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Name: Amy
Status: Student
Age: 20s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: N/A
Question:
What exactly is lyme disease, and what kind of effect does it have on the body?
What are the potential long term side effects, and is there any potential long term damage?


Replies:
Lyme Disease is a bacterial disease caused by Borellia burgdorferi. It is carried in the salivary glands of a very small tick called the deer tick. The tick bites you to suck blood but when it sticks its proboscis ("stinger") in you, it spits a little bit and the bacteria are injected. It starts with generalized muscle aches and pains and mimics many other diseases. Its cardinal sign is a "bulls-eye" rash that spreads outward from the bite. Longterm effects include arthritis and musculoskeletal problems.

Van Hoeck

Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection caused by a corkscrew shaped bacterium called a spirochete (pronounced spy-row-kete). Here are a few good websites with just about anything you'd ever want to know about Lyme Disease. Long term effects would depend on the severity of the disease and at what point it is treated.

http://www.lyme.org/index2.html

http://www.aldf.com/

http://www.lymenet.org/

Christine Ticknor
Ph.D. Student
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut


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