Megan Shannon
Jamie Kellenbach
Ashley Mackoul
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease, sometimes referred to as Lyme infection, is a bacterial illness, transmitted to humans by the bite of deer ticks (Ixodes ticks) carrying a bacterium known as Borrelia burgdorferi. It is an acute inflammatory disease characterized by a rash with joint swelling and fever (“Basic Information”). Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully within a few weeks of antibiotics. The disease was first heard about in 1975, when a group of children in Connecticut reported to have juvenile arthritis symptoms. An unexpected number of residents in Lyme, Connecticut, were found to have a "new" and unusual illness (Yannielli).Various other occasions had the same outbreaks. It was not until 1981 when a tick was found containing the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. In 1982 the Center for Disease Control officially recognized this as Lyme disease (Yannielli).It is most prevalent in the northeastern states of the United States, with about half of all cases clustered in New York and Connecticut.Symptoms include a rash referred to as the bulls-eye rash, fever, chills, headache, fatigue, and muscle and joint swelling (Centers for). If left untreated for weeks symptoms can become worse and a person infected can develop chronic arthritis, it spreads to the nervous system, and major fatigue (Centers for). Borrelia burgdorferi is a Spriral or corkscrew shape known as spirochete. It is one of the longest spirochete, 20-30 micrometers, but also one of the narrowest spirochete, .2 to .3 micrometers wide. The cell envelope contains both outer and inner membrane composed of lipids and proteins(Yannielli).The Borrelia burgdorferi have a complex life cycle. Part of their life is in the deer tick and part is in some mammals such as mice, raccoon, and deer. Humans are not a part of the bacterium's life cycle but can become infected when bitten by the tick.Wildlife such as the raccoon and mice are known as reservoir hosts. The reservoir host is the place where the bacteria live and reproduce ("Read What”). Borrelia burgdorferi is a bacterium that can be damaging to humans if left untreated.
Some treatments for Lyme disease are different tests and there used to be a vaccine, but unfortunately it was taken off of the shelves in the fall of 2002. The vaccine was only on the shelves for three years (Yannielli).The vaccine Lymerix began to cause arthritis-like symptoms. Some antibiotics that can make the disease easier to control are tetracycline, doxycycline, phenoxymethyl penicillin, amoxicillin and azithromyan(Yannielli).The only way to contract Lyme disease is to be bite by a deer tick but the tick must contain the virus. There are deer ticks that do not carry the virus (Yannielli). Anyone can be prone to getting the disease. The highest areas of risk in the Untied States are Massachusetts, Connecticut, NJ, NY, Penn. & parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. The areas of the lowest risk are the Great Plains and Rocky mountain States(Yannielli).
Lyme disease can in fact become eradicated by reducing the deer population. Deer ticks depend on white-tailed deer for reproduction purposes (“Lyme Disease”). With less deer in the United States, the less cases of Lyme disease. Livestock chemicals can diminish exposure of the deer ticks to humans (“Lyme Disease”). LYMErix, the vaccination used to prevent Lyme disease, was taken off the market in 2002 (“Lyme Disease”). If this vaccination was to be put back onto the market in the United States, this could help eliminate Lyme disease. Cape Cod, Connecticut ended the Lyme disease epidemic approximately twenty years ago and is now known as a “Lyme disease free zone” (Savery). This sickness is the fastest growing infectious disease in the United States. “…the ratio of Lyme disease infection is 7.9 cases for every 100,000 persons” (“Lyme Disease”). Lyme disease could become worse if the people of the United States do not do anything about it. The Connecticut Coalition to Eradicate Lyme Disease is an all-volunteer statewide association to help end this epidemic (Savery). So far, Lyme disease cannot be transformed into something useful. Scientists are busy finding treatments to this disease, let alone discovering if it can be used as something else.
Work Cited
"Basic Information about Lyme Disease."Basic Information about Lyme Disease. Web. 06 June 2012. <
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 05 Apr. 2012. Web. 05 June 2012. <
"Lyme Disease."Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 5 June
2012. Web. 6 Jun 2012. <
"Read What Your Physician Is Reading on Medscape."EMedicineHealth.Web. 05 June 2012. <
Savery, Terence. "A strategy to eliminate Lyme disease."CCELD.Web. 6 Jun. 2012.
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Yannielli, Len, and I. Edward. Alcamo.Lyme Disease. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2004. Print.