Stuff You Missed in History Class

Episode: Three More Eponymous Diseases: Arthropod Bites

Hosts: Tracy V. Wilson & Holly Fry | Date: September 29, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Tracy and Holly explore the histories and science behind three diseases named for places—West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever—all of which are transmitted by arthropods (mosquitoes and ticks). The episode traces the origins, naming, discovery, and epidemiological journeys of each illness, delves into animal experimentation and naming controversies, and shares how disease prevention has evolved. True to their style, the hosts mix thorough research with conversational asides and a bit of humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction: Why These Diseases?

• The episode is a follow-up to a previous installment on eponymous diseases.
• Focus here: diseases named after places, all transmitted by mosquitoes or ticks—acting as a “precursor to October episodes," giving the episode a slightly spooky, pre-Halloween tone.
• Diseases covered: West Nile virus, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
• Note: The episode includes animal experimentation details.

West Nile Virus

Discovery & Etymology

• Originated during 1936 Rockefeller Foundation research into yellow fever in Africa.
• Isolated from a woman in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937, but researchers found a different virus than yellow fever ([05:27]).
  • “Researchers isolated a different virus from the blood they drew at her first visit. And she had antibodies to that virus at her follow up three months later.” — Holly ([05:27])

Early Research

• Initial studies involved inoculating mice (100% lethal when introduced to brain), monkeys (development of encephalitis), and rabbits (no illness) ([06:08]).
• First officially named “West Nile virus” in 1940.

Epidemiological Findings

• Initially, little evidence it caused significant illness in humans ([07:18]).

  • Authors noted skepticism about patient's lack of reported symptoms—speculating she may have withheld info or not wanted hospitalization.
    • “She was not altogether cooperative, and it is possible that she withheld pertinent facts.” — Tracy (quoting researchers, [07:18])

• First identified in birds in 1953; today birds are considered primary hosts. Main transmission is via mosquitoes ([08:40]).

Major Outbreaks & Shifts

• Large outbreaks first studied in the Mediterranean area in the 1950s/60s, with symptoms ranging from fever to neurological complications ([09:51]).
• Severe neurological disease emerged in Israel, 1957.
• 1996 Bucharest outbreak—first major urban epidemic, recognized Culex pipiens (house mosquito) as a vector ([10:16]).
  • Conditions like open windows without screens and flooded apartment basements contributed.

Arrival in North America

• 1999 NYC outbreak, initially mistaken for St. Louis encephalitis.
• Not spread by humans, only by mosquito vectors or rarely by blood/organ donation ([11:34]).

Current Situation & Prevention

• 1% get severe, life-threatening neuroinvasive disease.
• No human vaccine; prevention is through mosquito control and bite avoidance ([13:21]).
• Development of human vaccines is hampered by unpredictable outbreaks ([13:21]).
  • “The unpredictability and seasonality... makes that hard to do with this specific illness.” — Tracy ([13:21])

Lyme Disease

Ancient Presence

• Evidence of Borrelia in fossilized ticks from Dominican amber and in Otzi the Iceman ([18:46]).
  • The family tree of Borrelia at least 60,000 years old.

Historical Clues Pre-Naming

• 1883: German physician Alfred Buchwald describes chronic skin symptoms.
• 1920s: French doctors describe classic Lyme symptoms after a tick bite.
• The disease's modern name dates only to 1975, from a cluster in Lyme, Connecticut ([20:29]).

1975 Outbreak & Naming

• Cases of unusual “juvenile rheumatoid arthritis” and bullseye rashes reported, especially by two advocates, Pauli Murray and Judith Mensch.
• Symptoms included rashes, headaches, muscle pain, swollen joints—seen especially in wooded areas ([22:00]).

Identifying the Cause

• Surveillance revealed geographic clustering among children.
• By 1978, ticks (not insects) were suspected as the vector ([24:09]).
• Wilhelm "Willie" Burgdorfer identified the spirochete in ticks and in patients in 1982—bacteria was named Borrelia burgdorferi ([25:06]).

Ecology & Epidemiology

• Spread primarily by Ixodes ticks (deer ticks).
• Disease prevalence has been affected by ecological changes:
  • Collapse and then rebound of deer populations.
  • Warmer winters allow more ticks to survive.
  • Suburban sprawl places more people in deer/tick ranges ([27:54]).

Prevention, Treatment, and Ongoing Issues

• 1990s US vaccine was withdrawn due to low uptake and concerns, despite solid efficacy ([28:47]).
• New vaccine in clinical trials.
• Prevention today centers on tick avoidance; transmission requires >24 hours' tick attachment ([29:56]).
  • “It's believed to take at least 24 hours of attachment For a tick to transmit the spirochete to a person.” — Holly ([29:56])
• Treatable with antibiotics; chronic symptoms post-treatment are known as “post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome” ([31:32]).
• The “Lymewars” debate about persistent symptoms, and comparison with rising awareness due to Long Covid.
• Debunked conspiracy theory: Lyme disease is not an escapee from a lab ([30:39]).

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Early Outbreaks

• First reported in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley in 1873, mainly among settlers and Indigenous people ([37:03]).
• Called “Black Measles” before the cause was known.

Identifying the Culprit

• By 1902-3, ticks and ground squirrels suspected as vectors; most patients recalled tick bites before symptoms ([39:55]).
  • “This disease appeared and disappeared along with when ticks were most active, and a lot of patients had a tick bite in their history.” — Holly ([39:15])
• Howard Ricketts identified tick transmission, found pathogen in ticks ([40:23]).
• 1909: Pathogen named Rickettsia rickettsii.

Early Disease Control Efforts

• No antibiotics then, so efforts focused on tick control.
• Montana launched a program dipping cattle in arsenic-kerosene soap solutions… sometimes causing burns ([43:41]).
• Some ranchers sabotaged vats—dynamiting and sledgehammering them due to fears for cattle safety ([44:28]).
• Over time, program was refined, resistance lessened, tick populations and cases dropped.

Rocky Mountain Laboratories

• The need for research led to creation of labs in Hamilton, Montana; at one point, surrounded by a moat due to public concern over escaping ticks ([45:55]).
• Researchers developed a partially effective phenol-treated vaccine in the 1920s.
• Antibiotic therapy (doxycycline) became standard much later.

Modern Prevalence & Prevention

• The disease is now more common in the southeastern US; also found in Brazil (known locally as São Paulo Fever) and elsewhere ([47:49]).
• Prevention: tick bite avoidance—long sleeves/pants, repellents, avoiding tall grass ([48:39]).
  • “The tips for avoiding tick and mosquito bites are pretty much the same for all of them.” — Tracy ([48:39])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On patient skepticism and research bias:

  “It is reasonable to have some skepticism about this characterization of her, but it is also possible that she might have had symptoms that she chose not to tell the doctors about.” — Tracy ([07:18])

• On uncooperative rural ranchers:

  “Montana ranchers weren't exactly people known for being excited about complying with the government ... In June of 1913, someone smashed the dipping vat in Hamilton, Montana, with a sledgehammer. And about a week later, someone blew up the vat in Florence, Montana, with dynamite.” — Holly ([44:28])

• On the frustrations of mosquito bites:

  “My neighborhood had a lot of Asian tiger mosquitoes, and they were out at all times of the day and they would bite me between getting out of the car and getting into the house after I got home from work.” — Tracy ([49:13])

• On the endless challenges of internet research in the AI era:

  “When it comes to things like ChatGPT and other generative AI, the process by which they give correct answers is the same as the process by which they generate things that are plausible but wrong.” — Tracy ([51:51])

• On the ongoing Lymewars:

  “For a long time people called this chronic Lyme, but the current recommended terminology within the medical field is post treatment Lyme disease syndrome ... a lot of it has been rooted in the fact that people still have symptoms, but that doctors can't find evidence of what could be causing those symptoms.” — Holly ([31:32])

• On the misuse of AI summaries:

  "The AI summary is often wrong. ... Do not ask Chat GPT for information on stuff is my opinion, because it might give you the right answer, but it might give you the answer that sounds right and is wrong." — Tracy ([51:51])

Useful Timestamps

• West Nile Virus

  • Discovery and first outbreak: [04:13]–[08:03]
  • Neurological symptoms and urban outbreaks: [09:51]–[10:59]
  • North American introduction: [11:34]
  • Prevention and vaccine challenges: [13:21]

• Lyme Disease

  • Early descriptions and 1975 cluster: [19:39]–[22:00]
  • Identification of bacterial cause: [24:28]–[25:37]
  • Ecology and deer connection: [26:36]–[27:54]
  • Vaccination history and present prevention: [28:47]–[29:56]
  • Chronic symptoms and "Lymewars": [31:32]

• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

  • Early outbreaks and speculation: [37:03]–[39:15]
  • Identification of vectors and pathogen: [39:55]–[40:52]
  • Early tick control efforts and conflicts: [43:41]–[44:28]
  • Rocky Mountain Laboratories and vaccine: [45:55]–[46:46]
  • Modern epidemiology and prevention: [47:49]–[49:13]

Tone & Style Notes

• The hosts combine rigor with dry humor ("They don't have watches, they don't know when their schedule begins." — Holly on mosquitoes, [49:08]).
• They balance deep-dive history and science with accessible language and personal anecdotes.
• Ongoing reminders to be skeptical of AI-generated information—"It's a dice roll." ([52:44])
• Acknowledgment of controversy and nuance, especially around Lyme disease and public health information.
• Direct, evidence-based advice for avoiding mosquito and tick bites rounds out each disease segment.

Concluding Advice

• All three diseases are best prevented through avoidance of mosquito and tick bites: wear long sleeves/pants, use repellent, avoid tall grass and dusk/dawn for mosquitoes ([48:39]).
• Stay vigilant about tick checks if you've been outdoors; prompt removal is crucial for Lyme prevention ([29:56]).
• Remain skeptical and discerning about health information on the internet, particularly in the age of AI ([51:50]-[53:44]).

This episode offered a thorough, engaging, and historically rich look at these three eponymous diseases, demystifying their origins and underscoring the blend of medical science, public health, and human behavior behind their spread and (partial) control.