Lyme, co-infections and other emerging diseases
Increasing international travel and the planet’s changing climate along with other factors have led to a rapidly increasing spread of vector-borne illness from ticks and mosquitoes that range from mildly annoying to grave and life-threatening even including death. Some of these diseases have been found to cause life-long complications, be sexually transmitted and/or cross the placenta into unborn children.
Lyme, other tick infections, West Nile, zika, dengue, maleria and chikungunya are just a few in the news lately. Symptoms of these diseases often are overlapping and we are sure to see more emerging in the coming years. Here is an interesting Washington Post article called "The Invisible Threat" on the spreading threat of Lyme and other emerging diseases across the United States.
Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is caused Borrelia burgdorferi, spiral-shaped bacteria. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks called Ixodes scapularis. It is the most common tick-borne infectious disease in the US and has reached epidemic levels with 300,000 new cases reported each year according to the CDC's strict standards which do not include many cases.
Testing for Lyme disease is extremely inaccurate as well meaning many do not even show up as positive until after they are treated with antibiotics. The spiral shape of Lyme disease is similar to syphilis and both diseases are called "great imitators" because the symptoms of each mimic a wide variety of diseases. Unfortunately a tick with Lyme also often has other disease causing critters that need to be identified and treated. Learn about your child's Lyme test here: Lyme Disease Testing and Diagnosis.
Here are the common tick co-infections that often hitch a ride in the same tick as Lyme. There are many strains still being discovered.
Additional information including a useful graph can be found on the LymeDisease.org website.
There are other diseases that vary by geography including but not limited to:
Lyme, other tick infections, West Nile, zika, dengue, maleria and chikungunya are just a few in the news lately. Symptoms of these diseases often are overlapping and we are sure to see more emerging in the coming years. Here is an interesting Washington Post article called "The Invisible Threat" on the spreading threat of Lyme and other emerging diseases across the United States.
Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is caused Borrelia burgdorferi, spiral-shaped bacteria. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks called Ixodes scapularis. It is the most common tick-borne infectious disease in the US and has reached epidemic levels with 300,000 new cases reported each year according to the CDC's strict standards which do not include many cases.
Testing for Lyme disease is extremely inaccurate as well meaning many do not even show up as positive until after they are treated with antibiotics. The spiral shape of Lyme disease is similar to syphilis and both diseases are called "great imitators" because the symptoms of each mimic a wide variety of diseases. Unfortunately a tick with Lyme also often has other disease causing critters that need to be identified and treated. Learn about your child's Lyme test here: Lyme Disease Testing and Diagnosis.
Here are the common tick co-infections that often hitch a ride in the same tick as Lyme. There are many strains still being discovered.
- Babesia, most common co-infection, maleria-like fevers, protoplasm infects red blood cells, treated with anti-malerials
- Bartonella, second most common co-infection, known as "cat scratch fever" for red marks left behind, treated with antibiotics
- Ehrlichia/Anaplasma, bacterial diseases that can be mild or life-threatening, treated with antibiotics
- Mycoplasmas, stealthy parasite without a cell wall, smallest of all bacterias
Additional information including a useful graph can be found on the LymeDisease.org website.
There are other diseases that vary by geography including but not limited to:
- Colorado tick fever virus
- Powassan encephalitis virus
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- tickborne relapsing fever
- other forms of Borrelia, including miyamotoi
