main carrier of the bacteria that causes ehrlichiosis. Black-legged ticks, commonly called deer ticks, in the Upper midwest are less common carriers.

Anaplasmosis is caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum. It is primarily carried by deer ticks in the Upper midwestern states in the northeast and central Canadian provinces. It is also transported by the Western black-legged tick on the West coast of the united states and other tick species in Europe and Asia.

The ehrlichia and anaplasma species belong to the same family of bacteria. Although each bacterium seems to have a specific goal between the cells of the immune system in the host, all of these infectious agents in general cause the same symptoms.

The bites of ticks and infection

Ticks feed on the blood of attaching to a host and feed until they are swollen to many times their normal size. Ticks can pick up bacteria from a host, such as a deer, and then transmit the bacterium to another host, like a human being. The spread of the bacteria from the tick to the host, probably occurs 24 hours after the tick has begun to feed.

Other ways in which bacteria spread

The spread of the bacterium that causes ehrlichiosis or anaplasmosis is possible through blood transfusion, from mother to fetus, or through direct contact with an infected animal sacrificed.

Risk factors

Ticks live close to the earth in forests or thickets of the areas. They do not fly or jump, so that only you can reach a host that brushes against them. Factors that increase the risk of a tick bite are:

  • Being outdoors in the warm months of spring and summer
  • Participate in activities in forested areas, such as camping, hiking, or hunting
  • Wearing clothes that leave the skin exposed in tick-friendly habitat

Complications

Without prompt treatment, ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis can have serious effects on healthy adults or child. People with weakened immune systems are at a higher risk of the more severe and life-threatening complications.

The complications of untreated infection can include:

  • Kidney failure
  • Respiratory failure
  • Heart failure
  • Damage to the central nervous system
  • Seizures
  • Comma
  • Serious secondary infections

Prevention

The best way to stay clear of ehrlichiosis or anaplasmosis is to avoid tick bites when outdoors. The majority of ticks attach themselves to the bottom of the legs and feet when walking or working on the lawn, wooded areas, or of weeds from the fields. After a tick attaches to your body, it usually creeps up to find a place to burrow in the skin.

If you are going to be working or playing in an area that is a likely tick habitat, follow these tips to protect yourself.

The use of tick repellents

  • Spray on outdoor clothing, shoes, tent, or other camping equipment with a repellent that has a 0.5% permethrin. Some gear and clothing may be pre-treated with permethrin.
  • Use an insect repellent registered with the Environmental Protection Agency on the exposed skin, with the exception of his face. These include repellents that contain DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD) or 2-undecanone.
  • Do not use products with OLE or PMD on children under 3 years of age.

Dress for the protection

  • Wear light-colored clothing that makes it easier for you or others to see ticks on your clothes before they bite.
  • Avoid open-toed shoes or sandals.
  • Wear long-sleeved shirts tucked into their trousers, and long pants tucked into socks.

Check for ticks

  • Shower as soon as possible to remove any loose ticks and check for ticks that may have buried.
  • Use a mirror to check your body thoroughly. Pay attention to the armpits, the hair and the scalp, ears, waist, between her legs, behind the knees and on the inside of your belly button.
  • Check your equipment. To dry the clothes and the gear hot for at least 10 minutes to kill ticks before cleaning.

Other tips

  • Make a daily inspection of ticks on pets that spend a lot of time outdoors.
  • Stay on the paths clear as much as possible in areas with trees and grass.

Diagnosis

Tick-borne infections are difficult to diagnose based only on signs and symptoms because they are similar to those of many other common diseases. Therefore, a history of a tick bite or possible exposure to ticks is an important piece of information in making a diagnosis. Your doctor will also perform a physical exam and order tests.

If you have ehrlichiosis or anaplasmosis, the following results found from the analysis of blood:

  • Low count of white blood cells, which are disease-fighting cells of the immune system
  • Low count of blood platelets, which are essential for the clotting of the blood
  • Elevation of liver enzymes, which may indicate abnormal liver function

A blood test may also indicate a tick-borne infection by the detection of one of the following:

  • Specific Genes unique to bacteria
  • Antibodies against the bacteria created by the immune system

Treatment

If your doctor diagnoses ehrlichiosis or anaplasmosis or suspicion of a diagnosis based on symptoms and clinical findings — you start the treatment with the antibiotic doxycycline (Doryx, Vibramycin, others).

I'm going to take the medications, at least, three days after that you will no longer have a fever and your doctor has observed an improvement in other symptoms of the disease. The minimum treatment is five to seven days. More severe disease may require two to three weeks of antibiotic treatment.

If you are pregnant or allergic to doxycycline, your doctor may prescribe the antibiotic rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane, other).

Lifestyle and home remedies

If you find a tick on your body, do not be alarmed. To remove a tick right away is a good defense against the transmission of bacteria. Use the following steps:

  • Gloves. Use medical gloves or similar gloves if it is possible to protect your hands.
  • The calipers. The use of fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick firmly near its head or mouth, and as close to the skin as possible.
  • Removal. Pull the tick's body away from your skin steadily and slowly, without jerking or twisting it. If parts of the mouth, remain, remove them with clean tweezers.
  • Of the provision. Kill the tick by putting it in alcohol. Do not crush the tick to avoid exposure to possible bacteria. The dead tick can be empty, lightly wrapped in tape before throwing in the trash or stored in a freezer.
  • Storage. A tick can be tested at a later date if infection is suspected. Place the tick in a container, label with the date and place in the freezer.
  • Cleaning. Use soap and water to wash your hands after handling the tick and around the tick bite. Clean the site and your hands with rubbing alcohol.

Do not apply petroleum jelly, nail Polish, rubbing alcohol, or a hot match to the tick.

Monitor the site of the bite

A small, red bump, similar to the bump of a mosquito bite, often appears at the site of a tick bite or tick removal and resolves over a few days. This is normal and should not cause alarm.

If you experience irritation continues on the site, or you experience any of the signs or symptoms that may indicate a tick-borne infection, contact your doctor.

Preparing for your appointment

It is likely that you first consult your primary care physician or, possibly, an emergency room doctor, depending on the severity of your signs and symptoms. However, you may be referred to a doctor who specializes in infectious diseases.

If a tick-borne disease is possible, due to recent outdoor activities, be prepared to treat the following:

  • If you keep a tick is removed, bring it to the appointment.
  • If you were bitten by a tick, when it happened?
  • When you will be exposed to ticks?
  • Where have you been, while doing outdoor activities?

Be prepared to answer these questions and write the answers prior to your appointment.

  • What symptoms have you experienced?
  • When do you start?
  • You do not have anything to improvement of symptoms or worsening of them?
  • What medications do you take regularly, including prescription and over-the-counter, supplements, herbal remedies and vitamins?
  • Are you allergic to any medication, or if you have other allergies?
Symptoms and treatment of Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis