Substantial health disease found in China

Tickborne illnesses - such as Lyme disease, Tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever - can be serious and sometimes deadly. They are a major public health problem around the world. Now, a new study reports the discovery in northern China of a tickborne illness in humans that has never been seen before.

Some ticks carry pathogens like viruses and bacteria that enter the bloodstream of the animals and people they bite.

 

Ticks are small, blood-sucking arthropods, and like their cousins - mites, spiders and scorpions - they have eight legs. There are many different species of tick, with different ones biting and sucking the blood of different animals, and sometimes this includes humans.
Some ticks carry pathogens like viruses and bacteria that enter the bloodstream of the animals and people that they bite. There are many different tickborne illnesses caused by a range of pathogens.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list at least 14 different types of tickborne diseases known in the US.

Tickborne diseases usually cause fever, chills, aches, pains and rash. Symptoms range from mild reactions that are treatable at home to severe infections requiring hospitalization.

'Entirely new species of bacteria'

The new discovery, reported in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, is the work of a team of researchers from China and the US. In their paper, they say it is possible that the newly-discovered disease could be a "substantial" threat to human and animal health in the region where the tick prevails.

They name the newly discovered pathogen - a bacterium - Anaplasma capra, after the fact it appears to be common in goats. "Capra" is the Latin word for "goat."
The bacterium is related to other Anaplasma bacteria, some of which can also cause illness when transmitted from ticks to humans.

However, the researchers note they are not sure how widespread A. capra and the tick that carries it might be and whether they bite other animals as well as goats.

Co-author J. Stephen Dumler, a professor of pathology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and an expert with global experience of tickborne diseases, says:
"This is an entirely new species of bacteria. This had never been seen in humans before. We still have a lot to learn about this species, but it may be that this bacteria is infecting humans over a wide area."

 
Prof. Dumler himself discovered another Anaplasma bacterium that causes the disease human anaplasmosis 2 decades ago.For the study, he and his colleagues - including researchers from the Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, the Mudanjiang Forestry Central Hospital and Shanghai Jiaotong University, all in China - tested 477 patients in northeast China who had been bitten by a tick over the period of a month in the spring of 2014.

They found that 6% of the patients - 28 individuals - were infected by the new species of bacteria - A. capra.The symptoms of infection by A. capra include fever, muscle aches, headache, tiredness and dizziness. The patients recovered after treatment with antibiotics, particularly doxycycline.

A. capra probably transmitted by the taiga tick

Not much is known about A. capra. It is not easy to diagnose - there is no simple blood test.
The researchers say A. capra is probably transmitted by the taiga tick - a close relative of the deer tick. The tick is widespread in Eastern Europe and Asia - including Russia, China and Japan.
If the taiga tick spreads A. capra throughout this region, then human infection may be common, says Prof. Dumler, who notes that more than a billion people live in areas where the tick is prevalent. He and his colleagues conclude:"The emergence of A. capra as a cause of human disease suggests that individuals living in or traveling to endemic regions in northern China should take precautions to reduce their risk of exposure to this novel tickborne pathogen."
The Natural Science Foundation of China and the US National Institutes of Health funded the study.

In 2013, Medical News Today reported how researchers from Yale University found a new infection caused by ticks that is extremely similar to Lyme disease. They described how they found the unnamed disease for the first time in humans - 18 people in southern New England and upstate New York - in the New England Journal of Medicine.

 

If you need Information about Insurance,

Read More

About Psoriasis disease details

There are five types of psoriasis. The most common form, plaque psoriasis, appears as raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells. Psoriasis can occur on any part of the body and is associated with other serious health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and depression.

 

Symptoms and diagnosis

 

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that causes raised, red, scaly patches to appear on the skin. It typically affects the outside of the elbows, knees or scalp, though it can appear on any location. Some people report that psoriasis is itchy, burns and stings.

If you develop a rash that doesn't go away with an over-the-counter medication, you should consider contacting your doctor.

 

Diagnosis

 

About 95 percent of the time, your health care provider can make a psoriasis diagnosis just by visual inspection. Your doctor will consider where the raised, red, scales appear, if they have well-defined edges and how the rash responds to medication when making a diagnosis.

Psoriasis may seem similar to eczema, but there are several differences:

• Psoriasis plaques are well-defined; eczema tends to be flatter with less well-defined edges.
• Eczema typically occurs on locations atypical for psoriasis, such as the front of elbows or behind the knees. Psoriasis is most often found on the outside of knees and elbows, the scalp, the lower back, the face, the palms and soles of feet. It also can show up in other places, such as fingernails, toenails, the genitals and inside the mouth.

When biopsied, psoriasis skin looks thicker and inflamed when compared to skin with eczema.

Your doctor also will want to learn about your family history. About one-third of people with psoriasis have a family member with the disease, according to dermatologist Dr. Paul Yamauchi with the Dermatology and Skin Care Institute in Santa Monica, Calif.

Types of Psoriasis

Psoriasis appears in a variety of forms with distinct characteristics. Typically, an individual has only one type of psoriasis at a time. Generally, one type of psoriasis will clear and another form of psoriasis will appear in response to a trigger.

Plaque Psoriasis (psoriasis vulgaris)

Plaque psoriasis is the most common form of the disease and appears as raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells or scale. These patches or plaques most often appear on the scalp, knees, elbows and lower back. They are often itchy and painful, and they can crack and bleed.

---

Guttate

Guttate [GUH-tate] psoriasis is a form of psoriasis that often starts in childhood or young adulthood. This is the second most common type of psoriasis, after plaque psoriasis. About 10 percent of people who get psoriasis develop guttate psoriasis.

---

Inverse

Inverse psoriasis (also known as intertriginous psoriasis) shows up as very red lesions in body folds. It may appear smooth and shiny. Many people have another type of psoriasis elsewhere on the body at the same time.

---

Pustular

Pustular [PUHS-choo-lar] psoriasis in characterized by white pustules (blisters of noninfectious pus) surrounded by red skin. The pus consists of white blood cells. It is not an infection, nor is it contagious.

---

Erythrodermic

Erythrodermic [eh-REETH-ro-der-mik] psoriasis is a particularly inflammatory form of psoriasis that often affects most of the body surface. It may occur in association with von Zumbusch pustular psoriasis. It is a rare type of psoriasis, occurring once or more during the lifetime of 3 percent of people who have psoriasis. It generally appears on people who have unstable plaque psoriasis. This means the lesions are not clearly defined. Widespread, fiery redness and exfoliation of the skin characterize this form. Severe itching and pain often accompanies it.

Psoriasis on Specific Locations

Psoriasis can show up anywhere—on the eyelids, ears, mouth and lips, skin folds, hands and feet, and nails. The skin at each of these sites is different and requires different treatments. In addition, psoriasis can vary widely among individuals and in its response to treatment. Light therapy or topical treatments are often used when psoriasis is limited to a specific part of the body. However, doctors may prescribe oral or injectable drugs if the psoriasis greatly affects a person's quality of life. Effective treatments are available, no matter where your psoriasis is located.

Scalp

Scalp psoriasis can be very mild, with slight, fine scaling. It can also be very severe with thick, crusted plaques covering the entire scalp. Psoriasis can extend beyond the hairline onto the forehead, the back of the neck and around the ears. Learn about treating scalp psoriasis »

---

Face

Facial psoriasis most often affects the eyebrows, the skin between the nose and upper lip, the upper forehead and the hairline. You might need a biopsy to confirm that it is psoriasis. Read more about facial psoriasis »

---

Hands, Feet and Nails

It is important to treat acute flares of psoriasis on the hands and feet promptly and carefully. In some cases, cracking, blisters and swelling accompany flares. Nail changes occur in up to 50 percent of people with psoriasis and at least 80 percent of people with psoriatic arthritis. Learn more about how to treat psoriasis on hands, feet & nails »

---

Genital Psoriasis

The most common type of psoriasis in the genital region is inverse psoriasis. There are various regions of the genital area that can be affected by psoriasis. More information about genital psoriasis »

---

Skin Folds

Inverse psoriasis can occur in skin folds such as the armpits and under the breasts. This form of psoriasis is frequently irritated by rubbing and sweating. Read more about treating psoriasis in skin folds »

Psoriasis Severity

Psoriasis can be mild, moderate or severe

People with psoriasis on less than three percent of their body are considered to have a mild case. Those with three to 10 percent of the body affected by psoriasis are considered a moderate case. More than 10 percent is considered severe. (The surface area of the hand equals about one percent of the skin.)

About four out of five people with psoriasis have what is considered mild psoriasis, and about one out of five have moderate to severe psoriasis. These categories are useful for selecting which treatments may be most appropriate for each individual.
However, the severity of psoriasis is also measured by how psoriasis affects a person's quality of life. For example, psoriasis can have a serious impact on one’s daily activities even if it involves a small area, such as the palms of the hands or soles of the feet.
Generally, for those people who have mild psoriasis—isolated patches on the knees, elbows, scalp and hands and feet—topical treatments, including moisturizers, and over-the-counter and prescription creams, ointments and shampoos are usually sufficient to control the plaques.
Many successful psoriasis alternative therapies are also available and widely used with beneficial effects by people with mild psoriasis. Find out as much as you can about all the options available to you, and then learn what works best for your own mild psoriasis.
Treating moderate to severe psoriasis usually involves a combination of treatment strategies. Besides topical treatments, your doctor may prescribe phototherapy (also known as light therapy) and/or systemic medications, including biologic drugs. Phototherapy involves regularly exposing the skin to light, and systemic medications are prescription drugs administered orally or by injection that work throughout the body.

Psoriasis Causes and Known Triggers

Scientists believe that at least 10 percent of the general population inherits one or more of the genes that create a predisposition to psoriasis. However, only 2 percent to 3 percent of the population develops the disease. Researchers believe that for a person to develop psoriasis, the individual must have a combination of the genes that cause psoriasis and be exposed to specific external factors known as "triggers". Read more about the science of psoriasis »

Psoriasis triggers are not universal. What may cause one person's psoriasis to become active, may not affect another. Established psoriasis triggers include:

 

Stress

Stress can cause psoriasis to flare for the first time or aggravate existing psoriasis. Relaxation and stress reduction may help prevent stress from impacting psoriasis.

 

Injury to skin

Psoriasis can appear in areas of the skin that have been injured or traumatized. This is called the Koebner [KEB-ner] phenomenon. Vaccinations, sunburns and scratches can all trigger a Koebner response. The Koebner response can be treated if it is caught early enough.

 

Medications

Certain medications are associated with triggering psoriasis, including:

• Lithium: Used to treat manic depression and other psychiatric disorders. Lithium aggravates psoriasis in about half of those with psoriasis who take it.
• Antimalarials: Plaquenil, Quinacrine, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine may cause a flare of psoriasis, usually 2 to 3 weeks after the drug is taken. Hydroxychloroquine has the lowest incidence of side effects.
• Inderal: This high blood pressure medication worsens psoriasis in about 25 percent to 30 percent of patients with psoriasis who take it. It is not known if all high blood pressure (beta blocker) medications worsen psoriasis, but they may have that potential.
• Quinidine: This heart medication has been reported to worsen some cases of psoriasis.
• Indomethacin: This is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat arthritis. It has worsened some cases of psoriasis. Other anti-inflammatories usually can be substituted. Indomethacin's negative effects are usually minimal when it is taken properly. Its side effects are usually outweighed by its benefits in psoriatic arthritis.

Infection

Anything that can affect the immune system can affect psoriasis. In particular, streptococcus infection (strep throat) is associated with guttate psoriasis. Strep throat often is associated with the first onset of guttate psoriasis in children. You may experience a flare-up following an earache, bronchitis, tonsillitis or a respiratory infection, too.

 

It's not unusual for someone to have an active psoriasis flare with no strep throat symptoms. Talk with your doctor about getting a strep throat test if your psoriasis flares.

Learn more about how psoriasis can affect your risk for infection »

 

Although scientifically unproven, some people with psoriasis suspect that allergies, diet and weather trigger their psoriasis. Strep infection is known to trigger guttate psoriasis.

If you need Information about Insurance, 

Read More