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Lyme Disease Research Paper

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Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria known as borrelia burgdorferi and is one of the most common vector-born diseases. It is commonly transmitted through bites from infected black legged ticks. Some of the more common symptoms are fever, headache, fatigue and a rash that almost everyone who gets Lyme disease has called erythema migrans. Lyme disease is diagnosed through looking at the symptoms as well as possible exposure to infected ticks and if it goes untreated it can often spread to the heart and the nervous system as well as through your joints. It contains three stages, the first being a rash at the site of the bite, the second being cardiac and neurologic involvement, and the third being arthritis in large and important joints such as …show more content…
Deer serve as an important reservoir for Lyme disease causing tick species. Larval and nymphal ticks feed on small mammals, and adult ticks primarily on deer. The majority of Lyme disease cases result from bites by infected nymphal ticks. The disease grows and multiplies within the ticks and their host species before being spread to humans. Lyme disease is tick-born and transmission usually will not happen unless the tick has been attached for more than a day. Lyme disease is transferred through a bacteria that you get when you are bitten by a tick and the tick is allowed to stay on your body for a long period of time which is why it is always a good idea to check for ticks especially in the summer months (Heymann, 2004). The bacteria that causes Lyme exits the tick when it bites into a new host. So if you are not bitten by a tick then there is no way for you to contract this disease. Ticks can attach to any part of the human body but are often found in hard-to-see areas such as the groin, armpits, and in a person's hair. In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted. This disease can enter through any part of your body but often only happens when the tick is in a hard to see place because then the person may not notice it and it …show more content…
Laboratory blood tests can be helpful but it is not recommended for people who are not showing the general signs of Lyme disease. Although it is important to figure out if a person has Lyme disease in its early stages, it is also important to prevent them from getting an incorrect diagnosis as to not be treated for the wrong disease. There are ways to prevent Lyme disease. Patients treated with the correct antibiotics in the early stages of Lyme disease usually make a full recovery and can get rid of the symptoms before they would usually go away. “Antibiotics commonly used for oral treatment include doxycycline, amoxicillin, or cefuroxime axetil. Patients with certain neurological or cardiac forms of illness may require intravenous treatment with drugs such as ceftriaxone or penicillin” (CDC, 2015). When these drugs are taken, they help to fight off the infection and get rid of the painful symptoms of Lyme disease. However, there is no vaccine for Lyme. There once was one that was released in 2002 but the company that produced it withdrew it due to claims of it being ineffective. People argued that that vaccine wore off and eventually had no use at all. Breaking the chain of infection is quite a simple process. The best way for a person to prevent themselves from getting Lyme disease is to constantly check for ticks, especially in the warmer months in the year

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