In the News - August 2008
Forget about Mexican crab tick; be wary of lone star tick
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Don't believe everything you read - even where giant
Mexican crab ticks are concerned.
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture recently received a call
from a Pulaski County woman concerned about something she had read in a
newspaper.
"I just want to know if it's true," the woman said, relaying a story about
the "shockingly large ticks the size of soccer balls" a fictional family
reported encountering on a hiking trail near Star City.
The column, "Otus the Head Cat," is printed with a disclaimer explaining that
it is made up of "humorous fabrication." Columnist Michael Storey wrote that he
had wanted to warn his readers earlier about the infestation of Mexican crab
ticks but that he had been dissuaded by Gov. Mike Beebe's office, which did not
want to risk scaring off state parks tourists at a crucial time for state
revenue.
"I did my best to disabuse her of the notion, but I don't think she believed
me," recalled Extension Communications Specialist Lamar James. "I then advised
her to call her county agent or Dr. John Hopkins, extension urban
entomologist."
Hopkins was able to reassure the woman that the column is strictly humorous,
and there is no such critter.
"I finally convinced her," he said. And then, "Well, she might have hung up
thinking I'm in cahoots with the governor's office."
Michael Storey, the columnist who writes Otus the Head Cat, was surprised
that the extension service had gotten a phone call about the Mexican crab ticks,
he said, "Just one call? I've gotten several."
Storey said he likes to have fun with his columns, but "there always seem to
be four or five people who don't seem to get it."
He said the fact that the column is written by a cat that died in 1992 ought
to be a clue that it's a spoof. Unfortunately, some people don't read the
disclaimer or it doesn't sink in. He cautioned people not to believe everything
they read in the paper.
Storey, who has had his own encounters with ticks, said Arkansas ticks are
scary enough.
Dr. Kelly Loftin, extension entomologist, says that the female lone star tick
is probably the largest tick found in Arkansas, reaching about half-inch when
fully engorged - smaller than a marble, and far smaller than a soccer ball.
But, says Loftin, size isn't a key factor in whether ticks are dangerous to
people. Even some of the relatively small ticks in Arkansas can cause nasty
illnesses.
The lone star tick, for example, can transmit human ehrlichiosis. The
symptoms of human ehrlichiosis vary from mild to severe and may include fever,
headache, fatigue and muscle ache. Rashes are common among pediatric patients.
About one-half of the people who contract the disease and who don't get prompt
antibiotic treatment require hospitalization, and 2 percent to 3 percent of
infections may be fatal.
Early signs of Rocky Mountain spotted fever - transmitted through the bite of
American dog ticks, are fever, nausea, vomiting, severe headache, muscle pain
and lack of appetite and these may be accompanied by a rash of small, flat, pink
spots on the wrists, forearms and ankles.
The first case of Lyme disease diagnosed in the United States was in 1975 in
Old Lyme, Conn., and is now the most common tick-borne disease reported
throughout the country. Arkansans could get Lyme disease after being bitten by
the black-legged tick - also known as deer tick - and may see a telltale
bulls-eye ring around the bite in the earliest stages. There may be a slowly
expanding red rash which fades in the center as it spreads away from the bite.
Lyme disease produces flu-like symptoms, such as mild headaches, sore throat,
swollen lymph nodes, stiff and painful muscles and joints, fatigue and low
fever. Left untreated, these symptoms may progress into chronic and severe
conditions including muscle pain and arthritis, meningitis, numbness, tingling
and burning sensations in the extremities, Bell's palsy and eye, heart,
gastrointestinal and respiratory problems.
Some of those sicknesses are no doubt even more frightening than monster
Mexican crab ticks, but there are ways people can protect themselves from all
the horrors.
Loftin says people should avoid tick-infested areas when possible, and when
that isn't realistic they should use tick repellents, most commonly those
containing permethrin, for clothing only, or DEET. Follow label directions when
using any insecticide or repellent.
Other suggestions are:
- Wear light-colored clothing to make it easier to spot dark ticks,
and check yourself and your children for ticks frequently.
- Promptly remove a tick with tweezers where its mouthparts enter the
skin, and disinfect the site. If a tick is removed within a few hours of
a bite there is usually no adverse consequence.
- Use insecticides and modify habitats to reduce tick populations
around your home.
For more information about ticks and tick-borne diseases, visit the
extension's Web site, www.uaex.edu, or contact your
county extension agent. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A
Division of Agriculture.
August 1, 2008
By Kimberly Dishongh
For the Cooperative Extension Service
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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