Frequently Asked Questions & Myths

Many people get Lyme and/or other associated illnesses from the bite of a tick. (However, this is NOT the only way these diseases can be acquired or transmitted.) A tick is NOT an insect. It is an arachnid like a spider. Nymphal (immature) ticks are about the size of a poppy seed, and appear to be the ones carrying the most pathogens. Other ticks at various stages in the life cycle can transmit pathogens as well. Because ticks are so tiny and their bite is painless, many people do not even realize they have been bitten. 

Ticks are genetically engineered to survive with special features, an example of this is that they can transmit pathogens within minutes. Please visit these sites for reliable tick identification and helpful tick information. https://web.uri.edu/tickencounter/, 

https://ticktracker.com/resources/ and https://www.tickreport.com/faqs .

Once a tick has attached, if undisturbed it may feed for several days. Some studies have indicated that other bugs carry and can transmit some of these pathogens also. If pregnant women are infected, they can pass Lyme disease and other co-infections to their unborn children. Some experts in the field believe that other types of human-to-human transmissions are possible.

 Lyme disease has been found to exist on every continent.  It is a problem all across the United States. Rates of reported Lyme disease and co-infections have increased significantly over time. Not all ticks are infected. (There are links listed above to assist with tracking infected ticks reported in your area.) 

Within endemic areas, there is considerable variation in tick infection rates depending on the type of habitat, presence of wildlife, and other factors. Tick infection rates can vary from region to region and from season to season. This uncertainty about ticks that are infected, makes it hard to predict the risk of Lyme disease and its associated diseases, in a given region.

Experts disagree about how long it takes for a tick to transmit Lyme disease or other vector-borne illnesses.  Many experts in the field, believe that- along with what we know about arachnid behaviors and documentation of anecdotal records and some published works, ticks are able transmit pathogens within minutes of attachment, causing illness. 

While it is commonly “accepted” that the tick must be attached more than 24 hours to transmit pathogens, there are no studies to confirm this. Logically speaking, transmission time is not a very reliable factor in deciding whether or not to be treated because many people who are infected, never recall getting a tick bite, and if they do- there is no way to know how long it has been attached!! For children, it is even more difficult, next to impossible, to determine attachement time!  Using a risk/benefit analysis and advocating for yourself and your family, is the safest and smartest way. 

The short answer is no. If you do get a rash, it has to be in a place that it can be easily seen, and most EM rashes. (erythema migrans) are NOT typical. 

Here are some great resources with visual examples of atypical 'Lyme rashes-' https://www.lymedisease.org/lyme-rash-not-always-bulls-eye/ 

and

 https://www.bayarealyme.org/blog/lyme-disease-bullseye-rash/ . 

****Also needed to mentioned here, is that there are also rashes connected to some of the other infections and associated illnesses 

Lyme disease should be clinically diagnosed. 

This means  that a medical professional must evaluate your patterns of symptoms, your previous medical records, including test results of any kind, any physical symptoms and manifestations, possible exposure risk, and most importantly, they should be having a dialogue with you, while they are listening to you. An 'old-fashioned' clinical diagnosis-using a risk- benefit analysis when determining any treatment protocol IS always the best way to determine whether you have a disease. No single factor or test result is enough to determine whether you do or do not have Lyme or other associated illnesses. **(Please keep in mind, that when a medical professional determines whether or not a patient has MS, ALS, Dementia, Parkinson's, etc., a clinical diagnosis, is also used, for there are no blood tests that can determine these diagnoses, either.)**

• Tick bite and exposure risk. A patient who recalls a tick bite should tell their medical provider.  However, just because a you don’t recall a tick bite doesn’t mean you  don’t have Lyme. Many patients with Lyme disease never recall a tick   bite. 
• Rash, of any type. Other infections also can cause a rash such as,Borrelia miyamotoi and B.  mayonii, anaplasma, ehrlichia, and bartonella has  been associated with “vasculitic rashes” that can resemble stretch  marks or scattered red lesions on various parts of the body. Other tick borne infectors, like spotted fever rickettsiae, also can cause rashes, but are transmitted by different ticks.
• Other Symptoms. Lyme disease has been called the “great imitator.” Borrelia burgdorferi can infect multiple organs and tissues, producing a wide range of symptoms.  Lyme can mimic rheumatologic and neurologic conditions, as well as chronic  fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and many difficult-to-diagnose multi-system illnesses. Patients with longer lasting cases of Lyme disease may be misdiagnosed with many disorders.
• Testing. No testing is necessary when a patient has an EM rash and a story that fits with Lyme disease. Testing at this early time is unlikely to give a positive result because  it takes time to develop antibodies to the infection.  Current tests, many times fail to identify patients who do in fact have Lyme disease if      testing is done too early or too late in the illness. A negative test result alone is not sufficient to definitively rule out Lyme disease as the cause of your symptoms.

(Source: ILADEF, https://iladef.org/education/lyme-disease-faq/)