Transcript File - Lyme disease

Lyme Disease: The More
You Know
Presentation By Julie Carlson
Senior Project TGS 2015
Where did Lyme Disease originate?

It got it’s name from the town of Lyme,
Connecticut, when there was an outbreak of
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis that was traced
back to the Deer tick.
What is this?
Deer Tick
Why is this important?

Carrier of Borrelia
burgdorferi


The bacteria that causes
Lyme Disease
Bacterial family of
Spirochete
 Spiral shape allows it
to drill into the tissue
of its host.
How does the tick get it?

In the larval stage of
growth if the Deer
Tick bites a mouse
that is a carrier of
Lyme Disease it
becomes a carrier
and a transmitter.
When are you most at risk?


June and July, late spring to late summer, is when the
most cases of Lyme are reported.
These times also correspond with when the ticks are
in their Larval and Nymph stages.
What do they look like?


Males have a dark
brown body with a
light brown around
the edges.
Females have a
mostly black body
with a light brownreddish abdomen
Where do they live?
Where do they like to hide?

Deer ticks like to hide where it is warm and
moist.





Underarms
Knee Joints
Head
Crotch area
Anywhere they can hide under clothing
What to look for:

A tick when on a host looks like a mole or a freckle
with legs
Tick Check!!!!!


A tick check is a necessary part of any day
spent outside in the summer.
What to do:
1.
2.
3.
Have a friend or parent check the back of your
neck for ticks
Check the sock line as well as around the edges
of your shoes
When you get to a private place check you r
personal areas for ticks, they love it there.
How do I keep the little buggers off
of me?



Spray your shoes and
socks with bug spray.
Wear light colored cloths
when going into areas
with high grass or forest.
Long pants with white
socks over them are the
most surefire way to
reduce, if not stop, them
from getting to a place to
attach.
What if it attaches?!?!?


If it becomes attached DO NOT GRAB AND
PULL!!!
Do get a pair of tweezers and grab the tick as
close to the skin as possible and pull, slowly,
straight up.
What now?


Tape the tick to a piece of paper and put it in a
Ziploc bag and send it to your states branch of
the CDC for testing.
Address of the Rhode Island branch

1376 Bushnell Street Newport, RI 02841-0000
How do I know if I have Lyme?

One of the first signs of
Lyme Disease is a target
rash somewhere on your
body, typically on or
near where the tick has
bitten you.

Called Erythema
Migrans
First stage Lyme is:
Starts after the 1st week and goes into the 4th week and is isolated
to the skin during this time.
 Sometimes the bulls eye rash
 Flu like symptoms
 Fever
 Vomiting
 Chills
 Swollen lymph nodes

Stiff and painful joints
Second Stage:
In this stage the bacteria has spread to the organs
and nervous system which will cause sever
problems later if it is not found by this stage.
 Bulls eye rash spreads to other places on the
body
 Pain is now in the muscles, tendons and joints
 Meningitis
 Bell’s Palsy

A partial facial paralysis
Third Stage:
This stage is after the bacteria has been in the
body for a year or more and happens when it
has spread to the brain.
 Arthritis becomes a problem
 Extremities become numb
 Facial muscles are no longer able to be
controlled
 Memory, mood and sleep pattern are affected
 Possible to begin seizing
Treatments for Lyme Disease



For the first stage and early in the second stage a
course of antibiotic pill can be used to treat Lyme.
For the late second stage and the third a course of
more powerful intravenous antibiotics have to be
used with no guaranteed success.
The antibiotics eliminate Lyme Disease in the early
stages. Once Lyme has progressed into the later
stages it is signifigantly more difficult to cure.