Borrelia Arthropod Vectors

The bite of an infected tick is the primary mode of transmission to humans, or other vertebrate hosts, though it is also possible, but extremely rare for infection to result from exposure to crushed tick tissues, fluids, or feces. (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rmsf/Natural_Hx.htm)

One of the more common pests located in the Northeastern United States is the Black Legged Tick (Ixodes scapularis). More commonly known as the “Deer Tick” this animal primarily inhabits wooded areas populated by warm-blooded wildlife. Specifically the temperate Pine Barrens in Southern New Jersey, which hosts the 2nd largest tick population in the country (CDC, 2010), the black legged tick is a common pest that spreads lyme disease. This disease is a bacterial infection caused by the tick latching onto a host and feeding for an extended period of time. These ticks attach to most warm blooded woodland creatures and any human beings unfortunate enough to get close enough.

A tick does not discriminate against its food source. Many animals in the wild are carriers of such parasites, and one reason the deer is considered a major carrier is that it has limited ability to remove ticks.

According to Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt (a world renowned Lyme expert), Lyme disease is considered the plague of the century due to the large number of people with chronic Lyme disease and the associated co-infections. The number one symptom of Lyme is chronic fatigue. People can have Lyme for a very long time and not be properly diagnosed because current laboratory testing comes up short with being able to detect it. One of the main reasons for this is because chronic Lyme does not live in the blood but rather in the tissues. It is an intracellular organism meaning it lives inside the cell. Lyme has different shapes: spirochete (like a spring), cyst with a hard shell, and acellular (without an outer cell membrane). Lyme likes to set up a sanctuary in the body such as in the brain, teeth (such as under a root canal or in a cavitation), vertebrae, breast tissue, and lymph nodes. It looks for a place where it can be protected and the body is vulnerable preferably in fatty tissue or under a biofilm. While traditionally Lyme disease is considered a tick-borne disease, recent findings have discovered that it is an insect-borne disease that can get transferred

It is transferred into the human body by a tick that is implanted into the skin for at least three days.

Lyme Disease comes from a line of bacteria called Borrelia Burgdorferi which originated during the ice age in Europe. Lyme disease cases are mainly reported in the northeastern states. This blood borne pathogen can only survive inside a host such as a tick. The Ixodes tick commonly known as the black legged tick or deer ticks become infected transmitting Lyme Disease through their bite. Unexpected hosts such as deer, fox, possum, raccoons, horses, cattle, small rodents, pets and even humans can be easy targets for ticks.

“Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, was first isolated in 1982 by Willy Burgdorfer, Ph.D., a zoologist and microbiologist at NIAID’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton, Montana.” (NIAID, 2008.) Dr. Burgdorfer at the time was studying Rocky Mountain Fever in attempt to help Jorge Benach, Ph.D., discover why more than 100 spotted fever cases occurred in New York between 1971 and 1976. “Dr. Benach, of the New York State Department of Health had been a source of American dog ticks for Burgdorfer to study.” (NIAID, 2008.)

“Lyme disease got its name from where it was first discovered in Lyme, Connecticut in 1975” (healthychildren.org). “Since then there has been thousands of cases reported of the disease. The ticks live in low and high seasonal temperatures and high humidity” (healthychildren.org). Lyme Disease most common to occur in the Northeast, North-central states, or West Coast. On behalf of the Northeast, I can tell you that ticks are everywhere in this region. They like to live in tall grasses and woody areas. “The small insects more than often latch onto the foot or lower leg and crawl up the body, and travel up the body with a destination of the head. On their normal hosts, ticks also usually crawl up; they want to blood feed around the

Thesis Statement: “According to the Center of Disease Control, Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector borne illness in the United States”(Lyme Disease: Data and statistics, 2016).

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

A survey was composed to try to understand whether living around wooded areas could increase susceptibility towards getting Lyme Disease, whether owning outdoor pets was a risk towards getting Lyme Disease, and finally, what type of deer tick preventative measures work best amongst animals. Surveys were collected in two ways: online surveys and telephone surveys. In the end, the results were checked through statistical analysis and proven significant. All the results were posted on the Facebook page.

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in the world. This disease has been reported in all 50 states, mainly the New England states (Khatchikian, 2015). Lyme disease has also been reported in China, parts of the Soviet Union, Europe, Japan, and Australia. In 1957, a group of children and adults in the Lyme, Connecticut area, and surrounding areas had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (Shiel, William C). Dr. Allen Steere began researching to solve this problem. Steere identified the Lyme disease was transferred by ticks (BayAreaLyme.com).

In Canada, there are too many “false- negative” results, according to Jim Wilson, President of the Canadian Lyme disease Foundation and this standpoint is also recognized by Health Canada. (Magnotta, 2015). The human body takes several weeks for humans to create antibodies at detectable levels. This limits the detection of the various genotypes of the borrelia bacteria, from the procedures used, which in effect, is allowing late stage serology to occur. According to Dr. Ralph Hawkins, who is a General internal site lead at Calgary’s South Health Campus Hospital and a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Calgary, states that “serology is failing us; showing only 50 percent positive results in early Lyme disease

People living in the Northeast area with high incidence need to have an adequate level of susceptibility. Recognizing risky environments need to be followed by various type of precautions. Lyme disease is a zoonotic disease that can cause a range of symptoms including rash, joint pain, neurological and cardiac manifestation. Knowing the complications and the severity of Lyme disease, people would then be more proactive in implementing preventive measurements. The CDC recommends clothing attire be long pants and socks, light colored clothes when outdoors. The simplest method to prevent Lyme disease is to avoid having contact with ticks when traveling to Ixodes tick infested areas. That can be accomplished by avoiding predisposed areas during

Lyme disease, another name for Lyme borreliosis, is the most common vector- borne disease in the northern hemisphere and still continues to increase in occurrence (Pearson). In almost all instances, the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, is transmitted to humans through a tick bite (Pearson). Ticks are blood-sucking anthropods that are small and they survive in urban parks and gardens where there is enough humidity and shade to prevent them from drying out (Pearson). Ticks are most active in the months between April and October, but in warmer areas they may be active throughout the entire year (Pearson). Lyme