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What Are The Odds

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It is possible to be bitten by a tick and not be infected with Lyme disease. The crucial factor is if you were bitten in an area that is documented to have many infected ticks. That is difficult information to find because ticks are not collected and tested in all areas they have been found in. Some county, state or city agencies don't do "tick drags" regularly and some don't do them at all. The surest way to determine if the tick is a carrier is to save it and have it tested by a lab that's equipped to test for Lyme disease.

All ticks carry a rickettsia bacterium called Wolbachia. No one has determined what role this plays in human or animal disease. Eventually research will have an answer, but at this point in time only the known can be diagnosed and treated.

Another factor for infection is how many tick bites you've had. The odds increase with each additional bite; however, the first bite could also be the infectious one. The symptoms will vary according to the strain in each tick. Two people can be bitten at the same time in the same location and each could have a different intensity of the disease.

The time it takes a tick to infect varies according to the type of tick and where that particular tick is holding the bacteria. Some are infected in the midgut and salivary glands and others are infected only in the midgut. This is relative to the amount of time it takes the tick to transfer the bacteria. That time factor varies from minutes to hours. The sooner the tick is removed, the less chance there is for infection.

Anther factor relative to being infected quickly is the state of your immune system. A compromised immune system means a rapid transmission and a severe infection. Some strains are so severe they can kill someone with a compromised immune system.

Decrease your odds of being infected by using a repellent and wearing the proper clothing when in areas where wild animals roam and treat family pets with a long lasting repellent available through veterinarians. Be aware, become knowledgeable, be safe.

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