Be prepared. As we head outdoors to start our spring yard clean up, it’s important to remember that even though it is still chilly, ticks are already out in force.
According to the Maine Center For Disease Control (CDC), Maine is home to about 14 species of ticks, not all of which bite. Ticks can carry over a dozen diseases of varying severity that can be transmitted to humans and animals. A tick bite should not be taken lightly. Maine deer tick bites can cause some pretty nasty diseases such as anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Lyme, and Powassan Virus.
If you are traveling out of state this summer, it would be prudent to check on the status of ticks in the area you will be visiting. A number of other serious tick-borne diseases are found around the country that are not currently found here in Maine.
Transmission times also vary. According to an infectious disease doctor at Mercy Hospital, babesiosis can be transmitted quickly in only a 15-minute length of time. It has symptoms that are similar to malaria. There were at least two cases of this disease in Gorham last summer.
The Maine CDC also has a list of symptoms for these diseases which range from mild to moderate illness, to requiring hospital interventions to deadly, for Powassan and babesiosis in older populations.
Tick bite prevention is key. Use EPA-approved repellents every time you go outside and also wear clothing treated with permethrin. Light-colored clothes make ticks easier to spot. Tucking pant legs into your socks is good prevention too as research has shown that most ticks climb up your legs to find a place to bite.
Know your area. Deer ticks like forests while dog ticks prefer open, grassy areas. In your yard, avoid leaf piles. A boundary of stones to separate the lawn from the woods is helpful, too. When walking, stay in the middle of trails.
If you get bitten, save the tick for testing. For a cost of $20, Maine residents can send a tick to be tested for a variety of diseases at University of Maine Extension Diagnostic & Research Lab in Orono, with results usually within three business days.
The tick testing service provides information on ticks and tick-borne disease in Maine. The service only tests the tick and does not provide testing for human or animal samples. Consulting a physician should not wait for tick testing results. See a doctor immediately. It can take weeks for evidence of disease to become apparent in human testing.
The tick does not have to be intact for testing. Dead or alive, even a few pieces are enough to be tested, although most of the disease-causing organisms are found in the salivary glands in the head, so try to include this portion of the tick. Use tweezers if possible and always wash your hands after removing a tick.
How To Have a Tick
Tested in Maine
The website https://extension.umaine.edu/ticks/submit/ has complete information on how to prepare the tick for shipping and an online tick submission form to fill in. Samples without this form will take longer to be processed. Send with the sample along with a check (or pay online) a check made out to UMaine Tick LabUMAINE
Mail to: UMaine Extension Diagnostic & Research Lab
ATTN: Tick Lab
17 Godfrey Drive
Orono, ME 04473-3692
They currently tests deer ticks and related species for the organisms that cause:
Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi)
Anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum)
Babesiosis (Babesia microti)
Borrelia miyamotoi disease (Borrelia miyamotoi)
They test American dog ticks, lone star ticks, and other related species for the organisms that cause:
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsia rickettsii)
Ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia species)
Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
In addition to these panels they now test all samples for two tickborne viruses:
Powassan Virus and Heartland Virus