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Lyme Disease Research Paper

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Lyme Disease Research Paper
Lyme disease is a bacterial disease that affects over 200,000 each year. It is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. It is transmitted through the bite of blacklegged ticks (deer ticks). These ticks are found in grassy and wooded areas. Female nymphal or young black-legged ticks carry and transmit the Lyme disease bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi the most. Common symptoms of Lyme disease are fever, muscle pain, joint pain, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called Erythema migrans (EM rash). To prevent Lyme disease while in grassy or wooded areas you can use insect repellent, remove ticks promptly, and applying pesticides. If you do contract Lyme disease, it can be treated with the antibiotics Amoxicillin (Amoxil), Cefuroxime …show more content…
The early signs and symptoms of a tick bite include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, swollen lymph nodes, and Erythema migrans (EM rash). The Erythema migrans occur in seventy to eighty percent of people who get Lyme disease. The rash begins at the site of the bite about an average of seven days after the bite and expands gradually over a couple of days growing to twelve inches across. The EM rash can appear on any area of the body, clears as it enlarges resulting in a bull’s-eye appearance, and could feel warm to the touch, but isn’t itchy or painful. The EM rash is one of the most definitive symptoms that help you know you have Lyme disease as other symptoms of Lyme disease are common in many different diseases. Later signs and symptoms of Lyme disease that occur days to months after a tick bite are severe headaches and neck stiffness, additional EM Rashes on other parts of the body, arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, facial palsy, intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints, and bones, heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat, dizziness, shortness of breath, inflammation of the brain and spinal cord, nerve pain, shooting pains, numbness, tingling in the hands and feet, and short-term memory. As you can see, a tick bite that causes Lyme disease left untreated can unleash a whole variety of symptoms to your

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