What do you get lymes disease from

It ran from to Lyme Corps members consisted of medical and public health students chosen annually from a selected university system in areas of high Lyme disease incidence. Universities and states involved in Lyme Corps included:. Lyme Corps members were not federal employees; their views and opinions did not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the U.

CDC has a program of service, research, and education focusing on the prevention and control of Lyme disease. Activities of this program include:. In addition, the TickNET program supports research that contributes to the understanding of tickborne diseases. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Lyme Disease. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate.

Minus Related Pages. Transmission I've been bitten by a tick. Do I have Lyme disease? Can Lyme disease be transmitted sexually? Can Lyme disease be transmitted through breast milk? Can Lyme disease be transmitted during a blood transfusion? Is it true that you can get Lyme disease anywhere in the U. In the United States, most infections occur in the following endemic areas: Northeast and mid-Atlantic, from northeastern Virginia to Maine North central states, mostly in Wisconsin and Minnesota West Coast, particularly northern California Maps showing the distribution of human cases are based on where people live, which because of travel, is not necessarily where they became infected.

I live in the southeastern U. Is this true? Can I be treated based on my symptoms or do I need to use a different test? Several weeks after infection, FDA cleared tests have very good sensitivity. It is possible for someone who was infected with Lyme disease to test negative because: Some people who receive antibiotics e. Antibodies against Lyme disease bacteria usually take a few weeks to develop, so tests performed before this time may be negative even if the person is infected.

In this case, if the person is retested a few weeks later, they should have a positive test if they have Lyme disease. It is not until 4 to 6 weeks have passed that the test is likely to be positive. This does not mean that the test is bad, only that it needs to be used correctly. I am pregnant and think I might have Lyme disease. What should I do? If I have been diagnosed with Lyme disease, is it possible that I also have other tickborne diseases co-infections?

Additional research is needed to know how often these co-infections occur. Lyme disease and human granulocytic anaplasmosis coinfection: impact of case definition on coinfection rates and illness severity external icon. Clin Infect Dis. Disease-specific diagnosis of coinfecting tickborne zoonoses: babesiosis, human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, and Lyme disease external icon. Clinical and epidemiological features of early Lyme disease and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Wisconsin external icon.

Prospective study of coinfection in patients with erythema migrans external icon. Chronic coinfections in patients diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease: a systematic review external icon. Am J Med. Bartonella transmission by ticks not established. Emerg Infect Dis. I have been sick for a few years with joint and muscle pain, fatigue, and difficulty thinking. I was tested for Lyme disease using a Western Blot test. Is Lyme disease the cause of my symptoms? Where can I get a test to make sure that I am cured?

My serologic blood test for Lyme disease is still positive even though I finished three weeks of antibiotics. Does this mean I am still infected? I heard that if I get Lyme disease I will always have it.

Is that true? Can you recommend a doctor who is familiar with diagnosing and treating Lyme disease? Many doctors may not consider tick-borne diseases in diagnosing your illness unless you: Report being bitten by a tick, or Live in, or have recently visited, a tick-infested area. What is "chronic Lyme disease? The CDC notes that it is most common in children, older adults, and others such as firefighters and park rangers who spend time in outdoor activities and have higher exposure to ticks.

Check Your Symptoms. Image of B. Courtesy of Dr. Eva Sapi. Lyme disease is caused by a spirochete—a corkscrew-shaped bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. It can affect any organ of the body, including the brain and nervous system, muscles and joints, and the heart.

Patients with Lyme disease are frequently misdiagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, and various psychiatric illnesses, including depression. Misdiagnosis with these other diseases may delay the correct diagnosis and treatment as the underlying infection progresses unchecked. Most people get Lyme from the bite of the nymphal, or immature, form of the tick. Nymphs are about the size of a poppy seed. Because they are so tiny and their bite is painless, many people do not even realize they have been bitten.

Once a tick has attached, if undisturbed it may feed for several days. The longer it stays attached, the more likely it will transmit the Lyme and other pathogens into your bloodstream.

Refer to tick section. If pregnant women are infected, they sometimes pass Lyme disease to their unborn children and, while not common, stillbirth has occurred. Some doctors believe other types of human-to-human transmission are possible but little is known for certain. Lyme disease has been found on every continent except Antarctica. Data and Statistics. Preventing Tick Bites. Tick Removal and Testing.

Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome. Health Care Providers. Educational Materials. Why is CDC concerned about Lyme disease? Tickborne Disease Information for Clinicians.

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