Lyme+Disease

Lyme disease, otherwise known as Lyme borreliosis, is an infection caused by a bacterium called '//Borrelia burgdorferi'.// //No, not// //disease, LYME disease.// //Borrelia burgdorferi// is a species of __bacteria__ that belongs to the class Spirochete and genus Borrelia. The bacteria are **long, slender, and are tightly coiled.** __Endoflagellas__ run along the outside of the protoplasm to __enable them to move in a //corkscrew fashion//__. They are about **0.2 to 0.3 micrometres in width and about 20 micrometres in length**. Therefore, they cannot be seen with an average microscope, but a dark-field microscopy is needed in order to see them. A dark-field microscope lights the object not from the bottom, but from an angle. This bacterium has an outer membrane, an inner membrane, and also __a layer consisting of //peptidoglycan//__, giving it a characteristic of a Gram-negative bacteria, even though it is neither Gram-negative nor Gram-positive.

Image from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002296/ .

There are __three stages__ to this disease. First sign of infection, which occurs to 70-80% of the infected people, is a circular rash called Erythema migrans (EM). This rash starts three days to a month after the tick bite, at the site of the bite. During //the first stage// of the disease, one might feel fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, and swollen nodes. The infection has not spread widely throughout the body and is //localized//. Although **the rash goes away in about four weeks even without the treatment**, __the infection keeps spreading throughout the body__.

Image above from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002296/

//The second stage// of the disease is more serious. Weeks, or even months after the tick bite, one would experiences some of the symptoms like central and peripheral (nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord) nervous system, meningitis, shooting pains, multiple skin rashes, arthritis, heart palpitations, and extreme fatigue and general weakness. This is due to the bacteria spreading out through the body.

Although Lyme disease is very rarely fatal, if the disease remains untreated, it will last for months to years as one suffers through symptoms like recurring arthritis, speech impairment, and neurological problems during //the third stage// of the disease.

These problems may be due to the **neurotoxins**, released by the bacteria, that circulate in the blood stream of the infected person, while damaging nerve tissues and other weakened tissues. __As the disease attacks different types of tissues, people can experience different symptoms from one another__. For example, Lyme disease can cause a partial facial paralysis, commonly known as Bell's Palsy <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">. It occurs when the **bacteria attack, and damage or kill the facial nerve cells**. As the bacteria travel in blood streams, they affect many different cells as well, resulting different symptoms. A different example would be meningitis caused due to the inflammation in spinal cord, that has been caused by the infection. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The bacteria affect people by releasing toxins as well as damaging cells.

Image from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001777/

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Even after being treated for the disease, 10-20% of people who have been infected with the disease can __experience lasting symptoms__, such as fatigue, muscle and joint pain, and cognitive defect (ex. problems with short-term memory). This is referred to as //**Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome**// (PTLDS).

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #32c832; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">[|Click to learn about these symptoms in more detail.]

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">For Lyme disease, the sooner the treatment, the better. //In most cases//, the disease **can be cured within 2-4 weeks of using <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">antibiotics **, such as Doxycycline, Amoxicillin, and Ceftriaxone. //If one has heart problems, or neurological problems,// Penicillin or Ceftrixone could be needed. Once the disease has reached its late stage, a longer treatment would be required.

[|Click to watch a video summarizing how people get Lyme disease.] Image from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002296/

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">A few types of ticks are known to be the vectors (agents which carry and transmit a disease to other organisms) of the Lyme disease. __**The deer ticks, or the blacklegged ticks**, are the main species that helps the bacteria infect humans with Lyme disease.__ The bacteria are found in the ticks' stomachs and when the ticks bite humans the disease is transmitted and an infection will occur. The ticks get the bacteria from when they feed on the blood of other animals that are carrying the bacteria. The ticks do not bite untill after 24-36 hours of being attatched to an animal. As the ticks bite and suck the blood, they become engorged, and if one finds such tick on the skin, the person should go see a doctor and be blood-tested to see if he or she is infected. **Once a tick has bitten into one's skin, the bacteria infect cells, and eventually go into the blood stream and multiply.** <span style="color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px;">It is most common for humans to get infected with this disease by __immature ticks, called //nymphs//,__ because they are hard to be seen and because they feed on during spring time and summer time, when people expose their bare skins. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">The disease is spread by the ticks only, it is not contagious directly from a person to person. Image above from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002296/



<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">In addition, even though cats and dogs sometimes carry Lyme disease, they don't directly transmit it to their owners. Also, an infection during pregnancy can lead to placenta infection, or a stillborn if left untreated. However, if the parent is treated with antibiotics, there is no harm to the fetus.





There are some ways people can follow to prevent themselves from getting Lyme disease. //These methods are://  - **Avoid any tick-infested area**, especially the blacklegged ticks, by asking the local health office of an area. - **Wear protective clothing** that covers bare skins, such as closed shoes, and long-sleeved shirts. - **Use insect repellents that contain DEET**, on exposed skin and/or cloths. - After being in a tick-infested site, **check for ticks on clothing, on skin, and on pets.**  - **Remove ticks** from body when they are found. - **Wash or clean the tick-bitten area** with soap and water, or with alcohol or antiseptic to **disinfect.**  - Contact a doctor if symptoms show up. - You **used to be able to get vaccinated,** but due to the lack of consumer demand, the manufacturer of the Lyme disease vaccine stopped the production. Even though you got vaccinated before the vaccine discontinued, the protection is now diminished. -> There are 2 vaccines that are proven to help prevent the Lyme disease. They are known as "LYMErix" and "ImuLyme." -> These vaccines induce protective antibodies against the bacteria. [|Click to find out how to properly remove a tick] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.medicinenet.com/ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/   http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.eumm.edu/  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.web.mst.edu/  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.tiredoflyme.com/  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> http://web.uconn.edu/  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #7304c8; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">http://www.lyme-symptoms.com/