Lyme Disease Cannot Be Passed On From Pets to Humans

Lyme disease, also known as borreliosis, is a tick-borne disease. Deer ticks (both adult and nymphal ticks) pass the disease on to humans and animals when they carry a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. The disease can be passed through handling an infected tick or being bitten by an infected tick.

Many people think that they might be able to ‘catch’ the disease from their pets, but this is not the case. Although an animal can have the disease, they cannot pass it on to a human or another animal. Only a tick can pass on lyme disease. Of course, if you are picking ticks off of your pet, or handling them in any way, then you are at an increased risk for contracting Lyme disease. If your pet is carrying infected ticks into the household, then you are at an increased risk, but if your pet is infected and not carrying ticks inside, then you will not be able to contract the disease. Regularly using tick collars and other tick prevention methods for your animal can decrease the chance of them being brought into your home.

Lyme disease symptoms include a skin rash known as erythema migrans, as well as fatigue, fever, depression and headache. If the disease is not treated it can lead to issues with the heart, joints and nervous system. In most cases the symptoms and infection can be eliminated with antibiotics





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Lyme disease on the rise in U.S.

Lyme disease, an infection transferred from tiny deer ticks carrying a particular strain of bacteria, has become more prevalent in the United States since it's discovery in Lyme, Conn. in 1976, and it is now the most common tick infection. In 2007 there were 27,444 reported cases, while in the early 1990s there were fewer than 10,000 cases. Cases typically appear in early spring and are most prevalent in the summer months of June, July and August.

Early-stage lyme disease often causes symptoms of fatigue, chills and body aches. If not treated, the infection can spread to the bloodstream, causing rashes, fever and more severe aches. Late-stage lyme diseases can cause shooting pains, irregular heartbeat, and other conditions including arthritis, Bell's palsy (slack muscles on one side of the face), and meningitis with severe headache and stiff neck. A dose of the antibiotic doxycycline is enough to cure lyme disease in 95 percent of cases. Some patients, however, experience chronic illness with symptoms of pain, fatigue and anxiety.

Research findings from scientists at Yale University, published this month in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, suggest that more persistent bacteria and more severe infections may result from climate change changing feeding patterns in ticks in colder regions. Danbury Hospital in Connecticut is aiding research on Lyme disease in the form of an online patient registry. Patients experiencing long-term symptoms will enter information via a website, and will also provide blood samples. Eventually the registry should be large enough to provide good data for researchers.






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Other Posts

Disability and Lyme disease
Lyme Disease may result in very severe symptoms
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Will social security pay for me to see a doctor if I can't afford it?
Are there cases where someone can be approved for SSI and not SSDI?

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