Word: lyme
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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TICK TEST Months before ticks are out full force, researchers have announced a new blood test that can detect Lyme disease as early as one week after a tick bite. That's a lot better than the current four to six weeks. The new test (not yet widely available, alas) detects antibodies to Lyme bacteria before they build up in the blood. That means patients can get on antibiotics sooner. Another benefit: the test can distinguish between past infections, which may not require medication, and new ones, which...
...especially looking forward to starting his collegiate career completely healthy. For the majority of his senior year of high school, Shevchik suffered from Lyme disease...
...Lyme disease isn't the only or even the deadliest tick-borne infection. Ever since 1986, when the first cases cropped up in the U.S., researchers have been keeping a watchful eye on a debilitating and sometimes fatal flu-like ailment called Ehrlichiosis. The infection is transmitted by the Lone Star tick in the southern half of the U.S. and the ever present deer tick in the north. It was once thought to afflict only dogs and horses, but four strains of bacteria that affect people have been identified in the past decade. Last week came word that a fifth...
What's particularly worrisome about Ehrlichiosis is that it's not easy to spot. There's no telltale rash, as occurs in Lyme disease. Nor is there an easy test for it. Doctors must rely on such circumstantial evidence as a low level of white blood cells and abnormal spots on those cells. And an antibiotic commonly prescribed for Lyme disease--amoxicillin--is useless for treating Ehrlichiosis. Fortunately, there's another drug, doxycycline, that does the trick. Left untreated, however, severe cases of the infection can kill in a few days...
...area of the bite with antiseptic, and place the tick in a plastic container marked with the date in case your doctor needs to test it later to confirm a diagnosis. Most important, don't delay getting medical help if you develop a fever or rash. Both Ehrlichiosis and Lyme disease are easily cured if caught right away...