Question

Microbiology:

Borrelia Burgdoferi: Lyme Disease

Prevention: Is a vaccine available for this disease? Do behavioral changes lower risk? Is sanitation an issue?

Historic importance: What was the effect of this disease in populations in the past?

Current impact: What is the current mortality or morbidity rate for the disease? Are there any long-term effects? Is the disease acute or chronic? Is there in economic impact in the workforce?

Answer 1

Lyme disease is a diseasec caused by Borrelia species.The disease caused by Borrelia burdoferi is very commom in united states.Borrelia burgdoferi is a spirochete cork screw shaped bacteria that can survive without iron but depend much on manganese for survival.It can cause symptoms in joints,nervous system and heart.

Transmission of the disease is by the biting of infected black legged tick known as deer tick or Ixodes scapularis.The bacteria is present in the gut of the tick .The diease can be easily transmitted by small mammals like mice which can act as carriers of the bacteria and can ticks will get the bacteria by feeding on these small mammals.The ticks when they bite the

There is no vaccine available for Lyme disease.Earlier a vaccine was developed and licenced by Smithkline Beechan but later in 2000 it was withdrawn from market.SO presently no vaccine available.

The incidence of Lyme disease is rapidly growing in united states.The ticks prefer moist and shady areas to live.So preventive measures to avoid the Lyme diseases are to wear protective clothing like socks,long sleeve shirtslight coloured clothes,high boots ,and application of insect repellants on the clothes and exposed skin while going to tick prone areas can reduce the risk of transmission.It is always good to do a tick check on the clothes or skin when going to tick affected areas as removal of tick in the early hours can prevent infection.

We can keep the residential areas clean by removing leaf litter and brush and wood piles and there by reducing the growth of ticks habitat because ticks prefer a moist and shady environment to live.

Human actions like forest fragmentation has increased the risk of lyme disease as it has lead to an incease in the number of small mammals that can transmit the disease .The enviromental changes like global warming,milder winters and longer growing seasons have lead to the spreading of the disease. So preventing forest fragmentation and pereseving our environment can reduce the spreading of the disease.

Allen steer dicovered the disease in 1975 after an out break of rheumatoid arthritis in Lyme connecticut.

In 1980 , WILLY BURGDORFER isolated the bacteria that caused lyme.

In 1981-1983 ,200 cases were reported in NEW YORK.

The incidence of outbreak is increasing rapidly and it is reported to have 329000 cases each year in united states.

If untreated lyme disease can spread to different parts of the body like joints,brain and heart and cause chornic lyme disease.