Chief Complaint
J.R. is a 24 y/o male journalist living in upstate New York. He came to the clinic today complaining of flu-like symptoms with muscle achiness and joint pain that has progressively gotten worse over the past 10 days. J.R. also states that he has a difficult time gripping his pen when writing his column for Outdoor Life Magazine.
PMH: No hx of previous diseases. Pt recently diagnosed with mild HTN. Up to date with all immunizations, including a tetanus shot nearly 3 years ago.
Social HX: Single living alone. Spends many weekends camping in the mountains of upstate New York, brainstorming for his column.
Family History: HTN, Diabetes, Testicular Cancer,
ROS
• HEENT: o Complaints of a stiff neck
• Cardiac: o No feelings
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burgdorferi.
• Western Blot o Positive for antibodies to several proteins of B. burgdorferi.
Primary Diagnosis
Lyme Disease due to being infected with the spirochete Borrelia burgdorfer. Resulted from most likely being bitten by a tick while camping in the mountains of upstate New York; a common place for ticks to live.
Pathophysiology
Lyme disease is a zoonotic, vector-borne disease transmitted by the Ixodes tick. Ticks are blood-sucking arthropods that are found particularly in woods, fields, parks, and gardens. They attach to the human body and embed themselves in the skin to suck blood from the source of its host; most commonly deer and humans. They are found typically in the Northeastern region of the United States, and Northern Hemisphere world-wide in the summer season. Once
Lyme disease has emerged as the most common vector borne infectious disease in the United States and has presented a growing challenge to public health officials over the past three decades. The infection represents a significant disease burden to the population of the United States with nearly 30,000 new cases diagnosed per year and an estimated additional 270,000 annual incident cases that go unreported. The disease results from a bacterial infection with the spirochete bacteria B. burgdorferi. This bacterial agent is transmitted to humans from the bite of a tick and is most commonly associated Ixodes species blacklegged ticks. These ticks represent the largest genus of the family Ixodidae and mainly inhabit temperate forest or grassland
Lyme disease is an infection produced by bacteria called Borrelia Burgdorferi. This bacteria or germ is ordinarily found in shrews, deer, mice, and squirrels. Ixodes bugs, normally called deer ticks, often feed on the blood from an infected animal. When this happens, the tick then becomes a carrier of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease and can infect you with this germ through your skin. Infected deer ticks are normally found in the northeast and upper Midwest United States because of the climate and humidity levels, and become more active in the late spring and early summer months after the birth of new larvae. Lyme disease is known to cause a skin rash called erythema migrans and can leave you problems with your joints, brain, heart, and nerves. The
Lyme disease has been identified as an infection surrounded by complications, starting from its discovery to diagnosis. The Lyme infection was discovered first during the mid-1970, following the attribution of juvenile arthritis outbreak to this disease near Old Lyme, Connecticut. The naming of the disease was established in 1977, although the complications of the causative agent lasted an additional five years, after which medical scientists identified the deer tick midgut Borrelia burgdorferi spirochete as the supposed causative agent (Lyme Research Alliance, n.d.).
Lyme disease is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks of the Ixodes genus.[3] Usually, the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours before the bacteria can spread.[4] In North America, the only
Although most people don’t realize it, one of the world’s most debilitating diseases can often be found in their very own backyard. Lurking in the tall grass or dangling from the end of a branch, just waiting for you to walk by. Barley bigger than a poppy seed, they’re almost impossible to notice. But these tiny black-legged ticks are no joke and if you’ve been bitten, you’re at risk. These nasty little ticks pack a big punch, carrying a very serious life altering disease. This disease, which can change a life forever is known as Lyme disease.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by a spirochete, a corkscrew-shaped bacterium called Borrelia burgodorferi. Lyme disease is primarily transmitted through tick bites, there has been no reported cases of human to human transfer of Lyme disease. Ixodes ticks, also known as deer ticks are the typical carriers of the Lyme disease. The ticks can most primarily be found in wooded and grassy areas. Due to the fact these ticks are only the size of a poppy seed they usually go undetected when they bite. Once the tick is attached to the skin it can feed for several days; the longer the tick is attached the more likely Lyme disease will be transmitted. Lyme disease can affect any organ of the body including the brain, nervous system, muscles, joints, and even the heart. In some cases, if a pregnant woman develops Lyme disease it can pass on to the unborn child and in some cases stillbirth has occurred due to the disease.
A well-known disease in the United States is Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by deer ticks that are infected with the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. In the early 1970s a group of children and adults in Lyme, Connecticut, and the surrounding areas were suffering from some puzzling and debilitating health issues. Finally, by the mid-70s, researchers began describing the signs and symptoms of this new disease. They called it Lyme, but they still didn’t know what caused it (History of Lyme Disease | Bay Area Lyme Foundation. n.d.). In the 1980’s, it was discovered that the bacteria came from deer ticks. Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention estimate that 300,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease in
Typically caused by the bite of a tick in a grassy area, or perhaps lurking in a pet's fur, Lyme Disease is very difficult to deal with and recover from.
According to the CDC, “Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. Lyme
It is important to this course because it affects any organ of the body, including the brain and nervous system, muscles and joints, and the heart. Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Borrelia burgdorferi is a bacterial species of the spirochete class of the genus Borrelia. B. burgdorferi which resides mostly in North America and Europe and is the creator of Lyme disease. If the disease is left untreated an infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. The bacteria often is found in the skin, after the infected tick has been in place for 36 to 48 hours.
With the recent events involving climate change, environmental diseases such as lyme disease have spread to first world countries. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection of the Borrelia burgdorferi spread by infected ticks (CDC, 2015). The blacklegged tick spreads the disease in the northeastern, mid-Atlantic, and north-central America, while the western blacklegged tick spreads the disease along the west coast (CDC, 2015). Since many of the ticks that are potential carriers of lyme are active during the summer months, they are more commonly found in the United States of America. It is estimated the 300000 people in the United States are diagnosed with Lyme each year, compared to 50000 people diagnosed with HIV/AIDs (LymeDisease.org, 2015).
Lyme is a bacteria spread by Zoonosis which occurs when an infectious disease, being embedded in the gut of an animal such as a rodent or queer squirrel, germinates another vector to be spread to other hosts. The disease can then be transferred from that animal to a tick such as a Deer Tick(North America). This tick is known as a vector and searches for a new, larger host. This can range from a deer(most prominent scenario) to even humans. Ticks must take in blood to survive. Ticks lodge themselves into a host 's skin and feed on their blood. While this is taking place the Borreliosis bacteria get in through the bloodstream and can spread to joints, the brain and even the heart.(Portal.mah.harvard.edu)
Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted by Ixodes dammini, otherwise known as the deer tick3. B. burgdorferi lives in the midgut of the deer tick, and becomes active after a tick’s gut is filled with warm blood from a host. Ticks are only able to transmit B. burgdorferi after they have been attached and taken a “blood meal” from the host. B. burgdorferi passes from the mid gut to the salivary glands where it can exit in the tick’s saliva and into the host’s blood. According to an UpToDate article by Dr. Linden Hu, I dammini must be attached to a host for greater than 36 hours for B. burgdorferi to be able to be activated into the host16. Therefore, any deer tick that is not attached to a host cannot transmit B. burgdorferi.
The disease starts after an infected tick expels its salivary gland and abdominal contents into the skin of a human. In about 60-70% of cases, a rash may develop at the site of the tick bite. This rash is most often circular with a clear edge, but oblong and other shaped rashes may occur as well in response to the tick bite. This rash is known as erythema migrans or EM. This rash usually starts about 3-30 days after the tick bite. Sometimes this rash is mistaken as a “spider bite”. It is called “migrans” because it grows in size, gradually expanding over several days to greater than 2 inches across; some rashes can cover very large areas, such as an entire back. If the center of the rash clears, the rash may take on a bull's-eye appearance. The rash is usually not itchy or painful. Sometimes, other rashes occur in other parts of the body far away from the initial tick bite. This is because
Imagine, as a 12 year old, not being able to move. Every part of your body feels like lead and you’re barely able to lift your head up. You have no energy, sleeping all day and hardly able to perform mundane, everyday activities. Headaches and stomach pains are a normal part of your life. You stop hanging out with your friends and become isolated in your room because you can barely function. This is what happened to my sister. Once a happy, playful child, she became almost lifeless laying on the couch all day. The pain she lived through every day showed in her eyes. All of the pain came from a single source: lyme disease. Lyme disease is a when borrelia burgdorferi infects the body’s immune system, via deer tick bites (Halperin, pg. 1). First discovered in 1977, lyme disease has become one of the most significant vector- borne diseases in America. (Fuller, pg. 132). By 2002, more than 23,000 cases have been reported (Fuller, pg. 132). Even though the number of cases for lyme disease has increased dramatically, many people have still never heard of lyme disease. Many doctors in the past have misdiagnosed patients because they believed there was no such thing as lyme disease. Each case affects the body differently, making it more difficult to figure out the symptoms for the disease.