Lyme disease bacteria – Borrelia miyamotoi
Lyme disease bacteria – Borrelia miyamotoi
Lyme disease: Human Borrelia miyamotoi Infection in the United States was released by the New England Journal of Medicine, N Engl J Med 2013; 368:291-293 January 17, 2013DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc1215469
This Lyme disease bacteria is transmitted in the usual fashion via tick/insect/deer and mice. It shares viral-like similarities with classic Lyme disease such as fever, muscular aches, headaches and fatigue. Some, not all people develop a rash such as with classic Lyme disease.
Relapsing fever is the key symptom
Fever that can burn for a few days and then go away, only to return anywhere from a week to a month later is a hallmark of this disease.This is the big difference between “classic Lyme disease” caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and this Lyme disease caused by Borrelia miyamotoi.
Borrelia bacteria are found mostly occurring in the U.S. Northeast and the northern Midwest. Ticks infected with the bacteria are also found in the far western United States.
Japanese Barberry
This is a classic hiding place where these ticks can nest and accumulate. The Japanese Barberry is a spiny shrub that grows 2 to 8 feet high. The tree has small, oval-shaped leaves that may be tinted green, blue, or red. It’s a rapid growing shrub that displaces native plants and degrades wildlife habitat
Treatment for Lyme Disease
Treatment is typically administered with the antibiotics doxycycline or amoxicillin. If you’ve been treated for any tick borne disease and are still symptomatic or not feeling well chances are you’re still infected and the bacterium became resistant to the antibiotics. This is actually very common as the bacteria do everything in their power to survive in your system.
Image courtesy of kobkik at FreeDigitalPhotos.net