A tick bite devastated a N.J. man’s life. Why are cases soaring?

Teegate

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This is an article about a man who has the same tick disease that PineyWarden has. You may have to use a phone or iPad to view as I was not able to but Jessica could on her iPad.


 

bobpbx

Piney
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Oct 25, 2002
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From the article: "Its bite is usually painless and goes unnoticed."

That's not true. It's also not true where they treat the lone star tick as just coming up from the north. It's been here for many, many years. I never liked NJ.com.
 

NJChileHead

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Dec 22, 2011
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Two questions I have: how long does the tick need to be attached to transmit alpha-gal? Also, can larval stage lone star ticks transmit it?

With deer ticks, they say that the tick has to pick Lyme up from a host (they're not born with it), and the tick has to be attached long enough to engorge fully and then regurgitate back into the wound (some say 24 or more hours). How does this compare with lone star ticks and alpha gal?
 
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Gibby

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So does everyone here have a solid program that they use to help prevent tick bites and insect bites in general? I guess here is as good as any place to have a discussion. I have used four products in the for years and have been successful at eliminating almost all bites. Keep in mind most of the time I am wearing shorts. Permethrin on foot wear and clothing. Ultra 30 (DEET) and Picaridin on any exposed skin. Those three are Sawyers products. Finally, Off active on a hat or towel to add to the layers of protection. It may seem a bit overkill but even with the Lymerix vaccine I would rather be safe than sorry considering what is out there that will infect us. I am curious to what others use.

Only deer flies will bother me when they are at peak but only a flame thrower can keep them away when they are out for blood.
 
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NJChileHead

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Dec 22, 2011
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So does everyone here have a solid program that they use to help prevent tick bites and insect bites in general?

I'm pretty darn careful about ticks, for both my kids and myself. If I'm not going off trail: light colored clothing, long pants, long socks, hiking boots. All treated with permethrin. Pants tucked into socks, shirt tucked into pants.

If there is any chance I'm going off trail or brushing against anything higher than knee-high: along with the above, I will also wear a long-sleeved white cotton shirt, also treated with permethrin. I'll occasionally lightly treat my hat with DEET or picaridin to keep off deer flies if they're bad, but don't get too concerned about ticks above neck level because I try not to drop my head to the level of vegetation.
 
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bobpbx

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I use permethrin and wear irrigation boots in brush. As far as deer flies, I've had great success with this Avon product. I spray my hat liberally, and put some on my face.

Avon SKIN SO SOFT Bug Guard Plus IR3535® EXPEDITION SPF 30 Aerosol or Pump​

 
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Pan

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Jul 4, 2011
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I loved the NJPB - except for one thing, the ticks. I've had so many on and in me! I've been in other bad tick places, but the PB was the worst. I rarely if ever felt them on me. People with more sensitive skin may have.

My brother had Lyme disease.

I used to extract them with a bit of gasolene from a rag dipped in my car's gas tank. It worked good, but then they said "Oh no don't do that anymore!", plus you can't dip rags in modern car's gas tanks so easily.

They say they're out here in the Arizona desert too, but - knock on wood head - I've never got one here, that i know of anyway. I got snake bit in the desert, though, and NJ never did that to me.
 
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bobpbx

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I recall when social media sites first started out, on one of them I said it would make me happy if all ticks went extinct. Some guy, in all seriousness, was angry at me. He said I'd destroy the "cycle of life".
 
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bobpbx

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My right after being bitten by an ant near Tucson, AZ a few weeks ago. The exact same thing happened to me two months before. Very dangerous planet. Stay away. If one thing doesn't get u another thing will.
I'll bet that itches like hell because the skin is stretched. Did you see someone about it?
 

Pan

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I'll bet that itches like hell because the skin is stretched. Did you see someone about it?


Bobpbx - I deleted it because it wasn't about the NJPB or ticks. Sorry. Insects and arachnids are on the war path! PS I still have it and can put it back if u want, but it was mainly about ants - ants in Arizona!
 
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Sue Gremlin

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Sep 13, 2005
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Two questions I have: how long does the tick need to be attached to transmit alpha-gal? Also, can larval stage lone star ticks transmit it?

With deer ticks, they say that the tick has to pick Lyme up from a host (they're not born with it), and the tick has to be attached long enough to engorge fully and then regurgitate back into the wound (some say 24 or more hours). How does this compare with lone star ticks and alpha gal?
Addressing this year and a half too late. Alpha gal is not an infectious disease, it's an allergy, so there is no organism to transmit. As far as I know, it's like many other allergies, in that the more exposure you get, the more sensitive you get, kind of like poison ivy. (Although much less common). If the tick bites you and gets some of its saliva into you, you're exposed. The longer it's attached, the more saliva you are exposed to. A person also apparently has to have some genetic susceptibility to develop this syndrome.
 
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Pan

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Addressing this year and a half too late. Alpha gal is not an infectious disease, it's an allergy, so there is no organism to transmit. As far as I know, it's like many other allergies, in that the more exposure you get, the more sensitive you get, kind of like poison ivy. (Although much less common). If the tick bites you and gets some of its saliva into you, you're exposed. The longer it's attached, the more saliva you are exposed to. A person also apparently has to have some genetic susceptibility to develop this syndrome.


"...more exposure you get, the more sensitive you get"


Might that be something related to what's been happening to me with insect - mostly ant - bites (that I wrote about in my self-deleted thread) because i never used to have a bad reaction to them?

Oh, never mind...If u say "yes" or "no" they might charge u with practicing medicine without a license and sentence u to 20 years (but u might get out early with good time. 15 years. U can do that standing on yr head! U might even get paroled after 12 years.).
 
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Sue Gremlin

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Sep 13, 2005
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"...more exposure you get, the more sensitive you get"


Might that be something related to what's been happening to me with insect - mostly ant - bites (that I wrote about in my self-deleted thread) because i never used to have a bad reaction to them?

Oh, never mind...If u say "yes" or "no" they might charge u with practicing medicine without a license and sentence u to 20 years (but u might get out early with good time. 15 years. U can do that standing on yr head! U might even get paroled after 12 years.).
I'm not a doctor, so... Yeah, that happens with a lot of allergens.
 
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manumuskin

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Jul 20, 2003
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I loved the NJPB - except for one thing, the ticks. I've had so many on and in me! I've been in other bad tick places, but the PB was the worst. I rarely if ever felt them on me. People with more sensitive skin may have.

My brother had Lyme disease.

I used to extract them with a bit of gasolene from a rag dipped in my car's gas tank. It worked good, but then they said "Oh no don't do that anymore!", plus you can't dip rags in modern car's gas tanks so easily.

They say they're out here in the Arizona desert too, but - knock on wood head - I've never got one here, that i know of anyway. I got snake bit in the desert, though, and NJ never did that to me.
What kind of snake got you?
 

manumuskin

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I"ve pulled literally thousands of ticks out of all parts of my body since a kid.Mom often helped picking over eighty ticks off me in one session.I never used anything till in my thirties when my second and present wife got tired of getting bitten by ticks she picked up in the vehicle or crawled out of the laundry hamper.I now use peremethrin at least on the shoes and socks and pants to the thighs.I never wear shorts in the woods because I"m most often off trail and the south jersey woods will make hamburger out of your legs if your crazy enough to go off trail in shorts.
I"ve never had Lymes disease but would be willing to bet they could make a vaccine for it out of my blood.
 
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