Tick-borne borreliosis

The statistics, by the way, are interesting – in Russia, borreliosis (its second name is Lyme disease) is infected 3 times more often than encephalitis – about 6 people a year.

The carrier of the disease is ixodid ticks, in whose saliva, in addition to the encephalitis virus, bacteria of the genus Borrelia also live: Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia garinii and Borrelia afzelii. They do not harm the ticks themselves, but in humans they can cause serious health problems. And what is even more unpleasant – there is no vaccine for borreliosis.

Symptoms of tick-borne borreliosis

The main sign of borreliosis is an inflammatory reaction on the skin with a characteristic pattern in the form of a target: a red spot at the site of the bite and a red ring around it. The so-called annular erythema. However, the “target” does not appear immediately – the incubation period of borreliosis is from 7 to 14 days, less often up to 3 weeks, and in some cases it can be up to 3 months. And by the way, erythema also does not appear in everyone, so it is important to pay attention to other symptoms that often appear on the 10th day after infection:

• the temperature rises to 38 ° C;
• sweetness and malaise appear;
• headache;
• nausea;
• aches in muscles and bones;
• chills.

That is, the symptoms are very similar to SARS. Sometimes other symptoms are added to them, similar to a cold, which can be even more confusing:

• a sore throat;
• cough;
• conjunctivitis.

If against this background a “target” has formed at the site of the bite, then the picture is obvious. But if it is not there, you may not understand that it is borreliosis. The danger of the disease is also in the fact that often after a week all these symptoms disappear, just like during a cold. However, bacteria remain in the body, the disease becomes chronic and can lead to disability. For example, the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi causes a complication in the form of arthritis. Borrelia garinii causes nervous disorders. And Borrelia afzelii causes chronic skin diseases.

Treatment of tick-borne borreliosis

As a rule, borreliosis passes in a mild form, does not require hospitalization of the patient and is treated at home. But it is important to identify the disease in time, before it becomes chronic and does not give complications.

If the disease becomes severe, gives a complication, then the patient is placed in an infectious diseases hospital.

Diagnostics

In the vast majority of cases, an infected person develops circular erythema – the very “target” on which the diagnosis is made.

If there is no manifestation on the skin, then blood is taken for analysis – it is examined for the presence of antibodies to the pathogen.

Modern treatments

Since borreliosis is caused by bacteria, it is treated with antibiotics. The choice of drug, dose and duration of treatment depend on the severity of the disease and clinical manifestations.

After treatment, the patient should be observed by a doctor for another 2 years – after 3 months, six months, a year and two, they take tests for the presence of antibodies to bacteria to make sure that the disease is completely cured.

If there were complications, it may be necessary to observe a specialized specialist – a cardiologist, rheumatologist or neuropathologist, depending on which organs were affected.

Prevention of tick-borne borreliosis at home

Prevention here is the same as with encephalitis – the main task is to avoid a tick bite:

• in nature, try not to sit down, let alone lie down on the grass;
• wear long-sleeved clothing with cuffs that fit snugly around your wrists;
• when walking through the forest, put on a hood or scarf on your head;
• inspect clothes as often as possible to notice ticks in time;
• upon returning home, carefully examine the body and hair;
• if you find a stuck tick on yourself, remove it as soon as possible – the longer it drinks your blood, the more likely it is to get infected;
• do not tear or bring home wildflowers and forest flowers – ticks can hide in them;
• after walking on the street, especially in parks and squares, carefully inspect your pets;
• do not drink raw milk – cow, sheep and especially goat, and also do not eat products made from unboiled milk (sour cream, cheese, etc.) – they may contain borreliosis pathogens.

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