News tagged with lyme disease
New map pinpoints areas of highest human risk for lyme disease in eastern United States
A new map pinpoints well-defined areas of the Eastern United States where humans have the highest risk of contracting Lyme disease, one of the most rapidly emerging infectious diseases in North America, according to the U.S. ...
Feb 01, 2012 |
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Survey of pet dogs indicates Lyme disease risk much greater than previous estimates suggest
Ticks infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease may be considerably more prevalent in the UK than expected, according to new research from the University of Bristol that used pet dogs as sentinels for ...
Jan 25, 2012 |
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How can Lyme disease be prevented and controlled?
Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the United States, with the majority of cases occurring in the Northeast. It has been three decades since the agent of the disease, the spirochete Borrelia bu ...
Jan 04, 2012 |
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New tick-borne disease discovered
(Medical Xpress) -- Yale School of Public Health researchers in collaboration with Russian scientists have discovered a new tick-borne bacterium that might be causing disease in the United States and elsewhere. ...
Sep 20, 2011 |
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Biodiversity helps dilute infectious disease, reduce its severity
Researchers at Oregon State University have shown for the first time that loss of biodiversity may be contributing to a fungal infection that is killing amphibians around the world, and provides more evidence ...
Sep 19, 2011 |
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When ticks transmit dangerous pathogens
Lyme disease is a dangerous disease which is transmitted by ticks. Blood-sucking ticks ingest the agents that cause the disease bacteria of the species Borrelia burgdorferi and its relatives during a blood meal, ...
Sep 15, 2011 |
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Chronic pain: Watch out before accepting diagnosis and treatment
A new commentary published online in The FASEB Journal argues that patients should be diligent and demand proof of safety and benefit before beginning any treatment regimen for chronic pain, as some treatments have very l ...
Sep 08, 2011 |
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Lyme disease tick adapts to life on the (fragmented) prairie
A new study offers a detailed look at the status of Lyme disease in Central Illinois and suggests that deer ticks and the Lyme disease bacteria they host are more adaptable to new habitats than previously ...
Jun 21, 2011 |
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New Lyme disease test improves treatment for horses, dogs
Romping through summer fields seems like a harmless pleasure for dogs, horses and humans alike. But just one bite from the wrong tick can rob an animal of that pastime. The bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi catch rides with c ...
Jun 17, 2011 |
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Lyme disease bacteria take cover in lymph nodes
The bacteria that cause Lyme disease, one of the most important emerging diseases in the United States, appear to hide out in the lymph nodes, triggering a significant immune response, but one that is not strong enough to ...
Jun 16, 2011 |
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Lyme disease bacteria take cover in lymph nodes, study finds
(Medical Xpress) -- The bacteria that cause Lyme disease, one of the most important emerging diseases in the United States, appear to hide out in the lymph nodes, triggering a significant immune response, ...
Jun 09, 2011 |
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Lyme disease -- why do some fare better than others?
(Medical Xpress) -- Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) is a spirochete, a coiled bacterium that looks like a kinetic spring. Just a few microns long, smaller than the width of a human hair, it is invisible to the na ...
Jun 09, 2011 |
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'Jeopardy!'-winning computer delving into medicine
Some guy in his pajamas, home sick with bronchitis and complaining online about it, could soon be contributing to a digital collection of medical information designed to help speed diagnoses and treatments.
May 22, 2011 |
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Bugs emerge to bug us, and a few pose health risks
(AP) -- It's that time of year when the bugs emerge to bug us.
Apr 11, 2011 |
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Repellent-treated clothing nearly eliminates tick bites for outdoor workers
(PhysOrg.com) -- A pilot study shows clothes treated with long-lasting insect repellant appear to offer outdoor workers significant protection against tick bites.
Mar 30, 2011 |
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Lyme disease
Lyme disease, or borreliosis, is an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia. Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto is the main cause of Lyme disease in the United States, whereas Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii cause most European cases. The disease is named for the village of Lyme, Connecticut, where a number of cases were identified in 1975. Although Allen Steere realized in 1978 that Lyme disease was a tick-borne disease, the cause of the disease remained a mystery until 1982, when B. burgdorferi was identified by Willy Burgdorfer.
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere. Borrelia is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks belonging to a few species of the genus Ixodes (the so-called "hard ticks"). Early symptoms may include fever, headache, fatigue, depression, and a characteristic circular skin rash called erythema migrans. Left untreated, later symptoms may involve the joints, heart, and central nervous system. In most cases, the infection and its symptoms are eliminated by antibiotics, especially if the illness is treated early. Late, delayed, or inadequate treatment can lead to the more serious symptoms, which can be disabling and difficult to treat. Occasionally, symptoms such as arthritis persist after the infection has been eliminated by antibiotics, prompting suggestions that Borrelia causes autoimmunity.
Some groups have argued that "chronic" Lyme disease is responsible for a range of medically unexplained symptoms beyond the recognized symptoms of late Lyme disease, and that additional, long-term antibiotic treatments are needed. Of four randomized controlled trials of long-term ceftriaxone and doxycycline treatment in patients with ongoing symptoms, two found no benefit, and two found inconsistent benefits with significant side effects and risks from the antibiotic treatment. Most expert groups, including the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Academy of Neurology, have found that existing scientific evidence does not support a role for Borrelia nor ongoing antibiotic treatment in such cases. However, the area is controversial, with a few doctors, patient advocacy groups and politicians continuing to argue that long-term treatment is beneficial, this dispute has led to legal action over treatment guidelines.
For more information about Lyme disease, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.