Re: [at-l] Lyme disease

[Snodrog5@aol.com]

Although 'conventional wisdon' is that hikers shouldn't worry about Lyme
Disease in states north of Conneticut, this Maine Medical Center site says you
*should* worry.
"Deer Tick" is a poor name, the ticks are most often found on mice, I believe.
Here's the site, with pictures---
http://zappa.mmcri.mmc.org/research/lyme/meticks.htm
And here's some cuttin' and pastin' from the site---
 Lyme Tick Disease In Maine- 
Ixodes scapularis (dammini), the "deer tick," is considered to be the
principal vector of the Lyme disease spirochete in the northeastern United
States.  Not all deer ticks are infected, however.  Limited studies in Maine
have shown that although in some sites over half of the adult ticks sampled
contained spirochetes, rates may vary considerably, even in adjacent areas.
Infection rates in questing nymphs are typically somewhat lower.  Immature
stages feed on small mammals such as mice and adults prefer deer, but all
stages may feed on humans and domestic animals.  It has recently been shown
that, although rare, the agents of two other infectious diseases, human
granulocytic erlichiosis (HGE) and babesiosis have also been found in this
species of tick.  Although controversy about the name of the deer tick
continues, Ixodes scapularis is becoming more widely accepted.  

I can send hyper-links to this and many other sites if you send me an email. (
I just got em from HotBot, so you could just go surf for yourself )
take care, and search your fellow hiker's warm, dark, sweaty areas every
evening!
:O)
TJ

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