Where did ticks come from and why they didn’t exist before: conspiracy theory, biological weapons or progress in medicine

The history of the appearance of the encephalitis tick

It is believed that the tick came to Russia from Japan. There is an unconfirmed hypothesis that the Japanese were developing biological weapons. It is, of course, untenable, since it has not been confirmed by anything, but it was the Far East that has always been in the lead in terms of the number of cases of encephalitis ticks, up to 30% of the sick died.

The first mention of the disease

A. G. Panov, a neuropathologist, first described the disease with encephalitis in 1935. He believed it was caused by the Japanese tick. They paid attention to this disease after the expedition of scientists to the Khabarovsk region.

Research Far Eastern Expeditions

Prior to this expedition, in the Far East, there were cases of an unknown disease that affected the nervous system and often had a fatal outcome. It was then called "toxic flu".

The group of scientists who went then suggested the viral nature of this disease, transmitted by airborne droplets. Then it was considered that the disease is transmitted through mosquitoes in the summer.

This was in 1936, and a year later another expedition of scientists headed by L. A. Zilber, who had recently founded a virological laboratory in Moscow, set off to this area.

The conclusions that were made by the expedition:

• the disease begins in May, therefore it does not have a summer seasonality;
• it is not transmitted by airborne droplets, since people who have been in contact with infected people do not get sick;
• mosquitoes do not transmit the disease, since they are not yet active in May, and they are already sick with encephalitis.

A group of scientists found out that this is not Japanese encephalitis. In addition, they conducted experiments on monkeys and mice, which they took with them. They were injected with blood, cerebrospinal fluid of infected animals. Scientists have been able to establish a link between the disease and tick bites.

The work of the expedition lasted three months in difficult natural conditions. Three people became infected with parasites. As a result, we found out:

• the nature of the disease;
• the role of the tick in the spread of the disease has been proven;
• about 29 strains of encephalitis have been identified;
• a description of the disease is given;
• proven efficacy of the vaccine.

After this expedition, there were two more that confirmed Zilber's conclusions. In Moscow, a vaccine against a tick was actively developed. During the second expedition, two scientists fell ill and died, N. Ya. Utkin and N. V. Kagan. During the third expedition in 1939, a vaccine was tested, and they were successful.

Theories and hypotheses of the appearance of ticks in Russia

Where did encephalitis come from, many were interested even before visiting expeditions. On this occasion, several versions have been put forward.

Conspiracy theories: pliers are weapons

KGBists in the last century believed that the virus was spread by the Japanese as a biological weapon. They were sure that the weapons were being distributed by the Japanese, who hated Russia. However, the Japanese did not die from encephalitis, perhaps already at that time they knew how to treat it.

Inconsistencies in the version

The inconsistency of this version is that the Japanese also suffered from encephalitis, the Saami are a large source of infection - the island of Hokkaido, but at that time there was no death from this disease. For the first time in Japan, a death from this disease was recorded in 1995. Obviously, the Japanese already knew how to treat this disease, but since they themselves suffered from it, they were unlikely to carry out “biological sabotage” to other countries.

Modern genetic

The development of genetics has made it possible to study the occurrence and development of tick-borne encephalitis. However, scholars disagreed. Scientists from Novosibirsk, speaking at an international conference in Irkutsk, based on the analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the virus, claimed that it began to spread from West to East. Whereas the theory of its Far Eastern origin was popular.

Other scientists, based on the study of genomic sequences, suggested that encephalitis originated in Siberia. Opinions about the time of occurrence of the virus also vary greatly among scientists, from 2,5 to 7 thousand years.

Arguments in favor of the theory of the occurrence of encephalitis in the Far East

Scientists again thought about the origin of encephalitis in 2012. Most agreed that the source of infection is the Far East, and then the disease went to Eurasia. But some believed that the encephalitic tick spread, on the contrary, from the West. There were opinions that the disease came from Siberia and spread in both directions.

Conclusions are taken in favor of the theory of the occurrence of encephalitis in the Far East Zilber's expeditions:

1. Cases of encephalitis in the Far East were recorded as early as the 30s of the last century, while in Europe the first case was noted only in 1948 in the Czech Republic.
2. All forest zones, both in Europe and in the Far East, are natural habitats for parasites. However, the first cases of the disease were noted in the Far East.
3. In the 30s, the Far East was actively explored, and the military was stationed there, so there were many cases of the disease.

Reasons for the invasion of encephalitis ticks in recent years

Scientists agree that ticks have always lived on the territory of Russia. In the villages, people were bitten by bloodsuckers, people got sick, but no one knew why. They paid attention only when soldiers in military units in the Far East began to get sick en masse.

Recently, much has been written about the fact that ticks have become much more, and they not only live in forests, but also attack suburbs, cities. This is not surprising, because at the end of the last century, many acquired household plots and ticks began to move closer to cities.

Protection measures

1. When spending time in nature, it is recommended to wear long, light-colored pants, tucking the legs into socks, so that the ticks have as little open area as possible for contact with the skin. On light fabrics, dark mites can be very well detected and removed before they reach the skin.
2. After spending time in nature, you should carefully check for ticks, as they often search for a suitable place to bite on the skin for several hours.
3. If bitten by a bloodsucker, it should be removed immediately. Then the bite site should be observed for several weeks, and if a red spot appears, a doctor should be consulted.
4. In areas where there is an increased risk of contracting tick-borne encephalitis, vaccination is recommended for all persons spending time in nature.
5. Outside such areas, vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis should be carried out by a doctor in case of travel or increased individual exposure.