By, Cheryl Poleschuk and Linda Hansen Lyme Disease By, Cheryl Poleschuk and Linda Hansen

What is Lyme Disease? An acute inflammatory disease characterized by a rash with joint swelling and fever Caused by the bacterium Borrelia Burgdorferi, which is carried by the tick Ixodes Scapularis Named after the town Old Lyme, Connecticut where an epidemic of arthritis occurred in the ‘70s Leading arthropod-born disease in the US Zoonotic Infection

Ixodes Scapularis Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Archanida Order: Ixodida Family: Ixodidae Genus:Ixodes Species: Scapularis

Ixodes Scapularis Vector for Lyme disease Common name: black-legged tick or deer tick Found in Eastern and North-Central US Feeds on wide variety of hosts including humans Have 3 hosts in their lifetime- one for each life stage Transmits other diseases Babesiosis Anaplasmosis Between 25-50% of deer ticks are infected with B. Burgdorferi in North eastern US

Morphology Hard-bodied ticks Adult and nymph stages have 8 legs Larva has 6 legs Anal groove is anterior to the anus Flattened dorsoventrally in the unfed state Cuticle grows to accommodate the blood meal Marked sexual dimorphism in size and often in color Females are larger and have larger mouth parts than males

Life Cycle http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/parasit06/life%20cycles/tick_site/animlife.htm

Symptoms First sign of infection is a circular rash called erythema migrans 70-80% get the rash Gradually expands Bull’s eye like appearance Flu-like symptoms = fatigue, chills, fever, headaches Migratory joint pain Swollen lymph nodes

Symptoms cont. If left untreated infection can spread to other parts of the body within a few days to weeks Loss of muscle tone on one or both sides of the face = Bell’s Palsy Severe headaches and neck stiffness due to meningitis Shooting pains Heart palpitations and dizziness Joint pain

Symptoms cont. After several months… About 60% with untreated infection begin to have intermittent bouts of arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling; especially in the knees 5% may develop chronic neurological complaints Shooting pains, numbness or tingling in hands and/or feet Problems with concentration and short term memory

Symptoms cont. A small percentage of treated people continue to have symptoms that last for months after treatment Muscle and joint pain, arthritis, cognitive defects, sleep disturbances, or fatigue Cause unknown Some evidence states that these symptoms result from the autoimmune response The immune system continues to respond after infection has been cleared

Diagnosis Characteristic rash History Lab tests ELISA If ELISA is positive, Western blot is used to confirm the diagnosis

Treatment Antibiotics Doxycycline for adults Amoxicillin or Cefuroxime axetil for children or pregnant mothers

Control Avoid woody, bushy areas with lots of grass Use 20-30% DEET insect repellent and/or Permithin Tick Check! Cover your skin

References CDC.gov/lymedisease Roberts, Larry S. "Foundations of Parasitology." New York: The McGraw-Hill Company, 2009. Mayoclinic.com/lymedisease http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/projects/parasit06/life%20cycles/tick_site/animlife.htm