LYME DISEASE

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted by a tick. Lyme disease was first recognized in
1975, after researchers investigated why unusually large numbers of children were being
diagnosed withjuvenile rheumatoid arthritis in Lyme, Conn., and two neighboring towns.
tiny deer ticks infected with a spiral-shaped bacterium or spirochete (which was later
namedBorrelia burgdorferi) were responsible for the outbreak of arthritis in Lyme. Ordinary
"wood ticks" and "dog ticks" do not carry the infection.
Lyme disease is transmitted through a bite from a specific type of tick. The animals that most
often carry these insects are white-footed field mice, deer, raccoons, opossums, skunks, weasels,
foxes, shrews, moles, chipmunks, squirrels, and horses.

What Are the Symptoms of Lyme Disease?

In the early stages of Lyme disease, you may experience flu-like symptoms that can include
a stiff neck, chills, fever, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, and joint pain.
You also may experience a large, expanding skin rash around the area of the tick bite. In more
advanced disease, nerve problems and arthritis, especially in the knees, may occur.