Yale Bulletin and Calendar

April 14, 2000

Volume 28, Number 28

Study tracks second illness caused by ticks

Ehrlichiosis, a recently identified disease that causes flu-like symptoms similar to Lyme disease, is now the second most common tick-transmitted ailment in southeastern Connecticut, a Yale study shows.

Ehrlichiosis causes symptoms such as headache, fever and muscle aches, but unlike Lyme disease, it does not produce a tell-tale expanding skin rash.

The study, published in the April issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, was conducted by researchers from the rheumatology section of the Department of Internal Medicine and the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the School of Medicine in collaboration with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) and the state's Department of Public Health.

A three-year surveillance study among residents in southeastern Connecticut, where rates of Lyme disease are high, found annual rates of ehrlichiosis ranging from 24 cases to 51 cases of the illness per 100,000 inhabitants per year.

In comparison, the annual rate of Lyme disease in the same area is about 275 cases per 100,000 persons. The rate of Lyme disease has climbed steadily from about 50 cases per 100,000 people per year since the disease was identified in the mid-1970s.

"As doctors and patients become more familiar with ehrlichiosis, it is likely there will be a greater recognition factor, as has happened in the past for Lyme disease," says Dr. Jacob IJdo, an associate research scientist in rheumatology and lead author of the study. "At this point it is hard to predict if ehrlichiosis will become as frequent as Lyme disease."

"The rate of ehrlichiosis, even at 24 to 51 cases per 100,000, is still much higher than previous estimates," he adds. In addition, the same tick can carry the bacteria for both Lyme disease and ehrlichiosis, IJdo says.

The surveillance for ehrlichiosis was conducted from 1997 to 1999 as part of the Connecticut Emerging Infections Program's ehrlichiosis project and was supported through grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The investigators contacted physicians in southeastern Connecticut and asked them to submit blood samples from patients they suspected might have ehrlichiosis. The samples were tested at Yale University and CAES. Approximately 25% of all patients tested were found to have ehrlichiosis.

Last year, the same investigators reported on the development of a better laboratory test for ehrlichiosis. "The test has been validated for accuracy and is ready for use," says Dr. Louis Magnarelli, a researcher at CAES and co-author of the new study. "The combination of a better test and increased awareness of ehrlichiosis will contribute to improved diagnosis and treatment of this disease in the future."

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Donald Margulies wins Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Broadway redesign project wins architecture award

Four students win contests for aspiring entrepreneurs

Study tracks second illness caused by ticks

Telemundo chief executive will visit as Gordon Grand Fellow

El Greco will be the focus of Yale painter's Rand Lecture

Rep offering explores culture through music, dance, stories

Student competition will unite an ancient mythical character and robots

Puente enjoys spotlight during visit as Chubb Fellow

Award-winning novelist discusses the art of writing and reading

Leonard S. Doob, a specialist on ways of resolving conflict, dies

'Visionary' student wins award for his work with homeless people

Neurologist Fuki Hisama is honored for her research on aging syndrome

Library acquires papers of noted Caribbean novelist

Lectures will explore emerging trend of 'personalized' medicine in drug industry

Salmonella injections may improve treatment of cancer, study finds

Artists will talk about their cutting-edge works

DMCA event to feature 'sonic world'

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