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Lyme Disease

Minimize Risk Of Disease

The two most important factors are removing the tick quickly and carefully, and seeking a doctor's evaluation at the first sign of symptoms of Lyme disease. When in an area that may be tick-populated:

  • Check for ticks, particularly in the area of the groin, underarm, behind ears, and on the scalp.
  • Stay calm and grasp the tick as near to the skin as possible, using a tweezer.
  • To minimize the risk of squeezing more bacteria into the bite, pull straight back steadily and slowly.
  • Do not try to make the tick back out by using vaseline, alcohol, or a lit match.
  • Place the tick in a closed container (for species identification later, should symptoms develop) or dispose of it by flushing.
  • See a physician for any sort of rash or patchy discoloration that appears 3-30 days after a tick bite.

Medical studies to date do not support the preventative use of antibiotics after a tick bite, even if the tick has been identified as a deer tick.


Resources

Books

Territo, J., and D.V. Lang. Coping With Lyme Disease: A Practical Guide to Dealing With Diagnosis and Treatment. New York: Henry Holt, 1997.

Vanderhoof-Forschne, K. Everything You Need to Know About Lyme Disease and Other Tick-Borne Disorders. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1997.

Periodicals

"Breakthrough of the Year: The Runners-Up." Science 278 (December 19, 1997): 2039.

Eckman, M.H., et. al. "Cost Effectiveness of Oral as Compared with Intravenous Antibiotic Therapy for Patients with Early Lyme Disease or Lyme Arthritis." The New England Journal of Medicine Special Report (July 31, 1997).

Feder, H.M., Jr., and M.S. Hunt. "Pitfalls in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease in Children." Journal of the American Medical Association 274 (July 5, 1995): 66-8.

Sigal, L.H. "Lyme Disease Controversy: Social and Financial Costs of Misdiagnosis and Mismanagement." Archives of Internal Medicine (July 22, 1996): 1493-1500.

Walker, D.H., et al. "Emerging Bacterial Zoonotic and Vector-Borne Diseases. Ecological and Epidemiological Factors." Journal of the American Medical Association 275 (1996): 463-9.

Organizations

American Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc. <http://www.w2.com/docs2/d5/lyme.html>.

Other

"Information on Lyme Disease." Centers for Disease Control. [cited 2003]. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/bburgdorferi_sm.htm>.


Jill S. Lasker

KEY TERMS

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Blood-brain barrier

—A blockade of cells separating the circulating blood from elements of the central nervous system (CNS); it acts as a filter, preventing many substances from entering the central nervous system.

Cerebrospinal fluid

—Fluid made in chambers within the brain; this fluid then flows over the surface of the brain and spinal cord, providing nutrition to cells of the nervous system, as well as cushioning.

Vector-borne

—Delivered from one host to another, as in an insect or tick bearing an organism causing an infectious disease.

Additional topics

Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Linear expansivity to Macrocosm and microcosmLyme Disease - Causes And Symptoms, Early, Localized Lyme Disease, Late, Disseminated Disease And Chronic Lyme Disease - Prevention