1st tick in state infected with rare illness discovered in Lake County; can cause severe disease in humans

State health officials said the first tick to test positive for Ehrlichia muris eauclairensis, a bacteria transmitted by blacklegged tick bites, has been confirmed in Lake County.

The bacteria can cause human ehrlichiosis, a severe disease that can cause complications if not treated quickly.

The Illinois Department of Public Health’s Vector Control Program warns health care providers in northern Illinois to be aware of and on the lookout for ehrlichiosis. It can be easily treated with antibiotics – typically doxycycline – but can cause severe illness if left untreated.

The blacklegged tick, also called a deer tick, was collected May 17 by Lake County Health Department staff funded through IDPH’s Environmental Health Tick Surveillance Grant program.

The tick recently was tested and confirmed positive for EME by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

All known human cases of EME have occurred in Wisconsin and Minnesota. In Illinois, ehrlichiosis primarily is seen in southern Illinois and spread through the bites of infected lone star ticks.

With the Lake County discovery, a second tick species now is known to spread ehrlichiosis in Illinois. Infected adult and young blacklegged ticks can spread EME to people. Blacklegged ticks commonly are found in areas with woods, brush, leaf litter and tall grass. Adult blacklegged ticks are active from October through December and any winter day above freezing, the IDPH said.

“Anyone who spends time in wooded areas or brush, including hunters, should be sure to check for ticks every few hours and remove any that you find,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said. “If you experience common symptoms of tick-borne illnesses – such as fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches, nausea or vomiting – see your health care provider immediately, and let them know about tick exposure so that you can obtain testing and treatment that can prevent serious illness.”

State health officials will conduct the 2024 Illinois Tickborne Disease Conference on Oct. 22 in Champaign, hosted by the IDPH, the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and the Illinois Lyme Association. It brings together clinicians, health care providers, researchers, local health departments and other leaders in the field of Lyme and tick-borne diseases.

Here are additional tips to avoid tick-borne illnesses:

• Walk in the center of trails. Avoid wooded, bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.

• Wear light-colored clothing to make ticks easier to find. Tuck long pants into socks and boots.

• Apply an Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellent containing 20% DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus according to label directions.

• Treat outdoor clothing and gear with 0.5% permethrin.

• Conduct full-body tick checks on family members (underarms, ears, belly button, behind knees, between legs, waist, hair and scalp) every two to three hours. Also check any gear or pets taken on outings.

• Put your clothes in the dryer on high heat for 10 minutes (or one hour for damp clothes) to kill ticks.

• Shower within two hours after coming indoors.

• If you find a blacklegged tick on you that may have been attached for more than two days, seek medical attention.

• Keep the tick for species identification. Place the tick in rubbing alcohol or in a sealed bag/container to bring to your health care provider or local health department for submission to the IDPH.

For more information, check out the IDPH’s interactive Tick Surveillance Map showing the counties in Illinois where different tick species have been confirmed as well as the diseases they may carry.

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