By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

URBANA, Ill. — Whether going outside to mow the ditches, prepare the equipment for harvest or travel to the nearest antique tractor show, farmers are in danger of coming into contact with parasites during the warm summer months.

Research urges avoiding ticks specifically because they may carry Lyme Disease. The disease is named after the town of Lyme, Conn., where a number of cases were identified in 1975. This serious condition can result from black-legged ticks, and is transmitted from host animals to humans.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/ lyme shares that typical symptoms of Lyme Disease include fever, headache, fatigue and a characteristic skin rash called Erythema Migrans.

“If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system,” it states. “Lyme Disease is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., rash), and the possibility of exposure to infected ticks; laboratory testing is helpful in the later stages of disease. Most cases of Lyme Disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics.”

University of Illinois graduate student Jennifer Rydzewski conducted a four-year survey of black-legged ticks (also known as deer ticks), their host animals and their habitat preferences in Cook, Lake, DuPage and Piatt Counties. Results showed ticks in all four counties, and carrying Lyme Disease in Piatt County. The study also revealed that more ticks were located along the Des Plaines River corridor.

Finding ticks – in particular, deer ticks – can be difficult because they are so small. “Their small size makes ticks really difficult to see,” Rydzewski  said. “They’re about the size of a poppy seed.

“Ticks in the nymph stage of their life cycle are responsible for the most human cases of Lyme Disease, because their peak seasonal activity coincides with increased human activity outdoors during the warmer summer months, so it’s important for people to take extra precautions.

“One point of the triangle is the host – in this case, it could be a mouse, deer or other bird or small mammal. A second point on the triangle is the pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi. Bacteria, in the case of Lyme Disease, are spread by a vector, the tick. The third point of the triangle is the environment.

“If you remove one of these components, the system fails and the disease can no longer be maintained,” Rydzewski added.

The key to breaking the disease cycle may be as simple as prevention. The UoI offers a few preventative measures that individuals can take in order to prevent coming into contact with ticks:

•Wear light-colored clothing so it’s easy to see the ticks

•Wear long sleeves and pants; tuck pants into socks or tape pants to boots

•Use insect repellent containing DEET

•Stay in the center of maintained trails and perform frequent tick checks when you’re outside; do a tick check at the end of the day and again the following morning

•Put your clothes in the dryer when you come home to dry out and kill the ticks

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 108 human cases of Lyme Disease were reported in 2008, compared to only 35 in 2000. “Increased surveillance and awareness of Lyme Disease may account for a portion of those cases, but there is truly a rise in emergence. And it is possible that the number of Lyme disease cases in Illinois is underreported,” Rydzewski added.

For information about ticks and Lyme Disease, resources are available at the CDC website or by writing its Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases (DVRD) at: 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333. The toll free number is 800-232-4636, and someone is available 24/7.