Ticks and the Lyme Disease - Essay Example

Lyme disease is one of the major disease transmitted by the tick, the tick however only acts as the agent and the main reservoir of the disease causing bacteria are rodents and birds, this disease is in sometime relatively difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are similar with those of other viral infections, however the unique symptom is the red rash that appears but may not appear in all individuals infected. Ticks have four developmental stages and this include the egg which develops into larva, the larva develops into a nymph and finally the nymph develops into an adult, in order to develop to the next stage a tick has to feed on blood, the nymph ticks have 6 legs but when they have grown to the last stage the number of legs increase to eight legs, the inability to jump or fly makes them wait for their host in areas where the host frequent.

Therefore Ticks are mostly found in tall grass where they wait for their host, they attach to the host foot and climb up the host and find an appropriate spot where they attach themselves on the skin of the animal, for a few days they will feed on blood until they are full where they will drop off the animal. The disease is usually transmitted by ticks in the nymph stage, this is because the adult tick is easily detected and removed. Ticks that transmit the disease carry and transmit Borrelia bacteria.

However the tick may also carry other parasites which cause the other tick borne diseases, The Borrelia bacteria have a life cycle and rodents and birds act as reservoirs of the bacteria, the rodent and bird feeding ticks will take a blood feed and transmit the bacterial to humans, as a result the ticks are only agents of the bacteria. This bacterium is susceptible to many antibiotics especially if treatment is delayed.Parts of the body they infect: Ticks will feed on a host, the tick will stick on the skin of a host and take a blood feed, this leads to a bacteria infection which passes on to the bloodstream of the host, a red spot appears at the point where the tick bites and this is due to the Borrelia bacteria infection.

The Borrelia bacteria invade cultured cells which include Fibroblasts, Endothelium, Lymphocytes, Keratinocytes macrophages and neuronal cells. By hiding in these cells the bacteria is able to invade the immune system and therefore treatment with antibiotics becomes difficult. When treatment is delayed the bacteria causes a chronic infection because it evades the immune system.How illness is contracted:During the first stage of infection the red rash appears on the spot where the infection occurs, this rash becomes larger over time in some time other spots may appear in other parts of the body, weeks after infection the bacteria enters the blood stream and therefore the rashes may develop in other parts of the body, migrating muscle pains, joint pains may also be experienced as the infection spreads in other parts of the body.

Changes in the heart beat may also be experienced and this may cause dizziness as infection spread.Symptoms:In the first stage a red rash appear on the bite site which is painless, however it is estimated that one