Lyme Disease Clarification

The following was posted to the Tracker School Standard Class online group in July 2002...

I have to help clarify some things that people are confused about regarding Lyme Disease.  Please trust me, I'm a medical entomologist.  Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection that is transmitted only by ticks. The deer tick is the primary vector of Lyme Disease. Other ticks such as the Lone Star tick can transmit the bacteria as well.  Lone Star ticks and other ticks are infected less often.  There is no evidence that mosquitoes transmit the disease.  Mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting other diseases like West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis in NJ. 

If you get infected with Lyme Disease you have about a 50/50 chance of getting the bull's eye.  I forget the exact percentage.  If you get the bull's eye it may also look like a big red rash.  The rash may develop several weeks after the bite.  You may or may not have other symptoms.  Other initial symptoms associated with an infection include: back ache, other muscle aches, high fever, headache, and malaise.  You can get symptoms and not the rash or the rash and no symptoms. 

The bull's eye is caused by the bacteria not the tick bite.  If you get any rash associated with a tick bite go see your doctor.  Don't wait until the rash goes away.  Someone mentioned that it can be difficult to get good test results and that's true. This is because there are so many false negatives.  If you get the rash they will most likely put you on antibiotics right away because it may take you six weeks to develop detectable antibodies to Lyme Disease.  If the doctors don't see the rash they may not give you the antibiotics and may make you wait for test results. This is the unfortunate result of everyone thinking they have Lyme Disease for any symptom they may (or may not) have after being outdoors. 

Hope this helps.

Ellen