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Soon people in the northern hemisphere will be determining where to go on their vacations. Many people like to get outdoors and see the wondrous sites and sounds of nature. Hiking and camping can be a great family trip. Unfortunately, Lyme disease has taken some of the fun out of the camping experience.
Lyme disease is an infection caused by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi. The bacteria was named after its discoverer, Dr. Willy Burgdorfer. This bacteria is transmitted to humans by a tick bite and often a person does not realize he or she has been bitten. Ticks love wooded areas and "tick season" starts in April and ends in October. The disease is most common in Europe and the United States. This is because of the large white-tailed deer populations in these places. In the United States, most cases of Lyme disease are acquired in the Northeast, Pacific Northwest, and the Great Lakes regions. However, cases of the disease have been reported in every state. There are at least four kinds of ticks in the United States that can transmit Lyme disease to humans (Ixodes scapularis (deer tick), Ixodes dammini (deer tick), Amblyomme americanum (Lone Star tick), and Ixodes pacificus). Unfortunately, Lyme disease is a very difficult disease to diagnose because it can look like a number of other diseases. The characteristic "bullseye" lesion is not observed in at least 50% of the patients. The classic "bullseye" lesion is a red round rash in which the center is much less red (a central clear region). The rash can appear several days after a bite from a Lyme disease-infected tick and can last from a few hours to several weeks. Unfortunately, the rash can mimic other skin problems like hives, eczema, sunburn, poison ivy, flea bites, and can disappear and reappear several weeks later. The rash will look more like a bruise in people with dark skin. Other symptoms include aches and pains in the muscles and joints, low-grade fever, and fatigue. These symptoms can occur several days or weeks after a bite from an infected tick. This bacteria can infect many different parts of the human body and a large number of other symptoms can be seen. These other symptoms listed below can occur in any combination. A patient with Lyme disease may have several of these symptoms or only one of them. This disease seems to affect each person in a different way. Other symptoms include:
The copyright of the article Lyme Disease: Ticks, deer, and human disease. in Microbiology is owned by Neal Rolfe Chamberlain. Permission to republish Lyme Disease: Ticks, deer, and human disease. in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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