Column: Lyme Disease, Ash Borer on the move

Published 6:43 pm Wednesday, August 6, 2008

By Staff
This week's column is inspired in part by a Dowagiac reader who recently called seeking information on West Nile Virus.
His daughter's dog is gravely ill and the vet thought one of the possibilities might be West Nile Virus. I was surprised because I wasn't aware that dogs were susceptible to this mosquito carried illness. I know birds are the common host but I thought only horses and people were the only others at risk. Looking into it I found that on rare occasion dogs and cats (and several other animals) do contract W.N.V. with cats being a bit more susceptible than dogs.
Cases in these pets are unusual because their immune systems normally handle it but apparently it does happen. The West Nile virus itself poses little problems as dogs and cats suffer none to only mild symptoms. Much rarer yet is when the virus progresses into encephalitis in dogs and cats. This is when things get ugly as, like with horses and people, it can be fatal and there is no effective treatment for this stage. Hopefully pooch's illness turns out to be something more.
The wet spring and early summer has made this a banner year for mosquitoes, bringing West Nile Virus into our minds. Surprisingly, according to the Center For Disease Control no cases of human West Nile have been reported so far this year in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio or Illinois. So far we're getting off good. Of course, prevention is key for both us and our pets. Try to avoid being out in the mornings and evenings when mosquitoes are most prevalent. This goes for the pets, too. If you are compelled to be outdoors amongst active mosquitoes use a repellant. Know that repellants with DEET are not suitable for pets as they ingest it from licking. Ask your vet what to use on Garfield and Fido.
Another health concern of outdoor enthusiasts is Lyme disease. Here the news is not so good. Until recently Lyme disease in Michigan has been pretty much confined to the Upper Peninsula. More specifically, Southern Menominee County, the only area in the state considered endemic for Lyme disease because it has the only established population of black legged ticks (previously called deer ticks) consistently infected with Lyme disease. Black legged ticks are the primary carrier of Lyme disease, not the other, more common tick species that appear everywhere.
That is now changing. Experts have long known Southwest Michigan is excellent habitat for black legged ticks. A few years ago populations of these ticks infected with Lyme disease were found in Northern Indiana. It was not a question of if, but when they would expand into Southwest Michigan. That expansion is underway as black legged ticks are now being found in Southwestern Michigan, primarily in Berrien, Van Buren and Allegan counties. About 50 percent of them are carrying Lyme disease.
Over the last three years cases of Lyme disease statewide in Michigan have been running around 50-60 per year; in Indiana about 30-40 per year. This year is about on track with that. To pass the disease on to people the tick has to be attached at least 48 hours so after an outing check yourself thoroughly.
Play the song, "I Want To Check You For Ticks" for inspiration while so doing.
The last update for now is the Emerald Ash Borer. The heaviest populations remain in the Southeast portion of Michigan however, not surprising, isolated populations are showing up in nearly every county of the Lower Peninsula and have crossed the bridge to the Southeast U.P. Despite all the quarantines and publicity people think the firewood transporting ban applies to others, not them.
I'm afraid the cats are out of the bag and we might be looking at catastrophic repeats of Dutch elm disease and chestnut blight. Check the Michigan Department of Agriculture web site for the particulars of the extensive ash borer quarantine. Carpe diem.