Ask A Scientist© Molecular Biology Archive

name         Amy
status       student
age          20s

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?

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