Wanted
Borrelia Burgdorferi
Borrelia Burgdorferi
This bacteria was discovered by Willy Burgodofer, who found these spirochetes belonging to the genus Borrelia in the mid-guts of black-legged ticks.
Can be found Hiding Out in Ticks
Reducing exposure to ticks is the best defense against Lyme disease. There are several steps you and your family can take to prevent and control Lyme disease:
- Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
- Walk in the center of trails.
- Repel ticks with chemical repellents DEET or Permethrin on skin and/or clothing
- Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors (preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that are crawling on you.
- Conduct a full-body tick check upon return from tick-infested areas.
- Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine pets, coats, and day packs.
- Tumble clothes in a dryer on high heat for an hour to kill remaining ticks.
Watch OUT For:
A tick bite and these symptoms.
Early signs and symptoms
These signs and symptoms may occur within a month after you've been infected:
- Rash. A small, red bump may appear at the site of the tick bite that expands forming a rash in a bull's-eye pattern, with a red outer ring surrounding a clear area.
- Flu-like symptoms. Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.
Later signs and symptoms
In some people, the rash may spread to other parts of the body and, several weeks to months after you've been infected, you may experience:
- Joint pain. You may develop bouts of severe joint pain and swelling. Your knees are especially likely to be affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.
- Neurological problems. Weeks, months or even years after you were infected, you may experience inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell's palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and impaired muscle movement.
Less common signs and symptoms
Several weeks after infection, some people develop:
- Heart problems, such as an irregular heartbeat.
- Eye inflammation.
- Liver inflammation (hepatitis).
- Severe fatigue.
Consider Borrelia Burgdorferi Dangerous
Lyme disease has surpassed AIDS as one of the fastest growing infectious epidemics in our nation.
Sources for Information
Works Cited
"Lyme Disease." Lyme Disease. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Center for Disease Control. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. <http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/>. Mayo Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ lyme-disease/basics/definition/con-20019701>.