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Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease
Tick Facts
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Tick movement
Ticks do not jump, fly or fall out of trees. -
How ticks feed
Ticks crawl up and prefer to feed in areas where the skin is thin (neck, ears, head region) and it’s easier to access blood. This makes it particularly dangerous for small children, who, because of their height, are closer to the ground and more prone to being bitten in that region. -
Temperatures
Ticks remain active in temperatures near or above freezing. -
Can you feel a tick bite?
You typically cannot feel a tick bite. -
Not all ticks carry diseases.
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Multiple diseases
Infected ticks can transmit multiple diseases with the same bite. -
Lyme disease transmission
You can only become infected with Lyme disease through the bite of a blacklegged or deer tick. -
Tick attatchment
Ticks only need to be attached for several hours in order to transmit a disease. However, the risk becomes greater the longer the tick is attached and feeding. -
Engorged ticks
Ticks do not need to be engorged in order to have transmitted a disease. -
Ticks and pets
Ticks crawling on a pet’s fur can be brought into the home and attach to a human. -
Embedded ticks
Ticks do not become embedded under the skin. The mouthpart only pierces the skin. -
Where do ticks hide?
Ticks like to hide in warm, hidden areas of the body (behind the knees, belly button, groin, under arms, behind the ears, neck and head region). -
Ticks and rashes
Tick bites don’t always leave a rash. Less than 50% of patients ever report seeing the classic EM rash. -
Different types of rashes
Different types of rashes can appear. Multiple rashes can occur. A rash does not always appear at the site of the tick bite. -
Killing a tick
Water (such as a shower or washer) will not kill a tick.
About Ticks
References
- Dumler JS, Madigan JE, Pusterla N, Bakken JS. Ehrlichioses in humans: epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment. Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 45 Suppl 1, S45-51 (2007).
- Falco RC, Fish D. Prevalence of Ixodes dammini near the homes of Lyme disease patient in Westchester County, New York. Am J Epidemiol, 127(4), 826-830 (1988).
- Shih CM, Spielman A. Accelerated transmission of Lyme disease spirochetes by partially fed vector ticks. J Clin Microbiol, 31(11), 2878-2881 (1993).
- Hynote ED, Mervine PC, Stricker RB. Clinical evidence for rapid transmission of Lyme disease following a tickbite. Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease, (2011).
- Benach JL, Coleman JL, Skinner RA, Bosler EM. Adult Ixodes dammini on rabbits: a hypothesis for the development and transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi. J Infect Dis, 155(6), 1300-1306 (1987).
- Ribeiro JM, Mather TN, Piesman J, Spielman A. Dissemination and salivary delivery of Lyme disease spirochetes in vector ticks (Acari: Ixodidae). J Med Entomol, 24(2), 201-205 (1987).
- Zung JL, Lewengrub S, Rudzinska MA, Spielman A, Telford SR, Piesman J. Fine structural evidence for the penetration of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi through the gut and salivary tissues of Ixodes dammini. Can J Zool 1989;67:1737–48 doi: 10.1139/z89-249.
- Lima CM, Zeidner NS, Beard CB et al. Differential infectivity of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi derived from Ixodes scapularis salivary glands and midgut. J Med Entomol, 42(3), 506-510 (2005).
- Piesman J. Dispersal of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi to salivary glands of feeding nymphal Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae). J Med Entomol, 32(4), 519-521 (1995).
- Piesman J, Schneider BS, Zeidner NS. Use of quantitative PCR to measure density of Borrelia burgdorferi in the midgut and salivary glands of feeding tick vectors. J Clin Microbiol, 39(11), 4145-4148 (2001).
- Logigian EL, Kaplan RF, Steere AC. Chronic neurologic manifestations of Lyme disease. N Engl J Med, 323(21), 1438-1444 (1990).
- Bacon RM, Kugeler KJ, Mead PS. Surveillance for Lyme disease ─ United States, 1992-2006. MMWR Surveill Summ, 57(10), 1-9 (2008).
- Ogden NH, Lindsay LR, Hanincova K et al. Role of migratory birds in introduction and range expansion of Ixodes scapularis ticks and of Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Canada. Appl Environ Microbiol, 74(6), 1780-1790 (2008).
- Masters EJ, Grigery CN, Masters RW. STARI, or Masters disease: Lone Star tick-vectored Lyme-like illness. Infectious disease clinics of North America, 22(2), 361-376, viii (2008).
- Murdock JH, Yabsley MJ, Little SE et al. Distribution of antibodies reactive to Borrelia lonestari and Borrelia burgdorferi in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations in the eastern United States. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis, 9(6), 729-736 (2009).
- Diaz JH. Endemic tickborne infectious diseases in Louisiana and the Gulf South. J La State Med Soc, 161(6), 325-326, 328, 330-321 passim (2009).
- Krupp LB, Hyman LG, Grimson R et al. Study and treatment of post Lyme disease (STOP-LD): a randomized double masked clinical trial. Neurology, 60(12), 1923-1930 (2003).
More About Lyme Disease
What Is Lyme Disease?
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection typically transmitted through the bite of an infected tick. It is one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the country, and the steadily increasing number of cases has led many in the medical/scientific community and legislative arena to deem the disease a “public health crisis” and “epidemic”.
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Lyme Disease Symptoms
Lyme disease has been associated with numerous neurologic, rheumatologic and psychiatric manifestations. However, the full range of symptoms needed to recognize the disease may not be apparent to a physician during a routine examination.
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Misdiagnosing Lyme disease
Lyme disease and syphilis have both been coined “the great imitator.” Lyme disease symptoms may be similar to other medical conditions, making diagnosing a challenge. The Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) spirochete is an evasive organism which can penetrate virtually any organ or system in the body.
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