What is Lyme Disease?
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| The deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) adult female, adult male, nymph, and larva on a centimeter scale. Image property of the CDC |
Who gets Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease can affect people of any age. People who spend time in grassy and wooded environments are at an increased risk of exposure. The chances of being bitten by a deer tick are greater during times of the year when ticks are most active. Deer ticks in the nymphal stage are active from mid-May to mid-August and are about the size of poppy seeds. Adult ticks, which are approximately the size of sesame seeds, are most active in mid to late fall. The risk of exposure to infected deer ticks may be nationwide.
How is Lyme disease transmitted?
Not all deer ticks are infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Ticks can become infected if they feed on small animals that are infected. The disease can be spread when a tick infected with the bacteria bites a person and stays attached for a period of time. In most cases, the tick must be attached for 48 hours or more before the bacteria can be transmitted. Person-to-person spread of Lyme disease does not occur.
What are the symptoms of Lyme disease?
In 60%-80% of the cases, a large, reddish rash about 2 inches in diameter appears and expands around or near the site of the bite. Sometimes, multiple rash sites appear. The early stage of Lyme disease is usually marked by one or more of the following symptoms and signs: chills and fever, headache, fatigue, stiff neck, muscle and/or joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes. If left untreated, complications from late Lyme disease, such as arthritis, meningitis, facial palsy or heart abnormalities, may occur within a few weeks to months. These later symptoms may develop in people who did not have early symptoms or did not recognize them. Swelling and pain in the large joints may recur over many years.
When do symptoms appear?
Early symptoms may develop a week to a month after the tick bite. Does past infection with Lyme disease make a person immune? Information available at present indicates that re-infection is possible.
What is the treatment for Lyme disease?
Current therapy includes the use of such antibiotics as amoxicillin, doxycycline and ceftriaxone. Duration of therapy varies, usually 2-4 weeks. Prognosis is improved with prompt diagnosis and appropriate, early treatment.
What can be done to prevent Lyme disease?
When in tick-infested habitat special precautions to prevent tick bites should be taken, such as wearing light-colored clothing (for easy tick discovery) and tucking pants into socks and shirt into pants. Consider the use of repellents. Check after every two to three hours of outdoor activity for ticks on clothing or skin. Brush off any ticks on clothing before skin attachment occurs. A thorough check of body surfaces for attached ticks should be done at the end of the day. If removal of attached ticks occurs within 36 hours, the risk of tickborne infection is minimal. A Lyme disease vaccine, currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in persons between 15 and 70 years old, is available. Since it is not 100% effective in preventing Lyme disease and offers no protection against other tickborne diseases, it is important to continue other prevention measures. Contact your health care provider for additional information about the vaccine.