It’s the tick season. Here’s everything you need to know about Lyme disease.

Officially it’s summer. The sun is out and ticks are out.

Kim Lewis, a prominent professor at the university.Photo by Adam Grantsman / Northeastern University

The tick season is underway in the United States. This is a reality that can crawl the skin of the most enthusiastic outdoor adventures. For people who spend their time outdoors in the warmer months, the appearance of blood-sucking arachnids represents more risk than itchy insect bites. Creepy crawls can carry diseases like Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is not a simple illness, says Kim Lewis, A prominent professor of biology at the university and director of the Antimicrobial Discovery Center at Northeastern University. It can be an acute infection, but it can also develop into a long-term condition. Lewis is studying the remaining mysteries of the disease and developing cures.

Even if you don’t go to the wilderness, do you still encounter mites with Lyme disease?

Okay. The suburbs create an ideal environment for growing these mites.

It’s really about growing the mouse population, says Lewis. In the suburbs, the number of mice is increasing rapidly due to the small number of predators. And he says white-footed mice are the main carrier of mites.

Going out into the wilderness is “absolutely a risk factor,” says Lewis. Mites live in grassy, ​​brushed, or wooded areas. “It’s in any environment where mice live. Remember that Lime comes from the small town of Lime, Connecticut. The general public in the town of Lime is in the backyard or park. They were exposed, so they got it. “

Do all mites suffer from Lyme disease?

No. Small black-footed mites, commonly known as deer ticks, carry Lyme disease. Immature mites, called larvae, are about the size of poppy seeds, and adults are about the size of sesame seeds. Mites at both of these life stages can infect the bacteria that cause the disease.

However, not all black-footed mites develop Lyme disease. “It depends on the region, but up to half of the mites can carry bacteria,” says Lewis.

Wait for a moment. Are bacteria involved?

Okay.Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium called Borrelia Burgdorferi.. When an infected tick bites you, it infects the bacteria in your saliva.

So if you are bitten by an infected tick, will you get infected immediately?

Probably not. “What happens is that it takes some time for the ticks to bite you and fill them with blood,” says Lewis. “At some point after that Borrelia Burgdorferi It is released with mite saliva. It will take hours. It won’t happen right away. “

Therefore, you do not have to constantly check yourself for ticks.

What symptoms do I need to be aware of?

A typical sign of Lyme disease infection is a visual rash Like the eyes of a bull.. Lewis says the circular rash spreads as the bacteria spread throughout the body, centered on the red spots where the infected tick bites someone. However, not all people infected with Lyme disease develop a bullseye rash.

Other symptoms are very similar to those of the flu: muscle aches, fever or chills, malaise, headaches, and sometimes arthralgias. Talk to your doctor if you suspect you may have Lyme disease. They will probably do a blood test.

If you are infected, can you get treatment?

If the infection is identified early enough, there are effective treatments in most cases. If a doctor thinks you are infected with active acute Lyme disease, or if a blood test reveals antibodies to the disease, they may prescribe antibiotics.

Most people will get better from the treatment. But “if not diagnosed in time, it can turn into a more unpleasant condition,” says Lewis. For example, it can enter the nervous system and cause neurological symptoms, or it can enter joints and cause arthritis symptoms. Antibiotics also help treat these more severe cases.

However, if left unresolved for six months to a year, the symptoms of Lyme disease can be “extremely problematic,” Lewis says. He says this can occur if someone has mild symptoms and is unaware of Lyme disease, or even after treatment, about one-tenth. This is often referred to as chronic Lyme disease, but the medical community usually calls it post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS).

What are the symptoms of Lyme disease syndrome after treatment?

Some symptoms are more serious versions of the symptoms of acute Lyme disease: headache, arthralgia, muscle aches, and stiffness. However, it can be difficult to think of from facial paralysis (when one or both sides of the face hang down), arthritis and swelling, palpitation, dizziness, pain and numbness in shooting, and swelling of the brain and spinal cord.

Can PTLDS be treated?

“That’s a challenge,” says Lewis. “It’s frustrating to conclude that everyone, including doctors, isn’t receiving treatment.”

In his lab, Lewis is working on two approaches to treating PTLDS. Underlying both Patient microbiome Changed in PTLDS.

“If it is the cause of the disease, or at least an important component of the disease, it can interfere by restoring the proper microbiota of those people,” he says. So his team is working on developing treatments to restore the microbiome balance in patients suffering from PTLDS.

But that’s not all. Lewis is also developing ways to treat acute Lyme disease to prevent it from progressing to a long-term condition. Broad-spectrum antibiotics used to treat disease harm the human microbiome, so “if a healthy microbiome is part of the resistance mechanism, it is very likely that you will have chronic Lyme disease. I think there is, “he says. So Lewis’s team created an compound that could specifically target Lyme disease without killing beneficial microorganisms.

“We are very much looking forward to this being the first specific or specialized treatment for Lyme disease,” he says.

How can I prevent tick bites in the first place?

Mites can attach to humans when they hit tall grass, bushes, trees, or leaves. One way to avoid them is to walk in the middle of the trail when you are outside.

You can also treat your clothes with a tick-repelling chemical called permethrin. There are several products on the market, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests using products with a permethrin concentration of 0.5% or making pretreated clothing and gear.

There are also insect repellents that protect against mites, such as those containing DEET, picaridin, and other compounds.Environmental Protection Agency Search tool This helps users identify the best product for their needs.

Once back indoors, a thorough check of your body, clothing, gear, and pets is an important part of catching mites before they catch and pass through. The CDC recommends taking a shower within 2 hours of going indoors and checking Your whole body Creepy crawling, especially where crevices, folds, and hair grow on the body.

If you find yourself with ticks, Carefully remove With tweezers with a thin tip. Keep the tick as close to the skin as possible and gently pull it with a stable, uniform pressure to keep the entire tick, including the mouth, away from the body. Mites can be disposed of by placing them in alcohol, wrapping them in tape, or placing them in a completely sealed bag or container.

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