2. What Is Lyme Disease?
Lyme Disease is a spreading, infectious disease that is caused
by three types of bacteria including the Borrelia afzelii and
Borrelia garinii.
It is the most common tick-born disease in the Northern
Hemisphere
The bacteria, Borrelia is transmitted by the bite of infected
ticks that belong to the Ixodes. (Infected species)
The disease comes from the bite of a Deer Tick that happens
to be carrying the bacteria. Ticks feed on blood, so when it bite
you it won‟t let go until they have multiplied in size so that it
can‟t store anymore blood. It bites you by jamming its claw-like
head into your skin, and slowly directs the bacteria into your
blood stream. Ticks are smaller than a grain of rice. The tick
nymphs are the size of a poppy seed.
3. Bacteria Cycle
A tick has a four stage process in its two year cycle. It starts from an
egg, to a larva, nymph, and adult. The egg is laid, then after a month
it matures to a larva, which feeds on a mouse for two days
straight, then falls off and hibernates for the winter. In the spring they
come out as nymphs and and feed on mice for 3-4 days long. As the
ticks get bigger, they bite deer and feed only once for three weeks.
After the three weeks, the tick falls off, and lay their eggs before that
die.
4. Symptoms
Early symptoms may include
depression, fever, headache and fatigue, similar to flu
symptoms
A common bulls eye rash appears on the bite after 3-30
days, however it is painless. „
After weeks of the infection, the bacteria may spread out
to the blood system, which may develop multiple rashes
on certain spots of the body that are irrelevant to the
area of the bite. Other moderate symptoms include
joint, muscles and tendons, and dizziness caused by
changes in heart beat.
Major symptoms include neurological problems, such as
meningitis and migratory joint pain, often switching from
joint to joint.
5. Cure/Treatment
The main treatment of Lyme disease is by taking
oral antibiotics, depending on the stage of Lyme
disease of which that patient has;
minor, moderate, major. The antibiotics of choice
are doxycycline, amoxicillin and erythromycin.
If the infection becomes so critical that it crosses the
blood-brain barrier, the disease can be treated with
intraveneous (injection) antibiotics.
6. How to Prevent Infection
If you feel or see a tick bite you, remove the tick from your
body as fast as possible with tweezers. Grab the part of the
tick that is closest to you skin because it is the head of the tick
that is inside of you and is “feeding” the infection. If the tick is
left inside of the skin, you are still susceptible to infection.
Wash the bitten area thoroughly with water and soap.
A way to prevent being bitten by a tick is to wear clothing that
covers your legs and arms when walking in dense
vegetation, such as tall, leafy plants in forests, and wearing
bug-spray as a precaution.
If you remove the tick quick enough, the bacteria may not have
reached your blood stream in time. Unless the bacteria comes
into contact with your blood stream you will not be infected.
7. Untreatable effects
A small percentage of patients that get Lyme
disease can develop incurable disorders/diseases
such as chronic Lyme arthritis.
It can damage heart tissues and cause cardiac
arrhythmia.
In fatal cause, heart failure can occur.
8. Works Consulted
Mayo Clinic , Staff. (2011). Lyme disease. Mayo
Foundation for Medical Education and Research
(MFMER). Retrieved from
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lyme-
disease/DS00116
A.D.A.M., Inc. (2012). Lyme disease. 8600 Rockville
Pike, Bethesda MD: A.D.A.M., Inc. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH000
2296/
Paul, K. (2011). Lyme disease. Wales: Net Doctor.
Retrieved from
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/lymedisea
se.htm
