Lyme Disease Facts:
Lyme disease was first identified as a human infection in the mid-1970s in the town of Lyme, Conn., hence the name. It is the most common tick-borne illness in the United States, with 10,000 to 15,000 new cases reported each year through 1998. Caused by:
The bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi Carried by:
The black-legged or shoulder tick Ixodes scapularis
The California black-legged tick Ixodes pacificus Symptoms:
Early symptoms:
Appearing within five to 30 days of a tick bite: | | Later symptoms:
Appearing months or years after the initial infection: | - A large bull's-eye or other round spreading rash that appears a few days to several weeks after a tick bite (in 60 percent to 80 percent of cases)
- Fatigue
- Fever and chills
- Muscle or joint pain
| | - Arthritis, with pain and swelling, especially in one knee
- Nervous system abnormalities, including numbness, pain, Bell's palsy (a one-sided facial paralysis) and meningitis
- Irregularities of heart rhythm
| Treatment:
Oral antibiotics, typically amoxicillin or doxycycline Immunization:
Vaccination against Lyme disease requires three injections over one year and is 70 percent to 80 percent effective. Warning:
Although 90 percent of cases are mild and caught early, the disease can sometimes go undetected and untreated for months or years resulting in more serious illness.
Last updated March 21, 2001
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