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8.11.2000 00:15
Tick-borne
disease
on the rise
in region
 URI researchers have logged 25 cases of babesiosis, a malaria-like disease that can kill people with AIDS, cancer patients on chemotherapy, and others who take medications that affect their immune systems.
By PAUL DAVIS
Journal Staff Writer
SOUTH KINGSTOWN
-- Summer just got scarier.
First there was Lyme disease, then the West Nile virus. Now, researchers say, reports of a rare -- and sometimes deadly -- tick-borne parasite are up sharply.
The new threat:
Babesia microti
, a parasite that attacks red blood cells and causes babesiosis, a malaria-like disease that can cause fever, fatigue and anemia.
So far, University of Rhode Island researchers have logged 25 cases of the disease, all of them in South County. That's up from 16 cases last year and just 5 in 1998.
At South County Hospital, an 84-year-old man with babesiosis died of heart failure this year. The disease probably contributed to his death, said Lee Ann Quinn, manager of the hospital's Infection Control and Occupational Health Services department. At the hospital, the number of cases has jumped to 19 this year from 4 in 1998.
"We're seeing four to six people a day requesting a blood test for the disease," Quinn said.
Although the disease isn't a dire threat to the young or the healthy, it can kill AIDS patients, cancer patients using chemotherapy, and other people taking medicines that affect the body's immune system. Older people, especially those who have had their spleens removed, are susceptible. The median age of those infected this year is 62.
Babesiosis isn't the only threat this summer. In June, an 84-year-old Wakefield woman died of ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne bacterial disease which includes Lyme disease-like symptoms.
More cases are expected.
After weeks of rain, the state's moisture-hungry deer ticks are thriving, Dr. Thomas Mather, director of the University of Rhode Island's Center for Vector-borne Disease, said yesterday.
Deer ticks carry all three diseases. Taken together, they pose a triple threat to hikers, boaters, gardeners -- even kids in the back yard -- this summer.
"We have an abundance of deer ticks and diseases, two of which can kill you," Mather said. "I'm concerned that we will continue to see cases well into September. People are still being bitten by ticks, so they should be on guard."
Babesiosis was first diagnosed in the Northeast in the 1970s on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. Since then, it has been found along the East Coast, from New York to Cape Cod, said Don Nadeau, a doctor who specializes in the treatment of Lyme disease and babesiosis at the Wickford Junction medical clinic in North Kingstown.
While Lyme disease comes with a telltale circular rash, babesiosis has no such obvious clue. Only a blood test can confirm the disease. The disease is usually treated with an antibiotic or with quinine, used to treat malaria.
"People will frequently call it the summertime flu" because symptoms include fevers and aches, Nadeau said. "Some people can carry it around all their lives. It can go fairly unnoticed."
But others get chronic arthritis. And if untreated, babesiosis can damage the liver, spleen and kidney, Nadeau said.
What's behind the surge in tick-borne diseases? Not everyone agrees.
Richard Bolig, a spokesman for the Rhode Island Health Department, said yesterday that doctors are getting better at diagnosing diseases such as babesiosis, which could account for the jump in reported cases.
Others cite a surge in deer and tick populations in parts of Rhode Island and New England. Also, "different types of ticks are also coming up from the South, hitching rides on birds," Nadeau said.
But one thing is certain. The tick population, which normally dwindles in August, is going strong, Mather said. On a recent check of two URI tick sites, researchers found an increase -- not a drop -- in the population, he said.
What can you do? Experts recommend wearing a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, high socks and insect repellent containing DEET.
Residents should routinely check one another for ticks after spending time outdoors in wooded or coastal areas, Nadeau said. Pets can also bring ticks into the house and drop them on a couch or chair.
"Most ticks will wander around for an hour or two" before they bite, Nadeau said. "The sooner you get them off, the better."
And see a doctor. "People have to recognize that if they've got fevers, muscle aches, and fatigue in the summer, they need to see a doctor," Quinn said.
"Tick-borne diseases are here to stay," Nadeau added. "They're real. They can be dangerous, and they're in epidemic proportions" in places such as Prudence Island, he said. "We should not have a false sense of security."
Find out more about the West Nile virus
, from recent local news to information about the disease to official tracking reports, at:
http://projo.com/specials/westnile/
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