Tickborne Diseases– New England Journal of Med.
In this Double Take video from the New England Journal of Medicine, Sam Telford and Robert Smith provide a clinical overview of the various tickborne diseases commonly encountered across the United States, including Lyme disease, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis, among others. Starting with characteristics of ticks and their ability to act as disease vectors, the video reviews the clinical presentation of these infections, clues on physical examination, and laboratory tests to consider when encountering a patient with a potential tickborne infection.
Recent Posts
Killing ticks with targeted viruses
One of the best ways to reduce the number of Lyme disease cases is using insecticides to kill ticks. Spraying loads and loads of insecticides around the countryside isn’t ideal though. What if there was a way to kill ticks without using a chemical spray? Quentin, one of the scientists and the Tufts Lyme Disease Initiative, tells us about a bright idea to use a virus that will selectively kill ticks.
The Hunt for Powassan Virus
Powassan virus is a deadly virus carried by Ixodes ticks. It has been identified in ticks in the Northeast. Currently, human Powassan virus infections in the United States are rare, but there is no treatment for the disease.
Watch as the team from Maine Medical Research Institute tracks the virus in the wild.