lyme

LYME DISEASE

The bacteria that makes up lyme disease is called Borrelia burgdorferi. It is a spiral shaped bacteria that average about 4 to 18 micrometers long. It has two periplasmic flagella, anchored to the cytoplasmic membrane, coming out of either end. The flagella wind around the bacteria, giving it both motility and shape.

The disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi is called Lyme Disease. It is mostly spread around by ticks found on deer, which harbor the diease in their stomachs. It is classified as an emerging disease, and was only really discovered in 1975 in Lyme, Connecticut, when a group of children who lived near eachother contracted a disease called rheumatoid arthritis, which was then traced back to Lyme disease.

Symptoms: Stage 1: skin inflammation Stage 2: heart and nervous system envolvement, including palsies and meningitis Stage 3: motor and sensory nerve damage and brain inflammation as well as arthritis.

Borrelia Burgdorferi

Lyme disease is spread by dear ticks that are infected with the bacteria borrelia burgdorferi. The ticks store the disease in their stomachs, and when they bite the skin, the disease is transmitted into the bitten organism. It is not contagious from one infected individual to another.

Treatment: lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics, but it depends on the stage of the disease. In earlier stages, it can be treated by medicine taken by mouth, such as doxycycline. However, later stages of the disease may require intravenous drugs.

The best way to avoid getting lyme disease is basically to avoid getting bitten by ticks. Wearing long pants and long shirts to protect your skin is always a good idea. If you are bitten by a tick, remove it with tweezers and save it for examination (to see if it has lyme inside it). Washing your hair and clothes after going out also helps to prevent the transmission of the disease.