Lyme Disease or Lyme borreliosis Cure : is the most common vector-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere. It is also considered one of the fast growing infectious diseases in the US. Casued by infection with the spirochetal bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, Lyme disease is primarily transmitted to humans as well as dogs, horses and other domesticated animals by the bite of infected ticks.
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Lyme disease season has arrived particularly in the northeast United States. Lyme disease is reported more often than HIV or tuberculosis. The incidence may be even higher than reported; some people do not get a clinical case of Lyme but carry antibodies in low levels, meaning they have been infected at one time. Lyme disease is named for the town of Lyme, Conn., where a cluster of cases in the 1970s was linked to tick bites. It is believed Lyme disease was introduced into the United States by a herd of deer brought from Europe in the early 20th century.

Lyme disease is only carried by the Ixodes or deer tick. When tick eggs hatch, the newborn tick is called a larva. It looks like a tick but is only the size of a period on this screen. The larva stays on the ground until it can attach to a passing bird or mammal, typically a mouse, from which it feeds. Larvae are not infected with Lyme at birth but may contract it from this feeding if the animal is infected. Since ticks do not pass on Lyme until they feed and because larvae do not feed again, they are not a threat to people.

Tick larvae or nymphs live and grow in the ground until the following spring when the temperature rises above 40 degrees. About 25 percent of nymphs carry Lyme organisms. During peak times from May to July, nymph ticks climb onto grasses then attach to a passing animal, such as, a deer, bird, dog or human which brushes against it. Ticks do not jump or fly to hosts. The nymph, about the size of a sesame seed, might take 24 hours to look for a place on its host to attach and feed. After the tick bites and attaches itself with an adhesive secretion, it feeds for up to three days. The Lyme disease organisms can only be passed toward the end of the feeding. Nymphs are often unnoticed until after feeding when they are swollen with blood. If not removed, they fall to the ground and grow into adults.

Adult ticks climb tall grasses and shrubs to continue to look for other hosts on which to feed until winter. They resume the following spring when they mate and die. About 50 percent of adult deer ticks carry Lyme which they contract from one of their feeding sources, but they are not usually responsible for transmitting it to humans since they are large enough for people to see and feel on their skin.

The risk of tick bites can be reduced by understanding where they are most active. Dense, mature woods with thick underbrush and small trees are the most likely place to find them. Well-mowed lawns discourage ticks because lack of vegetation makes it too hot and dry. Birdbaths, woodpiles, brush piles, stone fences, tree houses and swing sets and woods surrounding a yard are high-risk places for ticks. In addition, pets coming indoors from these areas may carry ticks into the house.

When one is in a high-risk area, wearing light-colored clothing makes the dark ticks easier to see. Tuck long pants legs into socks and use a tick repellant containing DEET or permethrin to reduce the chance of picking up a tick. A veterinarian can help with an appropriate tick treatment for pets.

After exposure to potentially tick-infested areas, remove all clothing and closely inspect the entire body for ticks. Crawling ticks are no threat and can be removed easily. If the tick is attached, grasp it with fine tweezers close to its head and gently pull. The adhesive will look like skin as it pulls away, but it might take a few seconds for the tick to release its bite. Do not try to burn the tick or apply Vaseline or other chemicals, simply pull it off slowly. Wash the area with soap and water. If the tick is flat, it did not feed and did not spread Lyme disease. If it is swollen, it may have transmitted disease. Seek medical care within a day or two and if possible, take the tick along in a secure container or plastic bag. If bitten by an engorged Ixodes tick, patients can be given a single 200 mg dose of Doxycycline, which can reduce the risk of contracting Lyme disease.

Too often, symptoms begin without people noticing a tick bite. Most of the time a red ring develops within weeks of the bite, but it may be in an area that is not easily seen. If untreated, in the next few weeks, it develops into a flu-like illness without sore throat or respiratory symptoms, but since the flu does not occur in the warm weather, medical evaluation should be obtained. Most cases of Lyme disease are treated easily with antibiotics.

Untreated, Lyme disease can cause damage to the nervous system, heart and joints. There is a blood test for exposure to Lyme, but it takes a few weeks after infection to become positive and is best used to confirm suspected cases.