LYME DISEASE

JONNY FEINBERG, ALI ARCARO, DES BLUMER

IMPORTANCE & BACKGROUND
• First recognized in the US in the 1960’s and 1970’s in Old Lyme,
Connecticut
• Many people in the area suffered from Lyme Disease without knowing
what caused it
• Lyme disease bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi was discovered in 1981
by scientist Willy Burgdorfer
• Since its discovery, Lyme disease has become increasingly more
prevalent
• It is included in the top ten notifiable diseases by the CDC
DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY
• One of the fastest growing vector-borne diseases in the US with over
329,000 new cases reported each year
• Concentrated on the East Coast in the beginning, but now has been
reported in every state except for Hawaii
• Spread of disease exacerbated by increase in deer population
• 3 elements are present in places that cause Lyme Disease:
• Animals infected with Lyme Disease
• Ticks to transmit disease
• Animal hosts to provide food for ticks
DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY
CONTINUED
• Who can get it: anybody!
• When: You can get it at any time of year
• Where you get it: commonly in forests up north
• People who are on hiking trips and neglect to research what a tick
looks like beforehand
SYMPTOMS
• Incubation Period: 3-30 Days

• Localized stage of disease

• Red ring-like (bullseye) or homogenous expanding rash; classic rash not present in all cases
of disease.
• Flu-like symptoms (general feeling of discomfort, headache, fever, and muscle pain)
• Lymphadenopathy - inflammatory disease of lymph nodes
• Severe headaches and neck stiffness

• Disseminated stage
• Multiple secondary annular rashes
• Rheumatologic manifestations
• Transient migratory pain in tendons
• Bursae, and Baker’s cysts
PREVENTION
• The best way to prevent Lyme disease is to avoid areas where Deer Ticks live
• Odds of contracting Lyme disease decrease when following these precautions:
• Covering up - wearing long sleeves, tucking pants into sock, and covered shoes
when in bushy or grassy areas
• Use Insect Repellents (20% of higher concentration of Deet)
• Tick-proofing yard if living in Deer Tick areas (putting wood stacks in sunny
areas)
• Checking yourself, pets, and children after being out in wooded areas
• Removing Tick as soon as possible, Lyme disease is unlikely if tick is attached
for less than 36-48 hours.
TREATMENT
• Oral antibiotics are used for early cases of Lyme disease
• May also be used for late cases depending on patients symptoms
• Intravenous antibiotics are used for late cases
• Antibiotics that are used to treat early stages of Lyme disease:
• Doxycycline, Amoxicillin, and Cefuroxime are the most common antibiotics
• Doxycycline is taken from at least 10 days to up to 3 weeks
• Amoxicillin and Cefuroxime are taken for 2-3 weeks
• Works 90% of the time
• Patients might get other antibiotics if not cured
•
FUTURE RESEARCH
• A lot of concerns lie in whether or not Lyme disease can be
transmitted
• No credible evidence of sexual transmission
• No reports of the disease being transmitted through breast milk
• No cases linked of transmission via blood transfusions, however the
bacteria can live in blood from a person with an active infection that is
stored for donation
• Individuals being treated should not donate blood

• Government reports & studies continue to conclude that tick-borne

illnesses are a rare cause of death in the U.S.
CONCLUSION
• CDC findings: Between 1999-2003 there were 114 records listing the disease as cause of
death.

• Will you always have Lyme disease? No!

• If treated early with antibiotics, recovery is quicker and complete

• Later stages also respond well with antibiotics, although some may suffer long-term
damage to their nervous system/joints

• It is not uncommon for patients treated for the disease with a recommended 2-4 week
course of antibiotics to have lingering symptoms; fatigue, pain, or joint and muscle aches
at the time treatment is complete
• A small percentage of cases symptoms may last 6 months or longer, but with longer
courses of antibiotics, will continue to improve on their own
SOURCES
• https://www.bayarealyme.org/about-lyme/history-lyme-disease/
• https://publichealth.yale.edu/article.aspx?id=15651
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20374651
• https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html
• www.hopkinsarthritis.org/arthritis-info/lyme-disease/lyme-disease-treatment/