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bitten. Copyright © 2019 by Kris Newby. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007. HarperCollins books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales pro- motional use. For information, please email the Special Markets Department at [email protected]. first edition Frontispiece: Tick research at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, in Hamilton, Mon- tana (Courtesy of Gary Hettrick, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [NIAID], National Institutes of Health [NIH]) Maps by Nick Springer, Springer Cartographics Designed by William Ruoto Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Newby, Kris, author. Title: Bitten: the secret history of lyme disease and biological weapons / Kris Newby. Description: New York, NY: Harper Wave, [2019] Identifiers: LCCN 2019006357 | ISBN 9780062896278 (hardback) Subjects: LCSH: Lyme disease— History. | Lyme disease— Diagnosis. | Lyme Disease— Treatment. | BISAC: HEALTH & FITNESS / Diseases / Nervous System (incl. Brain). | MEDICAL / Diseases. | MEDICAL / Infectious Diseases. Classification: LCC RC155.5.N49 2019 | DDC 616.9/246—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019006357 19 20 21 22 23 lsc 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Appendix I: Ticks and Human Disease Agents EASTERN BLACKLEGGED, OR DEER, TICK (Ixodes scapularis; old name: Ixodes dammini) Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi, B. mayonii); babesiosis (Babesia microti); anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum); relapsing fever (Borrelia miyamotoi); Powassan virus; Ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia muris eauclairensis) LONE STAR TICK (Amblyomma americanum) Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsia rickettsii); human ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia chaffeensis, Ehrlichia ewingii); tularemia (Francisella tularensis); Heartland virus disease AMERICAN DOG TICK (Dermacentor variabilis) Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsia rickettsii); tularemia (Francisella tularensis); tick paralysis (caused by a tick saliva toxin) ROCKY MOUNTAIN WOOD TICK (Dermacentor andersoni) Rocky Mountain spotted fever (Rickettsia rickettsii); Colorado tick fever virus; tularemia (Francisella tularensis); tick paralysis (caused by a tick saliva toxin) EUROPEAN CASTOR BEAN, OR SHEEP, TICK (Ixodes ricinus) Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi); Rickettsia helvetica (aka Swiss Agent); Q fever (Coxiella burnetti); anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum); tick- borne encephalitis (TBE) virus 1 Appendix II: Uncontrolled Tick Releases, 1966–1969 1 LOCATION DATE TICK SPECIES RADIOACTIVE NUMBER MARKER RELEASED MONTPELIER, VA Aug. 11, American Carbon-14 29,750 1966 dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) Aug. 29, American Carbon-14 12,400 1966 dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) Sept. 18, Lone star tick Carbon-14 15,500 1967 (Amblyomma americanum) Aug. 4, Lone star tick Carbon-14 50,000 1968 (Amblyomma americanum) Aug. 28, Lone star tick Carbon-14 17,500 1969 (Amblyomma americanum) NEWPORT NEWS, VA Sept. 12, Lone star tick Carbon-14 22,000 1967 (Amblyomma americanum) Aug. 28, Lone star tick Carbon-14 47,000 1968 (Amblyomma americanum) MILL CANYON, MT Aug. 28, Rocky Mountain Carbon-14 22,500 1966 wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni) July 19, Rocky Mountain Carbon-14 21,600 1967 wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni) 2 Appendix II ROARING LION CANYON, MT July 3, Rocky Mountain Carbon-14 16,200 1968 wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni) July 19, Rocky Mountain Carbon-14 20,250 1969 wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni) July 19, Rocky Mountain Iodine-125 8,100 1969 wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni) TOTAL 282,800 3 GLOSSARY Acari: A group, or taxon, of arachnids that comprises mites and ticks. acarologist: One who studies Acari. acarology: The study of mites and ticks. Aedes aegypti: A species of mosquito that can spread tropical diseases like dengue, Zika, and yellow fever. aerobiology: The study of particulate matter transported by air, such as bacteria, viruses, fungal spores, and pollen. Amblyomma americanum: The aggressive lone star tick. Its saliva can cause a delayed- reaction, long- lasting meat allergy. anaplasmosis: A disease caused by Rickettsia bacteria that invades white blood cells. anthrax: An illness caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, usually affecting livestock and game animals; it can infect humans and cause skin sores, vomiting, shock, and, in extreme cases, death. antibody: A blood protein that helps fight invading microbes, such as bacteria or viruses. antigen: A molecule on the outer surface of an invading microbe that 4 Glossary signals to a body that an invasion is under way; antibodies stick to them. arachnid: An arthropod, such as a spider, scorpion, or tick, usually with eight jointed legs. arthritis: Inflammation of a joint that can be caused by injury, bacteria, or an autoimmune disorder. arthropod: An invertebrate such as an insect, spider, tick, scorpion, or crustacean, with jointed legs and a segmented body. Asiatic relapsing fever: A disease caused by the Borrelia bacterium and transmitted by Ornithodoros, or soft- bodied ticks, primarily in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. babesia: A malaria- like parasite, also called a piroplasm, that infects red blood cells, carried by ticks. babesiosis: A tick- borne disease with flulike symptoms; caused by ba- besia that infect red blood cells. Bacillus anthracis: A bacterium causing anthrax, a livestock and game animal disease transferable to humans. Bacillus subtilis: A bacterium present in soil, in the human gastrointes- tinal system, and in the intestinal tracts of ruminant animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and giraffes. Used as a bioweapons sim- ulant. Borrelia: A genus of spirochetal (corkscrew- shaped) bacteria that in- cludes the species that cause Lyme disease and relapsing fever. Borrelia burgdorferi: A spirochetal (corkscrew- shaped) bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Borrelia duttoni: A species of bacterium associated with African relaps- ing fever and carried by the soft- bodied tick Ornithodoros moubata. Borrelia latychevi: A bacterium associated with African relapsing fever. 5 Glossary Borrelia lonestari: A bacterium that may or may not cause STARI (or southern tick- associated rash illness), bull’s- eye rashes, and Lyme- like symptoms. Borrelia miyamotoi: A spirochetal (corkscrew- shaped) bacterium closely related to the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease and tick- borne relapsing fever; carried by deer ticks. botulinum toxin: One of the most poisonous biological substances known; a neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium bot- ulinum. Brucella (Brucella suis): A bacterium found in domesticated pigs, dogs, wild rodents, wild boars, caribou, and reindeer; it causes inflamma- tion in the reproductive organs. Transmitted to humans from in- fected animals or animal products. Symptoms include fever, muscle and joint pain, and fatigue. Clostridium botulinum: A bacterium producing toxins that can cause botulism, a serious disease spread through contaminated food or in- fected wounds. Colorado tick fever: A tick- borne viral disease transmitted by Rocky Mountain wood ticks (Dermacentor andersoni); it causes flulike symptoms. Coxiella burnetii: A rickettsia- like bacterium that can be aerosolized and inhaled; it causes Q fever and is considered a potential bio- weapon. Dermacentor andersoni: The Rocky Mountain wood tick, which can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Colorado tick fever virus. Dermacentor variabilis: The American dog tick, which can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever. 6 Glossary dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT): An organochlorine first de- veloped as an insecticide and then used during World War II to mitigate malaria and typhus infections. Targeted as an environmen- tal hazard in Rachel Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring, DDT was banned from U.S. agricultural use in 1972. Dipetalonema rugosicauda: A roundworm found in Ixodes ricinus ticks, similar to those found inside hard- body ticks around Long Island Sound during the initial Lyme disease outbreak. diplococcus: A two- celled bacterium that can cause pneumonia. doxycycline: A tetracycline- class antibiotic used to treat rickettsial dis- eases, Lyme disease, and ehrlichiosis. East side agent: a harmless rickettsia found in wood ticks only on the east side of the Bitterroot River valley. ehrlichiosis: A rickettsia- like bacterial tick- borne illness that causes flulike symptoms. ELISA (enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay): A test for antibodies in blood that can be used to detect infectious diseases, the first step of the two- tiered Lyme test. encephalitis: Inflammation of the brain most often caused by a viral infection; symptoms include severe headache, “brain fog,” and fa- tigue. encephalomyelitis: A viral infection causing inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. epidemic typhus: A disease caused by the species of bacterium, Rickettsia prowazekii, and spread through infected body lice; it was historically associated with the aftermath of wars and natural disasters. erythema chronicum migrans (ECM) or erythema migrans (EM): The “bull’s- eye” rash associated with Lyme disease and STARI 7 Glossary (southern tick- associated rash illness), usually forming a red circular or ovate ring with a smaller red circle within. hemolymph: Blood equivalent found in invertebrates. hemorrhagic fever: