Lyme Disease Research Paper

Lyme’s disease is a disease that is transmitted to humans when an infected tick bites the human’s skin. According to Lymedisease.org, “Symptoms of early Lyme disease may present as a flu-like illness (fever, chills, sweats, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea and joint pain). Some patients have a rash or Bell’s palsy (facial drooping). However, although a rash shaped like a bull’s-eye is considered characteristic of Lyme disease, many people develop a different kind of Lyme rash or none at all.” Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose because its symptoms mimic so many other disorders, especially if a rash is not present. Lymedisease.org, also reports that only “42% of cases had a rash”. Furthermore, lymedisease.org goes on to report that, “Many Lyme symptoms, such as fatigue, cognitive impairment, joint pain, poor sleep, mood problems, muscle pain, and neurological presentations also occur in other diseases. Hence, the symptoms of Lyme disease significantly overlap those of chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, depression and Alzheimer’s disease. Many Lyme patients report being misdiagnosed with a different condition before being properly diagnosed with Lyme disease.”

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

I chose to do my research paper on Lyme disease. During my research, I found a lot of interesting facts about Lyme disease. The disease is caused by bacteria, called Borrelia burgdorferi, which is only transmitted to humans when they are bitten by an infected tick. Lyme disease was first discovered in 1975, in Lyme, Connecticut, after a group of children were diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. This eventually led them to discover the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. The disease was given its name in 1982, after the town of Lyme, Connecticut. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vectorborne illness in the United States. In 2014, it was the fifth most common Nationally Notifiable disease. Lyme disease is most prevalent in the northeast and upper Midwest.

Bacterium Borrelia Burgdorferi is a highly specialized, motile, two-membrane, spiral-shaped bacterium that lives primarily as an extracellular pathogen. The bacteria is 0.2 to 0.3 micrometers wide, though the cell length may exceed 15 to 20 micrometers.

Imagine someone who loves the outdoors and loves life. While they are out and about doing what they love, they are unknowingly bitten by a deer tick. They start to develop a few symptoms and get diagnosed with Lyme disease some time later. Their whole life will be different forever. How does this happen? What is Lyme disease? Lyme disease is classified as a zoonosis, a disease that is spread from animals to humans. Humans acquire this disease through the bite of contaminated deer ticks. The tick contracts different kinds of Borrelia bacteria by feeding on deer and mice. Any human that the tick bites afterwards may be at risk for developing the disease. Once the Borrelia enters the human bloodstream, the bacteria begins attacking body systems. Some of the organs include the brain, heart, and joints, but all organs are at risk. Symptoms include aches anywhere on your body; joints, head, stomach, heart. Some people have also experienced memory loss or confusion, shaking, and flu-like symptoms. Different people have different symptoms. It’s crazy to think that one

Main Content: Different studies conducted by experts have found that Lyme disease is actually a complex of contaminations that are transferred into a human body by deer ticks and a few other insects. It can lead to flu like symptoms, muscle and joint pain. In fewer than 10% of Lyme cases, cardiac and neurological symptoms might occur. This happens generally when treatment is not provided or postponed for more than 1 month

Lyme disease is a rapidly spreading infectious disease in the United States, with over 25,000 confirmed cases in 2013.5 It was first discovered in the early-1970’s in the town of Lyme, Connecticut when a group of children started to present with rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. Some of these children presented with a rash and researchers connected the symptoms to occurring during peak tick season. By the mid-1970’s, the researchers began describing the symptoms and coining the term “Lyme disease” to help doctors diagnose the condition. The cause, however, was not discovered until 1981 by researchers at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana and finally the connection between deer ticks and Lyme disease was

The Center for Disease Control estimates that 300,000 people are diagnosed every year with Lyme disease. “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013, New Hampshire had the second highest incidence rate of Lyme disease in the country.” (Blumenthal)

Although most people don't realize it, one of the most weakening diseases can be found in your very backyard. This disease is called Lyme disease Lymes disease have been spreading around the United States at a very fast pace, there is only one way that you can get this disease. The disease is caused by something that is called bacterium Borrelia Burgdorferi which is transmitted through the bite of infected ticks. Anyone can get this disease, although it is very uncommon that someone will get this disease. Lymes disease is actually a very interesting disease, Only 1.4% of ticks are infected with lymes disease, the only way that someone can get this disease is from an infected tick. it is not very likely that someone will get this disease, but

Lyme disease or Lyme Borreliosis is a vector-borne disease that is caused by spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria (WHO, 2016). These bacteria are transmitted through the bites of infected deer ticks (WHO, 2016). Symptoms of the disease include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint pain (WHO, 2016). Often a rash appears at the site of the tick bite and may gradually expand to a ring around the bite.

There are several different types of preventative measures currently underway for combating Lyme disease. Most Lyme disease cases are reported in the midwest and northeast regions of the United States. It is crucial that residents of those regions are properly educated on the disease and what they can do specifically to lower their risk of infection. Preventive foresight for residents of regions where Lyme disease is most common include dressing appropriately to prevent tick bites while in wooded rural areas. It is recommended that each resident of the owner invests in tick repellents and acaricides. It is vital that residents of areas prone to the disease do research and receive education on the disease as well as inform the people around

Throughout history, humankind has been exposed to millions of unique and troubling pathogens. Some of these pathogens are well known, such as the bubonic plague, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS, but others are relatively unknown and remain shrouded in mystery. One such example has been spreading to become the most common vector-borne disease that occurs in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This “hidden pandemic”, known as Lyme disease, is silently infecting hundreds of thousands of United States citizens each year, and numbers of new and untreated infections continue to climb as traditional treatments fail and doctors misdiagnose the condition. Spread by tick bites, Lyme disease has affected many lives and continues to infect countless individuals each and every day.

Lyme disease is indeed relative to Biology 1113. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks that evades the human host. Given that bacteria is a living system it can be classified as an organism, which is significant to most of the topics we reviewed in Biology 1113. Some of those topics incorporated are reproduction, mitochondria and its role in cellular metabolism, and adaptation. Lyme disease provides an example into the reproductive abilities of the bacteria. In ticks, the disease reproduces asexually via binary fission. In humans the disease reproduces asexually throughout the host’s body. Mitochondrion has a prominent role in the regulation of cellular metabolism. When the host is infected by the bacteria it can lead to

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’s Disease is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium B. burgdorferi and transferred by the bite of infected black-legged ticks. Lyme disease cases are predominantly found in the eastern U.S.A, and number of cases are increasing (Brinkherhoff, 2011). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are 300,000 cases of Lyme Diseases a year in the US (CDC, 2013). An infected bite causes a rash often in a tell-tale, signature bull’s eye pattern that manifest in pain, stiffness, or swelling. Flu-like symptoms are experienced including fever and fatigue. Friends and colleagues have caught Lyme disease all from the East Coast. Since I live in Virginia it grabbed my attention, which is why I chose this topic.