Warning as ticks carry disease south

A public health investigation revealed that cases of the infection had soared in Tayside over the last five years.

The area has now been classified as a "hotspot" for the infection for the first time, with the spread prompting concern that tick infestation of the countryside is moving south.

The doctors who carried out the investigation have urged visitors to the area to take precautions against tick bites. Campaigners warned all Scots to be vigilant, saying the parasites are a disease risk everywhere, from remote moorland to urban gardens.

The Scottish Highlands have long been known as a problem area for blood-sucking ticks (pictured right), which lurk in long grass and attach themselves to animals and humans. The ticks - which cling on to their host as they feed, are difficult to spot and to remove. A bite carries the risk of infection with Lyme disease - officially known as Lyme borreliosis - which can cause serious neurological and heart problems.

But the investigation by the public health team from Ninewells Hospital in Dundee and Raigmore Hospital in Inverness - published in the Journal Of The Royal College Of Physicians Edinburgh - has revealed a "significant" rise in cases of Lyme disease in Tayside. Cases in the area, which are thought to have originated in the region's large forested areas, rose from just five in 2005 to 67 in 2010.

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Most of cases were caught in the early stages, but around a quarter had neurological symptoms, which can include meningitis, palsy and encephalitis.

Dr Darrel Ho-Yen, head of Scotland's National Lyme borreliosis Testing Laboratory and a member of the investigation team, admitted experts were surprised by the findings.

He said: "We know that the Highlands are a hotspot for ticks because we have more sheep and deer there, so we expect the number of cases of Lyme disease to be high there. What is important is that previously Tayside was not identified as a hotspot for Lyme infection."

The research also compared rates of the disease in Highland, Tayside and the rest of Scotland per 100,000 population. Between 2005 and 2010, rates rose from around 28 to 56 in Highland, from around two to 17 in Tayside and from just one to around six for the rest of Scotland.

The researchers say that while Tayside's infection rate is lower than that of the Highlands, its year-on-year increases are becoming proportionally much larger. It is not known where in Tayside the ticks were picked up, but likely areas include rural parts of Angus and Perth and Kinross.

The ticks that carry Lyme borreliosis usually feed off birds, deer and sheep. Not all ticks are infected but for anyone bitten by an infected tick, symptoms include a target-like rash.Early treatment with antibiotics is usually successful, but if left untreated symptoms include fatigue and depression, and joint aches and pains. Some patients have long-term disabling symptoms.

The reasons behind the rise in Lyme disease in Scotland are thought to include the changing climate, changes in farming practices leading to more of the ticks' natural bracken habitat, and an increase in the deer population.

But campaigners warn that it's not just forested areas that pose a risk. Wendy Fox, chair of the tick-awareness charity Borreliosis and Associated Diseases UK, said: "Some areas are considered highly endemic but you can pick up Lyme disease anywhere. People with overgrown gardens in urban areas can be bitten, and we are seeing more cases of urban acquired infection.

"The worry is if you start talking about hotspots and someone has been bitten, their GP might not think of Lyme disease because the patient has not visited a hotspot.

"We don't want to put people off outdoor pursuits, we just want them to be safe while they are doing it."