A recent study of deer in Adams, Gallia, Jackson and Lawrence counties found ticks carrying Ehrlichia, bacteria that cause high fever, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, loss of appetite and other symptoms in humans and animals. Ehrlichiosis, a potentially fatal illness, joins Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever as maladies associated with ticks. The symptoms of ehrlichiosis sometimes are mistaken for those of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Symptoms occur between one and 21 days of infection, although a person can be infected without experiencing any adverse reaction. Infection usually occurs between May and August, when ticks attach to people or animals and feast on their blood, much like mosquitoes.
Ticks hide on the leaves, branches or grass of wooded areas and fields and jump on passing prey.
We haven't had any human cases yet,'' said Randy Hertzer, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health. The department analyzed blood samples from 133 white-tailed deer in the four counties, which are heavily wooded, rural areas popular with outdoor enthusiasts. The first documented case of ehrlichiosis came in 1986 when a Detroit man returned home from a trip to Arkansas. Since then, more than 400 cases have been reported in 30 states, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rocky Mountain spotted fever, carried by the American dog tick, causes fever, headache and muscle pain that is usually followed by a rash on the arms, legs and, eventually, the trunk, palms and soles.