Lyme disease
Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is an infectious disease. It is caused by bacteria of the genus Borrelia. The disease is carried by ticks. Ticks can be found in bed sheets and are parasitic on mammals such as mice, deer, and people. In other words, ticks are the vector which transmits the disease.
It is the most common tick-borne infection in the United States. Although Allen Steere realized in 1978 that Lyme disease was a tick-borne disease, the cause of the disease remained a mystery until 1982. It can cause joint swelling, rashes, and neurological symptoms.[1]
Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. Depending on disease stage and antibiotic used, treatment is usually between 10 and 28 days.[2]
Symptoms
- Fever
- A bulls-eye rash, also known as Erythema migrans.
- Cranial nerve palsies (drooping of the face)
- Arthritis
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Myalgias (muscle pain) and arthralgias (joint pain)
- Meningitis (stiff neck)
- Chills[4]
Lyme Disease Media
Borrelia bacteria, the causative agents of Lyme disease, magnified
Deer Tick life cycle diagram
Ixodes scapularis, the primary vector of Lyme disease in eastern North America
Tick Ixodes ricinus, developmental stages
Countries with reported Lyme disease cases
CDC map showing the risk of Lyme disease in the United States, particularly its concentration in the Northeast Megalopolis and western Wisconsin (2004)
Removal of a tick using tweezers
A sign in a conservation area warning of local tick risk. Warning signs such as these are put up in response to Lyme disease spread near human settlements
References
- ↑ IDSA : Updated Guidelines on Diagnosis, Treatment of Lyme Disease. www.idsociety.org. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
- ↑ Lantos, Paul M. Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and American College of Rheumatology (ACR): 2020 Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease. Clinical Infectious Diseases 72 (1) (23 January 2021). p. e1–e48. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa1215.
- ↑ Guardado, Katherine E.. Pediatric unilateral knee swelling: a case report of a complicated differential diagnosis and often overlooked cause. Journal of Osteopathic Medicine 122 (2) (14 January 2022). p. 105–109. doi:10.1515/jom-2020-0332.
- ↑ Lyme Disease – Lyme Disease – CDC. www.cdc.gov (20 December 2018).