Tick Bite and Lyme disease
Corkscrew-like bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi cause Lyme disease, of which tick bites are the most common means of delivery to humans. However, ticks acquire the bacteria from infested hosts like white-footed mice during their early feedings.
Within North America, three tick species are responsible for the transmission of Lyme disease: the deer tick, or Ixodes scapularis; the western blacklegged tick, or Ixodes pacificus; and the lone star tick, or Amblyomma americanum. The former two ticks are exceptionally small arachnids with reddish-brown coloration.
Lyme disease manifests in different ways in different bite victims. Within three days to one month, a tick bite victim comes down with flu-like symptoms. A ringed rash may also appear around the site of the tick bite. More rashes appear months later. Fatigue, joint pain and shortness of breath are associated with Lyme disease. In extreme cases, Lyme disease affects the nervous system and facial muscles may be paralyzed. In the terminal stages, a Lyme disease victim's circulatory system is damaged and the heart is weakened, leading to extreme pain and swelling at the joints.
For many years, Lyme disease was misdiagnosed as the flu or rheumatoid arthritis. It was discovered in 1977 in Lyme, Connecticut. It is imperative that anyone experiencing Lyme-like symptoms seeks immediate medical attention.
