[nonbel]

Something is wrong here. How did humanity survive living most of their lives outdoors for so long in the presence of these ticks? Did lyme disease really not exist until 1975?

I see there is some kind of "blame everything on lyme disease" movement going on as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease_controversy

[maxerickson]

Tick populations have expanded greatly in recent years.

Things like climate change and wildlife management practices are thought to be a factor.

(warmer winters->less ticks die, more deer->more deer ticks)

[nonbel]

That sucks it is a climate change linked issue...

I already know I will find that more sensitive tests for tick borne diseases have been developed so essentially the definition of these diseases has changed, funding for surveillance has increased, the methods of counting ticks have become more sensitive, etc.

EDIT:

Yep, this looks like a good starting point if anyone is interesting in trying to figure out what is really going on. I'm not sure if I will bother:

"A later surge in interest in ticks and tick-borne pathogens has been inspired by recent claims about the impact of forecasted climate change on the spatial distribution of ticks and associated pathogens (Brownstein et al., 2003; Ostfeld et al., 2005; Diuk-Wasser et al., 2006; Ogden et al., 2008; Jaenson et al., 2009). However, this research has been fraught with difficulty from the outset because of insufficient knowledge about the nature of many tick-pathogen associations (Randolph, 2009; Franke et al., 2013; Medlock et al., 2013). A proper understanding of how abiotic factors shape the transmission cycles of tick-transmitted disease agents awaits a more rigorous analysis that is often limited by the current availability of data and the many indirect mechanisms that bear on them (Kahl et al., 2002; Eisen, 2008).

We assume that the many procedural and analytical errors in current tick and tick-borne zoonotic disease research are often a consequence of a lack of knowledge or of suitable training.

[...]

Typical problems include errors in tick identification (especially of immature instars), premature or erroneous reporting of ticks as new vectors and hosts as reservoirs, superficial data on the abundance and seasonal activity of ticks, inappropriate use of statistical methodology, and uncontrolled laboratory diagnostic procedures. The very ready accessibility of research publications online, at least in abstract form, tends to exacerbate the situation in that, as a result of superficial reading and subsequent citing, an erroneous conclusion can quickly become embedded in the literature. "

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3737478/

[zip1234]

Need more Wolves!

[notadoc]

And bird of prey, fox, coyote, bear, wildcats, mountain lions, human hunters, etc.

The entire ecosystem has been overmanaged to reduce predators, and the consequences are dire.

[cody8295]

A lot of people in Connecticut honestly believe Lyme disease was a direct result of Three Mile Island. I find the conspiracy hilarious but others take it as fact

[notadoc]

Tick populations have surged, mostly because of mice, rodent, and deer overpopulation. And we've killed off huge numbers of natural predators to those carriers.

Anecdotally, 15 years ago I used to maybe find one tick a year after frequent walks/hikes in grasslands or woods. Today I can walk the same trail systems and find 10+ ticks per dog after a single days walk even when they have tick/flea treatment applied. It's a frequent topic of discussion in outdoorsy groups and communities, vet clinics, ranchers, etc.

[nonbel]

I see. Do you (anecdotaly, in your opinion) rule out that people are more concerned about ticks these days, so they are checking more carefully and/or often?

[notadoc]

I find most people are naive of the problem especially in the west coast states, unless they spend a lot of time outdoors either recreationally, or landscaping, gardening, ranching, farming, hunting, etc.

You certainly want to check yourself after going out, but for dogs and animals the difference is just very outwardly obvious as you will see them crawling on their fur, on their beds, or you feel the lumps on their skin once they embed if you are petting them. Anecdotally this was not something I ever found 15+ years ago in the exact same environments. But beyond anecdote, by all official recordings (often from deer hunting, they measure a small portion of the deer and count how many ticks are found in a square) the numbers are skyrocketing, largely in line with concurrent overpopulation of deer and rodents.

[jammur]

> I find most people are naive of the problem especially in the west coast states, unless they spend a lot of time outdoors either recreationally, or landscaping, gardening, ranching, farming, hunting, etc.

I find that most people who spend a lot of time outdoors are also naive about Lyme. I can't count the number of people here in BC who've told me that Lyme doesn't exist here (medical doctors included). The employees at REI asked me why I was buying permethrin just to use in BC. They said Lyme isn't a concern here.

[nonbel]

>"I find most people are naive of the problem especially in the west coast states, unless they spend a lot of time outdoors either recreationally, or landscaping, gardening, ranching, farming, hunting, etc."

Right but those different groups of people would have also existed 15 years ago so this is not really relevant. I'm just asking if the group that does care about it is more vigilant and careful than before, and if that could explain it.

>"You certainly want to check yourself after going out, but for dogs and animals the difference is just very outwardly obvious as you will see them crawling on their fur, on their beds, or you feel the lumps on their skin once they embed if you are petting them. Anecdotally this was not something I ever found 15+ years ago in the exact same environments."

Ok, so the answer is that the level of vigilance required to notice a difference is so low that it can't be the primary explanation? Regarding the dog anecdote though. If it is 15 years later the dogs are either much older or different dogs, so they may be rolling around in different areas, etc. Still interesting but that is why anecdotes are anecdotes.

[notadoc]

Correct my anecdote is an anecdote.

The dramatic growth of deer and rodent population, as well as ticks, is well studied however.

Since you seem interested in this topic here are a few relevant links:

http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/fact_...

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs141p2_0...

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6835501/ns/us_news-environment/t/d...

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/03/06/5182194...

https://blog.nature.org/science/2013/08/22/too-many-deer/

[rb808]

Wow that first link has number of deer in Connecticut at nearly zero a hundred years ago.

[ghaff]

On the other hand, growing upon Pennsylvania decades ago, both ourselves and our dogs would get covered by (dog) ticks whoever we went out in the woods or meadows around the house. Tick-borne diseases were much less of an issue though.

[DrScump]

For dogs, at least, there is a Lyme vaccine.

[ansible]

From an ecological perspective, consider this.

Humanity is now one of the most successful species on the planet. Seven billion humans is an enormous biomass, and that our livestock make up most of the mammalian biomass on the planet. [1]

So that alone makes us a big juicy target for diseases and parasites which will prey upon us.

A communicable disease which targets, for example, bobcats, isn't going to spread very far or fast, given their low population and disjointed territory.

[1] http://www.kalaharilionresearch.org/2015/01/16/human-vs-live...

[tim333]

US life expectancy was 8 years less in 1970. There are lots of things that can do you in that people kind of put up with.

[dghughes]

E.coli wasn't harmful but a new deadly strain appeared in the 1980s.

[nonbel]

After a quick search it looks like the mainstream explanation is that people were just getting sick for "unknown reasons" before being able to test cheaply enough for e coli:

>"The sudden debut of E. coli O157:H7 in the 1980s made many people wonder how it had come to be. Was it the monstrous product of the modern food industry? Tarr and his colleagues analyzed the genome of the bacteria to estimate its time of origin. “These organisms have been around for 7,000 years,” says Tarr. It’s possible that E. coli O157:H7 and other pathogenic strains caused outbreaks for centuries before microbiologists could identify them as the cause."

http://www.newsweek.com/e-coli-rise-superbacteria-67931

[loco5niner]

Well, traditionally, they would die before turning 40 /s

[Kemschumam]

Not to be the conspiracy theorist... But have you ever heard of plum island? Specifically the Plum Island Animal Disease Center which developed bio weapons utilizing ticks as the disease vector? Operations started in 1952. There were several documented cases of poor containment practices and two likely means of transporting the disease back to the mainland (swimming deer and geese). The evidence is pretty damning. Check out the book Lab 257.

I also stopped enjoying my favorite hobby, running on deer trails and through dense forests. I check intently for ticks after ever forest excursion, but it is very disheartening when I find one. They are so incredibly small it seems impossible not to missed one. Plus it is extremely difficult to check your hair and back and I rarely have a running partner. All in all, Lyme disease, indian genocide, and invasion of Libya are my top 3 atrocities US gov has committed.

[nonbel]

Thanks, that is another possibility to consider.