In addition to the well-known tick-borne viral encephalitis and borrelia, Estonian ticks may be spreading a new disease accompanied by weeks-long fever.
Ticks in Estonia transport new sickening agent
9th May 2014, 15:16
Please note that the article is more than five years old and belongs to our archive. We do not update the content of the archives, so it may be necessary to consult newer sources.
«Candidatus Neoehrlichia Mikurensis in a tick-borne pathogen; these past years it has been discovered on ticks and small rodents in European and Asian countries,» said Institute for Health Development (TAI) research fellow Julia Geller. The disease agent has been found in China, Switzerland, Sweden, Czech Republic, and Germany.
The symptoms of the disease are recurrent fever lasting three to eight months, cold chills, sweating at night, and weight loss. According to Ms Geller, many of those infected have had immune deficiency – for them, the disease is especially severe, in one case leading to death. As the disease caused by Candidatus Neoehrlichia Mikurensis is bacterial, it is treated with antibiotics.
According to University of Tartu professor Matti Maimets, 11 cases have been diagnosed in Europe since 2009, six of which have been publicised. It is mainly patients with immune deficiency that have been caught the disease. In Estonia, the disease has not yet been diagnosed.
TAI virology department in cooperation with University of Tartu are researching to find said disease agents in ticks.
«By now, the disease agent Candidatus Neoehrlichia Mikurensis has been detected in Saaremaa and Järva County, the spreads 3.6 and 2.5 percent respectively. It is probably to be found wherever there’s tick and rodents, just the density would differ,» said Ms Geller.
The project, started in 2012, will be wound up in 2015. «Already now it may be affirmed the disease agent is present in Estonia; however, not to the degree as the tick-borne borrelia,» said Ms Geller.
At the moment, Lyme disease aka borrelia is being diagnosed in Estonia. Last year, it was diagnosed with 1,132 people; in 2012 the number was 1,546 and in 2011 the cases amounted to 2,303. Tick-borne viral encephalitis was last year the lot of 114 persons; 2012 and 2011 had 178 and 250 cases respectively. With no vaccine available against borrelia, encephalitis can be avoided by being vaccinated against it.
In 2011 it was reported by Swedish media that Candidatus Neoehrlichia Mikurensis could be present in up to ten percent of ticks. The first case of the bacterial infection in Sweden was discovered in 2009 with a 77 years old man from Gothenburg who fell ill after a boat trip. The man rapidly developed a fever; at the hospital, clots of blood were discovered in his feet and lungs. The man recovered thanks to treatment by antibiotics.