Cases Of New Tick-Borne Disease On The Rise In VA, Experts Say

VIRGINIA — As the summer months approach, cases of a new tick-borne illness are on the rise in Virginia.

A newly published study in the Journal of Medical Entomology discovered that human babesiosis, a disease caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells, has expanded to the Mid-Atlantic region. Historically, cases of the disease were concentrated in the Northeast and Upper Midwest states.

According to the research, the disease is caused by the parasite Babesia microti, which is spread by black-legged (or deer) ticks.

"The findings underscore the need for increased surveillance, public awareness and preventive measures against tick-borne diseases in the Mid-Atlantic region," said Ellen Stromdahl, a retired entomologist at the Defense Centers for Public Health.

According to the study, human babesiosis cases were reported for the first time in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia between 2009 and 2024. In Virginia, the Eastern Shore has reported the greatest number of cases, according to the state Department of Health. Most cases seen in Virginia are associated with patients traveling to states where babesiosis is more common

“There are not many cases, but we think it’s the tip of the iceberg and we want to give an early warning,” Stromdahl said in an interview with the Baltimore Banner.

Babesiosis can range from asymptomatic to severe illness, particularly in immunocompromised people. Cases can be severe in the elderly or immunocompromised, especially when patients have concurrent infections such as Lyme disease.

Symptoms Of Newest Tick-Borne Disease In VA

When symptoms do occur, they usually appear 1 week to a few months after a tick bite, according to the Maryland Department of Health. Some people develop nonspecific flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, sweats, headache, body aches, loss of appetite, nausea or fatigue. The disease can be treated with antibiotics.

Because Babesia parasites infect and destroy red blood cells, babesiosis can cause hemolytic
anemia.

“I do think that we will see more cases in the future,” Dr. Kalpana Shere-Wolfe, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, told WYPR. “There is a change that's occurring with tick-borne illnesses and ticks in general, and some of it may have to do with climate change.”

Shere-Wolfe said it’s not just weather patterns, it’s also changes in deer populations and tree replanting that are skewing the tick population.

Black-legged ticks, also called deer ticks, are the most common U.S. tick and are found widely across the country, including in Virginia. People who are bitten by them are susceptible to several illnesses, including Lyme disease, where cases have been concentrated in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Upper Midwest and Pacific Coast areas.

Other illnesses spread by these ticks include anaplasmosis, which can cause a range of symptoms, including fever, headache and muscle pain; and Powassan virus, which can cause fever, headache, vomiting, and weakness.

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Other Ticks Causing Illnesses In VA

Alpha-gal syndrome, or AGS, is a tick-borne red meat allergy that is spread by the aggressive lone star tick — the most likely of any tick to bite. The tick’s range includes Virginia, and stretches from Texas to Minnesota and points east.

AGS is unlike other food allergies in that symptoms — which range from itching and nausea to trouble breathing to life-threatening anaphylaxis — are often delayed by several hours after consumption. That can make it difficult to identify the food that triggered the reactions.

The CDC says the meat allergy is so new that health care providers don’t always recognize it and can misdiagnose AGS. In a recent nationwide survey. 42 percent of health care providers told the CDC they’d never heard of AGS, and another 35 percent weren’t confident in their ability to diagnose or treat AGS patients.

The CDC warned last year of the rapid spread of lone star ticks and that the true number of people whose lives have been affected by it is close to 450,000, around four times the number estimated in an initial study. That would make it the 10th most common food allergy in the country.

Some scientists say a warming climate more hospitable to lone star ticks may be one reason for their spread, while others suggest the ticks are reestablishing themselves in areas where they were once common before their forest habitat was cleared for development.

Also, lone star ticks travel with a preferred host, deer, whose populations have rebounded in areas where forests have been reestablished.

Other tick-borne illnesses in Virginia include:

Ehrlichiosis is spread by the lone star and black-legged ticks, and symptoms include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and sometimes an upset stomach. Cases have been reported in the eastern half of the United States.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever, spread by American dog ticks that are found in the eastern two-thirds of the country, can be serious if not treated by a physician.

Tularemia, spread by American dog ticks, wood ticks and lone star ticks, and primarily found in the south-central U.S., the Pacific Northwest and parts of Massachusetts. It can be life-threatening, but responds to antibiotics, according to the CDC.

Rickettsiosis, a form of spotted fever rickettsiosis spread by the Gulf tick, which is found widely in the Southeast.

Brown dog ticks are found in every U.S. state. The primary host for this tick in each of its life stages is a dog, but the tick may also bite humans and other mammals. It can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the southwestern U.S., according to the

This Tick Is A Surprise

A relatively new tick not usually found in the Western Hemisphere, the Asian longhorned tick first discovered in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, in 2017, is now established in at least 20 states: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

It does not bite as aggressively as native tick species, but in other countries, the pathogens spread via bites can make people and animals seriously ill, and the CDC expects ongoing testing will reveal the same potential in the United States.

An experimental study suggests longhorn ticks aren’t carriers of Lyme disease. Another lab study found it’s possible these ticks can carry and spread the bacteria that causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but the CDC said the bacteria wasn’t found in any of the ticks studied in nature.

How To Protect Yourself

Because symptoms of tick-borne illnesses can lag, the best thing to do is protect yourself against ticks when you’re in places they’re likely to be found — grassy, brushy and wooded areas, or even your backyard. Some tips from the CDC:

• Wear socks and boots, and tuck your pants into your boots. Cover your hair as well.
• Tick-specific insect repellents can help, too. Treat clothing and gear, such as boots, pants, socks and tents with products containing 0.5 percent permethrin.
• Talk to your veterinarian about tick treatments for cats and dogs.
• Check yourself for ticks daily, especially under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and on the hairline and scalp.
• Shower soon after being outdoors.

If you do find a tick, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible. The key is to remove the tick as soon as you find it or are able to remove it. Using nail polish, petroleum jelly or heat to make the tick detach from the skin won’t work.

Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick, as this can cause its mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If you are unable to remove the mouth parts easily, leave them alone and let the skin heal.

After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.