Facts About Lyme Disease
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What is it?
- An infection caused and transmitted by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria.
- Transmitted by the bite of deer ticks called Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus, which are the western black-legged ticks.
- Ticks feed on blood by inserting their mouths into the skin of a host animal and attaching to any part of the body, often to moist or hairy areas such as the groin, armpits and scalp.
- They are slow feeders: A complete blood meal can take several days.
- Deer ticks are responsible for transmitting Lyme disease bacteria to humans in the northeastern and north-central United States. On the Pacific Coast, the bacteria are transmitted to humans by the western black-legged ticks.
- muscle and joint aches
- headaches
- chills and fever
- fatigue
- swollen lymph nodes.
- A circular red patch called erythema migrans usually appears from three to 30 days after being bitten by an infected tick. The patch expands (to an average of 5 to 6 inches in diameter) and persists for three to five weeks.
- The doctor may prescribe antibiotics which are usually given by mouth, but antibiotics should not be given only because a person was bitten by a tick. A few patients may have relapses and need additional antibiotic treatment.
- Blood tests are useful in the later stages (longer than one year) of untreated Lyme disease, but even then results may be inaccurate.
- Patients who are diagnosed and treated with antibiotics in the early stages of Lyme disease usually recover quickly and completely.
- Permanent damage to the joints or the nervous system can develop in patients with chronic late Lyme disease. Usually these are patients who were not diagnosed in the early stages or their treatments were unsuccessful.
- Ticks live in moist, shaded environments and persons should try to avoid entering these areas, especially wooded areas.
- Individuals who are exposed to tick infested areas should wear light-colored clothing, so that ticks can be spotted more easily and removed before becoming attached.
- Wearing long-sleeved shirts and tucking pants into socks or boots may help keep ticks from reaching the skin.
- Because ticks are usually located close to the ground, high rubber boots should be worn for protection.
- Use insect repellents containing DEET on clothes and exposed skin and permethrin (which kills ticks on contact).
- Approximately 12,500 cases of lyme disease were reported per year, from 1993-1997.
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