Ticks and Lyme's Disease

[lloyd103]

6 hours ago, Alan Smith said:

Been following this topic with interest. As veterinary surgeon ticks hold a great deal of interest. A few points, some more pedantic than others!

 1. It's Lyme disease, not Lyme's. Named after a small town in New Hampshire.

 2. Don't knock the Doc's. Compared with 20 years ago most of them are really on it now and considering the try not to use antibiotics ethos that we live in nowadays I know that in this area (Sussex) if you report a tick bite you will almost automatically be put on antibiotics.

3. New kid on the block. Tick Bourne Encephalitis. TBE.  Seriously this makes Lyme disease look like a walk in the park. It's a viral disease, so antibiotics won't help. Affects animals and humans equally and is potentially fatal. We are just starting to see cases reported in the UK. As an interesting side note, the serotype of Lyme disease that is prevalent in the UK does not seem to affect dogs. In the US Lyme is a fairly common disease in dogs. I have tested many dogs here in the UK over the last 30years and have still to see a positive titre.

 

 I think the basic message here is don't ignore ticks, if you get a bite do something about it particularly if you feel ill post bite. Despite what has been said in the posts above I thing most GPs are aware and ready to treat where required.

This is incredibly valuable perspective, especially coming from someone in the veterinary field. The point about GPs being much more on it now is really reassuring, it’s easy to get caught up in older narratives

[sime42]

11 hours ago, Alan Smith said:

Been following this topic with interest. As veterinary surgeon ticks hold a great deal of interest. A few points, some more pedantic than others!

 1. It's Lyme disease, not Lyme's. Named after a small town in New Hampshire.

 2. Don't knock the Doc's. Compared with 20 years ago most of them are really on it now and considering the try not to use antibiotics ethos that we live in nowadays I know that in this area (Sussex) if you report a tick bite you will almost automatically be put on antibiotics.

3. New kid on the block. Tick Bourne Encephalitis. TBE.  Seriously this makes Lyme disease look like a walk in the park. It's a viral disease, so antibiotics won't help. Affects animals and humans equally and is potentially fatal. We are just starting to see cases reported in the UK. As an interesting side note, the serotype of Lyme disease that is prevalent in the UK does not seem to affect dogs. In the US Lyme is a fairly common disease in dogs. I have tested many dogs here in the UK over the last 30years and have still to see a positive titre.

 

 I think the basic message here is don't ignore ticks, if you get a bite do something about it particularly if you feel ill post bite. Despite what has been said in the posts above I thing most GPs are aware and ready to treat where required.

 

 

Thanks Alan. I don't even know why I wrote Lyme's - when those links and the leaflet I was reading all say Lyme Disease, mental block. I can't edit the OP now unfortunately, too old probably. 

 

 

[Alan Smith]

No criticism implied.

[Macpherson]

Lyme disease is named after the town of Old Lyme in Connecticut USA which has the highest incidence of Lyme disease recorded [ reputedly ]

It's the nearest town to Plum Island off the NE coast of America which after WW2 many German biological weapons scientists were relocated to when the war ended [ allegedly ] much like Wernher von Braun and his band of rocket scientists who were given a free pass to the USA.

 

Fairly easy to research for anyone who wants to look, although difficult to deep dive.... Just food for thought.