Spiders

There are approximately 10 species of spiders in New York State, but none dangerously poisonous to humans (such as the black widow or brown recluse). 

Spiders are eight-legged creatures that give many people the creeps. However, they are not insects. Unlike the situation with bugs and insects, this is not merely a case of spiders being a part of a different phylogenetic order. Insects and spiders are from separate phylogenetic classes.  Their bodies, classification and the way they undergo metamorphosis are all distinct. So, the next time someone calls a spider an insect or a bug, you’ll know better. After all, spiders aren’t even in the same class as insects, and they are certainly not bugs, either. 

 Many types of spiders do have the ability to bite humans. Many bites will cause minor irritation, but in some cases, they can lead to severe pain and reaction. I had a spider bite on my forearm, and I thought I was stuck with a needle. It began to swell, and I went to a medical clinic in Monticello. The bite hurt for several days. 

Almost every home has these creepy-crawly pests, and most human-spider contact happens at home with a house spider.

The American house spider (pictured above) is the most common species around the home. You’ve likely seen one of these spiders hanging upside down from messy webs by only a few threads.

These spiders build webs where they can stay protected from the elements, often homes or businesses.

However, since they may still struggle to survive inside a home, these spiders may resort to a nearby shed or garage instead. 

Common American house spiders generally leave people alone, although they are still an unwanted pest inside.

If you think you were bitten by a spider and are experiencing mild symptoms or skin irritation, many at-home treatments might bring you relief.

Start by cleaning the affected area with soap and water.

Use an ice pack or a cool compress to relieve inflammation.

If possible, elevate the area to reduce swelling.

Try an oral or topical antihistamine to combat itching.

If a blister appears, antibiotic ointment may help.

Seek medical care if local or systemic symptoms continue.

The CDC recommends keeping your tetanus boosters up to date (every 10 years), as spider bites can become infected with tetanus.

Ticks

Rocky Mountain spotted fever—not in our area, but in NY State

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a bacterial disease spread through the bite of an infected tick. It is treated with an antibiotic. 

Early signs and symptoms are not specific to RMSF (including fever and headache). However, the disease can rapidly progress to a serious and life-threatening illness.

Signs and symptoms can include:

Fever

Headache

Rash

Nausea or vomiting

Stomach pain

Muscle pain and

Lack of appetite

A rash is a common sign of RMSF. It usually develops two to four days after fever begins. The look of the rash can vary widely over the course of illness. Some rashes can look like red splotches and some look like pinpoint dots. RMSF is challenging to diagnose since the rash, a common symptom, often appears late in the illness. Some patients who recover from severe RMSF may be left with permanent damage, such as the amputation of arms, legs, fingers, or toes (from blood vessel damage); hearing loss; and mental disability.

Ehrlichiosis

Ehrlichiosis is the general name used to describe diseases caused by the bacteria Ehrlichia chaffeensis, E. ewingii, or E. muris eauclairensis in the United States. These bacteria are spread to people primarily through the bite of infected ticks including the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) and the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis).

Signs and symptoms of ehrlichiosis typically begin within one or two weeks after the bite of an infected tick.

Tick bites can be painless, and many people do not remember being bitten.

See your health care provider if you become ill after being bitten by a tick or spending time in grassy, brushy or wooded areas.

Early signs and symptoms

Early signs and symptoms (the first five days of illness) are usually mild or moderate and may include fever; chills; severe headache; muscle aches; nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of appetite; confusion; and a rash that is more common in children.

Up to 1 in 3 people with ehrlichiosis report a rash. Rash is more common in people with E. chaffeensis ehrlichiosis and generally occurs more often in children than adults. Rash usually develops five days after the fever begins. If a person develops a rash, it can look like red splotches or pinpoint dots.

Later symptoms

If antibiotic treatment is delayed, ehrlichiosis can sometimes cause severe illness. Early treatment can reduce your risk of developing severe illness.

Signs and symptoms of severe (late stage) illness can include:

- Damage to the brain or nervous system (e.g. inflammation of the brain and surrounding tissue (called meningoencephalitis)

- Respiratory failure

- Uncontrolled bleeding

- Organ failure

- Death

Risk factors for severe illness:

- Delayed antibiotic treatment

- Age: younger than five years old or older than 65 years old

- Weakened immune system: such as those receiving some cancer treatments, individuals with advanced HIV infection, people who have received organ transplants, or people taking certain medications.

Lyme disease

Lyme disease is an illness caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and spread by blacklegged ticks. Although most people recover completely when treated with a two- to four-week course of oral antibiotics, some can have prolonged symptoms of fatigue, body aches, or difficulty thinking. When I was teaching a microbiology course at Sullivan County Community College, I had a student who had Lyme disease meningitis.

There are three stages to Lyme disease:

Stage 1:

Rash, known as an erythema migrans (EM) rash. The rash often has a bullseye or target-like shape. However, it can also be a solid red, expanding rash of a different shape. Migrans means spreading, and an important characteristic of an EM rash is that it expands over time. EM rash only occurs in people with Lyme disease. However, up to 30 percent of people with Lyme disease never develop or notice an EM rash.

- Fatigue, malaise and lethargy (you might feel like you have the flu)

- Muscle or joint pain that moves around (is migratory). That means you might feel it in different places on different days. Typically, no redness or swelling accompanies the pain.

- Loss of appetite

- Swollen lymph nodes. Lymph nodes, which contain immune cells that help fight infection, are located throughout your body, including your neck and armpits. You may notice swollen lymph nodes anywhere on your body, not just near the area of your tick bite.

- Fever

Note: Not everyone experiences the rash, and the disease continues to the other stages before being diagnosed. There is a blood test for Lyme Disease.

Stage 2: Early disseminated Lyme disease

In early disseminated Lyme disease, the infection has started to move beyond the site of your tick bite to other parts of your body such as your heart, brain, or spinal cord. Lyme disease that has moved to the brain is sometimes referred to as Lyme neuroborreliosis, or neurological Lyme disease.

Common symptoms of early disseminated Lyme disease include:

- More than one EM rash (a sign very suggestive of Lyme disease)

- Pain that may come and go and move around the body, in joints, tendons, muscles and bones

- Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis), which can cause severe headache, neck stiffness and sensitivity to light and sound

- Numbness, weakness, or tingling in the arms and legs (radiculoneuritis)

- Weakness or drooping on one or both sides of the face; difficulty closing an eyelid (facial palsy)

- Inflammation of the heart (carditis) that can cause heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, shortness of breath, or fainting. If you are experiencing any of these heart symptoms, seek immediate medical care.

Stage 3 Late disseminated Lyme disease

The infection can spread to the joints or contribute to altered brain function, a condition known as encephalopathy.

Common symptoms of late disseminated Lyme disease include:

- Arthritis with joint pain, warmth and swelling that may be constant or come and go. Lyme disease-related arthritis typically occurs in one joint, usually the knee or another large joint, though it can also occur in more than one joint.

- Concentration issues, brain fog and memory issues

- Nerve pain that feels like tingling, numbness, burning, or stabbing in the hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy)

- Anxiety, depression, mood swings and other neuropsychiatric issues

- Sleep disturbances such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, need for extended sleep, or unrefreshing sleep.

You may also experience worsening earlier Lyme disease symptoms.

A word of caution

If you are experiencing fatigue, body aches or difficulty thinking, it is important to know that there are many possible causes for these symptoms other than Lyme disease. These include other infections, medications, depression, diabetes and cancer. It is especially unlikely that Lyme disease is the cause of prolonged or recurring symptoms if you tested negative for Lyme disease using a recommended test or have not lived in or traveled to areas where Lyme disease is common.

These tips can help you get the most out of your visit with your health care provider:

Explain how you feel. Don’t be embarrassed to talk about anything.

Ask questions, starting with the ones that are most important to you.

Don’t hesitate to ask your health care provider to explain if something is not clear to you.

Bebesiosis

Babesiosis is a disease caused by microscopic parasites that infect red blood cells. It spreads through tick bites, primarily by blacklegged (deer) ticks. A parasite is an organism (living thing) that lives on or inside another organism. Although there are many different species (types) of Babesia parasite found in animals, only a few infect people.

Many people with babesiosis do not feel sick and have no symptoms. However, some people might get flu-like symptoms, such as:

- Fever

- Chills

- Sweats

- Headache

- Body aches

- Loss of appetite

- Nausea

- Fatigue

Since the parasites attack red blood cells, babesiosis can lead to hemolytic anemia. Hemolytic anemia occurs when your red blood cells are destroyed faster than they can be replaced. Babesiosis can become a serious, even life-threatening illness for certain people, especially those who:

- Do not have a spleen

- Have a weak immune system for other reasons such as cancer, lymphoma, or HIV

- Have serious health issues such as liver or kidney disease

- Are older than 50

Symptoms, if they appear, may start around a week after infection, but usually develop over a few weeks or months, or longer.

Babesia parasites do not spread from person to person like the flu or the common cold.

Anaplasmosis

Anaplasmosis is a disease caused by the bacteria A. phagocytophilum. These bacteria are spread to people by tick bites primarily from a blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) or western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus).

People with anaplasmosis will often have fever, headache, chills and muscle aches. Doxycycline is the drug of choice for adults and children of all ages with anaplasmosis.

Signs and symptoms of anaplasmosis typically begin within one or two weeks after the bite of an infected tick; however, many people do not remember being bitten.

See your health care provider if you become ill after being bitten by a tick or have been in areas where ticks live. Ticks commonly live in the woods or in areas with high brushes.

Early illness

Early signs and symptoms (days one through five) are usually mild or moderate and may include:

- Fever, chills

- Severe headache

- Muscle aches

- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite

Late illness

If treatment is delayed or if there are other medical conditions present, anaplasmosis can cause severe illness. Prompt treatment can reduce your risk of developing severe illness.

- Signs and symptoms of severe (late stage) illness can include:

- Respiratory failure

- Bleeding problems

- Organ failure

- Death

Risk factors for severe illness:

- Delayed treatment

- 65 years of age or older

- Weakened immune system

Bebesiosis and anaplasmosis are emerging diseases now seen in our area.

The New York State Dept of Health advises:

Dress appropriately for outdoor activities 

Frequent tick checks; shower after coming indoors 

Consider using repellents, such as DEET, picaridin or IR3535 

Use only what and how much you need for your situation 

Prompt and proper removal of attached ticks: use fine-tipped tweezers

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are small flying insects that feed on human and animal blood or plant juices. Mosquitoes usually become infected by biting a person or animal that is infected. Only female mosquitoes bite to get a blood meal for their growing eggs. Infected mosquitoes can then spread diseases to other people or animals through bites.

Mosquitoes can spread infections that can cause illness and even death in people and some animals.

West Nile Virus

West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States. It is most commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. Cases of West Nile occur during mosquito season, which starts in the summer and continues through fall. West Nile virus circulates in the environment between mosquitoes (primarily Culex species) and birds.

People become infected with the virus when mosquitoes feed on infected birds and then bite people.

People are considered dead-end hosts because unlike birds, they do not develop high enough levels of virus in their bloodstream and cannot pass the virus on to other biting mosquitoes.

The virus is rarely transmitted from person-to-person by blood transfusion, organ transplantation, and mother to baby, during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding.

The virus can be transmitted through blood and organ transplantation.

This is a very dangerous virus that can cause meningitis, meningoencphalitis, and polio-like symptoms.

Preventative measures recommended to avoid mosquito bites include:

Wearing long sleeve shirts and pants

Stay indoors when mosquitoes are most active

Use repellant products registered with the EPA

Do not overuse repellent—only apply as much as needed for protection

Read and follow label directions before using any kind of repellent

The public can help control the mosquito population by taking steps to reduce their habitat as the Aedes mosquitoes breed in containers with clean water.

How can you help control the mosquito population?

Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out items that hold water, such as buckets, tires, planters, toys, pools, flowerpots and trash containers.

If these mosquito breeding containers cannot be emptied out, use a mosquito dunk kit.

Free mosquito dunk kits are available for the public by calling Sullivan County Public Health at 845/292-5910, ext. 0.

Tightly cover water storage containers to prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs in them.

- Use screens on windows and doors and repair any holes to help keep mosquitoes out of your home; use air conditioning whenever possible.

- To prevent mosquito bites, use an EPA-registered insect repellent. Always use repellent according to package directions.

Michael Kossove is professor emeritus and adjunct professor of microbiology at Touro University, School of Health Sciences.