Santa clara county lab tick lyme test6/24/2023 ![]() ![]() There are half a million Americans struggling with late-stage Lyme disease. Untreated, Lyme disease can become a severely debilitating disease affecting joints, the heart, the brain, and/or the central nervous system.The revised CDC estimates increased the number of cases by more than ten-fold what was previously believed making Lyme disease one of the fastest-growing infectious diseases in the US. There are ~500,000 new cases of Lyme disease in the US every year and it is growing rapidly.Lyme is a frustrating and debilitating disease but it is a problem we can solve. With powerful new technologies like transcriptome profiling and next generation sequencing, and innovative therapeutic approaches such as biofilm busters and combination therapies dialing up antibiotic virulency, there is hope and the potential for real solutions. Next are reliable diagnostics and novel treatments that can bring relief to those suffering with Lyme. Most people outside of a few endemic regions, are highly unaware of the nature and reach of Lyme disease … and the need to protect themselves with a few steps of precaution. Prevention is and must be the first line of defense against this disease. With ~500,000 new cases every year and a rapidly-expanding geographic scope, Lyme is an important public health issue. Long ignored and mired in controversy, Lyme disease is significantly underfunded relative to other comparable and less common illnesses like West Nile or even HIV. ![]() Patients with late stage or post treatment Lyme disease can suffer crippling joint and muscular pain, migraines, light or sound sensitivity, cognitive impairment, nausea, fatigue, and even heart or breathing issues. Once the infection disseminates and spreads into the nervous and muscular systems, the bacteria become harder to detect and less susceptible to antibiotic treatments. Lyme is known as an “imitator” that mimics many other ailments. Undiagnosed, however, it becomes a devastatingly difficult illness that becomes increasingly hard to identify or to treat. In its acute stages, Lyme is an uncomfortable but highly treatable disease. ![]() Lyme disease is not limited to the US - it has also been found in 65 countries worldwide. ![]() First discovered in Lyme, CT, Lyme disease has become increasingly common throughout the Northeast, north central midwest, and in the Western coastal states and has been reported in all 50 states. Lyme disease has been on the rise and is expanding its geographic footprint. In addition to the Bb bacteria, ticks often carry other pathogens that cause co-infections such as Babesiosis or Ehrlichiosis in their human hosts which can complicate treatment. Tick infection rates vary considerably from one location to the next, even park-to-park within the same county, for reasons that are not yet explained. These immature ticks are the size of a small poppy seed, allowing them to easily escape discovery. Most infections are caused by the nymphal form of the tick. It is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferitransmitted to humans by the bite of an infected blacklegged tick. This is based on new research in two studies in the publication Emerging Infectious Diseases. The CDC has announced that the number of people diagnosed each year with Lyme disease has climbed to approximately half a million, which is a jump of 59% over the 300,000 estimate previously listed on the CDC’s website. Lyme disease is the fastest growing vector-borne illness in the US. ![]()
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