What is Lyme disease

When it comes to Lyme disease, everyone may be relatively unfamiliar with it, so some people often consult some common knowledge about Lyme disease on the Internet, such as what is Lyme disease, what is caused by Lyme disease, the symptoms of Lyme disease, the treatment methods of Lyme disease, and a series of other questions. Today we asked experts to give you a detailed introduction to these issues about Lyme disease, hoping that it will be helpful to everyone.

Lyme disease is a disease with a wide geographical distribution, fast transmission speed and high disability rate. It is extremely harmful to humans because it can cause damage to multiple organs such as the heart, nerves and joints. So how is Lyme disease caused?

What is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is a multisystem illness caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Since the pathogenesis of Lyme disease is not yet clear, but it is mainly directly related to the infection of spirochetes, it is speculated that the immune response may also be involved in the onset of the disease. Borrelia burgdorferi is Gram-negative, and the outer layer of its cell wall contains lipopolysaccharide, which can stimulate macrophagic cells to release cytokines and thus cause local and systemic reactions in the infected person.

2. Main sources of infection of Borrelia burgdorferi

The host range of Borrelia burgdorferi is very wide. Its natural hosts mainly include humans, cattle, horses, dogs, cats, deer, raccoons, hares and other small sawtooth animals. Borrelia burgdorferi has been isolated from many arthropods such as deer flies, flies, mosquitoes, fleas, etc., but its main transmission route is through the bites of infected ticks. Although other ticks can also carry Lyme disease bacteria, their bites have not been proven to transmit the disease.

3. Tick transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi

Lyme disease is a tick-borne spirochete infection. The spirochete exists in the midgut of unfed infected ticks. During the tick feeding process, Borrelia burgdorferi undergoes cell division and gradually enters the blood cavity. A few hours later, it can invade the salivary glands of the tick and enter the bite site through saliva. Therefore, dogs and humans may become infected if they enter an epidemic area with infected ticks.

In addition, Borrelia burgdorferi may also be transmitted through infections of mucous membranes, conjunctivae, and skin wounds. Populations susceptible to Lyme disease 4 Lyme disease is widely distributed geographically and is generally susceptible to the general population, but it is more common in people who enter or live in forest areas and rural areas, with slightly more men than women.