This paper describes the results of clinical and epidemiological studies of pathogen-carrying madani tick bites and the vector-borne diseases. The studies were conducted by a group of researchers specially organized by the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine.Questionnaires were sent out to JARM-affiliated 108 medical institutions to collect information about cases of ixodiasis, Lyme disease and Japanese spotted fever. It was found that during 2002, there were 151 cases of Ixodes tick bites (67 males and 84 females) and 17 cases of Lyme disease (13 males and 4 females). The incidence of Japanese spotted fever was zero.The survey also found that before that year, 24 out of the 108 medical institutions had treated tick bite cases and 13 handn’t. No reply came from the rest. As to Lyme disease, six hospitals had experienced in treating this vector-borne disease, 31 hadn’t and the rest did not reply. Japanese spotted fever was confirmed by one hospital. Thirty-three hospitals said they had not encountered this disease. The remaining 74 facilities did not respond. It was regrettable that more than a half of the 108 institutions did not respond to the survey. Considering that new types of infectious diseases caused by new forms of pathogens are raging nowadays, we, professionals affiliated with the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine, must keep careful watch on these diseases.
Japanese language ; Ticks ; Genus: Ixodes ; Clinical ; Lyme Disease

Purpose: Head and neck cancer patients receiving chemoradiation therapy often suffer from severe mucositis. Chemoradiation therapy-induced mucositis is usually accompanied by severe and intractable pain that impairs quality of life. To establish an effective method for treatment of mucositis pain, we retrospectively investigated the relationships of radiation dose with severity of mucositis and opioid consumption. We also conducted a survey on satisfaction of pain treatment. Methods: Study 1: Fourteen patients who underwent chemoradiation therapy of 70 Gy for head and neck cancer from 2005 to 2009 participated in the study. The relationship of severity of mucositis with opioid use was studied. Study 2: Seven patients who had mucositis of over grade 3 and had completed radiation therapy participated in the study. We carried out a questionnaire survey about satisfaction of each pain treatment. Results: Study 1: Increase of radiation dose significantly worsened the severity of mucositis. Opioid consumption for treating pain was significantly greater in the pharynx cancer group than in the oral cancer group. Study 2: Oral care treatment was preferred to systemic administration of analgesics including opioids. Conclusions: In the oral cancer group, oral care treatment was thought to be useful for pain treatment. Oral cancer patients needed less opioids than did pharynx cancer patients.