What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease (LD) is an infectious disease that can begin with a characteristic rash, and later damage the joints, nervous system and/or heart. It is caused by a spiral-shaped bacterium (spirochete) called
Borrelia burgdorferi which is transmitted to humans or domestic animals by the bite of an infected tick. Lyme disease can be debilitating, but is rarely fatal.
How does a person get Lyme disease?
You can get LD if you are bitten by a tick that is infected with
Borrelia burgdorferi. Bacteria in the tick’s saliva are transferred to you while the tick is feeding. An infected tick must be attached to you for at least several hours (usually 48-72) to transmit diseases, so prompt tick removal lessens your chance of getting sick. However, not all ticks are infected, so a tick bite does not always mean you have been infected. Ticks must feed to transmit diseases and you cannot get LD from a tick crawling on your skin, or through person-to-person contact.
What are the ticks and where are they found?
Ticks are small arachnids and are relatives of spiders and insects. They must feed on the blood of animals in order to grow and reproduce. In the U.S., LD is transmitted byIxodes scapularis (blacklegged tick or “deer tick”) in the East and Midwest, and by
Ixodes pacificus (western blacklegged tick) in the Western U.S.
Ixodes ricinus (sheep tick) transmits LD in Europe, while
Ixodes persulcatus (taiga tick) is responsible for transmission in Asia. Ticks do not fly or jump. Ticks climb to the top of grass blades, shrubs, or weeds and wait quietly with their front legs extended to grab onto a passing animal or human. Ticks are most common in wooded, brushy areas, un-mown fields, and overgrown places. These are the areas where their animal hosts (such as mice and deer) live.
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Click on Lyme Disease Case Map to see most up to date data from CDC
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What are the symptoms of Lyme disease and how is it treated?
In about 70% of cases, the first symptom of LD is a skin rash called “erythema migrans" (EM) that occurs at the bite site 3 days to 1 month following tick bite (usually seven days). The tick itself may go undetected. The rash begins as a small, red spot, and gradually enlarges. Often the rash partially disappears in the center so that it resembles a bullseye. The rash may grow up to 12 inches in diameter. While the rash is red on light skin, it may look more like a bruise on dark-skinned individuals. Up to 30% of people with LD do not have the early skin rash. Other early common signs of LD include flu-like symptoms such as significant fatigue, headache, sore and aching muscles and joints, fever, sore throat, stiff neck, and swollen glands. If left untreated, these early symptoms of LD may disappear on their own over a period of weeks; however, this does not mean that the disease is gone, and serious complications may occur later. If promptly treated with appropriate antibiotics, the skin rash and flu-like symptoms go away within days, and complications can usually be prevented. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Seek medical attention if you experience these symptoms.
How can Lyme disease be prevented?
There is no vaccine to protect against LD. Therefore, you can help prevent LD and other tick-borne diseases by protecting yourself from ticks using the DoD Insect Repellent System when in tick habitat (tall grass, weeds, scrubby areas, woods and leaf litter). It incorporates permethrin repellent on the uniform; DEET, picaridin or IR3535® repellent on exposed skin; a properly worn uniform; and sleeping inside a permethrin-treated bed net. Routinely check your skin and clothing for ticks while you are outdoors in tick habitat and do a careful check of your whole body once you come indoors. The ticks can be very small. Look for new "freckles" or moving specks of dirt. Remove attached ticks as soon as you find them.
Select the image for more information on the DoD Insect Repellent System.
