Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is an infection caused by a kind of bacterium (germ) called a spirochete (say: "spy-ro-keet"). The disease is carried by deer ticks (found in the northeastern and north-central United States) and western black-legged ticks (found mostly on the Pacific Coast). These ticks can spread the disease to animals and humans through tick bites. These ticks are typically about the size of a sesame seed.

Symptoms of Lyme disease
One sign of Lyme disease is a rash, which may appear 3 to 30 days after the tick bite. This rash usually starts at the site of the tick bite. It may begin as a small red spot and grow larger.
Other symptoms of Lyme disease in its early stage include fever, chills, headaches, stiff neck, fatigue and muscle aches. Rarely, early-stage Lyme disease can spread to the heart or the nervous system. If Lyme disease spreads to the heart, the person may feel an irregular or slow heartbeat.

• Fatigue




• chills




• fever




• headache




• muscle and joint pain




• Swollen lymph nodes.




• central and peripheral nervous system disorders




• multiple skin rashes




• arthritis and arthritic symptoms

Causes of Lyme disease

Lyme disease is a bacterial illness caused by a bacterium called a "spirochete." In the United States, the actual name of the bacterium is Borrelia burgdorferi. In Europe, another bacterium, Borrelia afzelii, also causes Lyme disease. Certain ticks found on deer harbor the bacterium in their stomachs. Lyme disease is spread by these ticks when they bite the skin, which permits the bacterium to infect the body.

Lyme disease is passed to humans through the bite of certain types of ticks that are infected with a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. Ticks are about the size of a sesame seed (3 mm to 5 mm in length), red and brown in colour, and feed on blood. In Canada, there are 2 major species of ticks that are known to transmit Lyme disease:

• the deer tick (blacklegged tick), which has been found to be established in parts of southern and eastern Ontario as well as southeastern Manitoba and Nova Scotia, and has been taken off humans and pets in other areas where the tick is not currently known to be established

Treatment

Although Lyme disease can have serious symptoms, several antibiotics are available to treat the illness. Lyme disease is more effectively treated if diagnosed early in the course of illness. Most cases of Lyme disease can be cured with a 2-4 weeks of treatment with doxycycline, amoxicillin, or ceftriaxone. Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics. Early-stage Lyme disease responds very well to treatment. In most cases, 14 to 30 days of treatment with an antibiotic kills the bacteria. Your doctor will tell you how many days to take the antibiotic. It's important for you to take all the medicine your doctor prescribes to prevent the spread of Lyme disease to your joints, nervous system or heart.