Lyme Disease
P.G. Koehler, P.E. Kaufman, A Chaskopoulou, and J F Bulter ( November, 2017 )
Summary
Lyme disease was first documented in the United States in 1975. The organism that causes Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of a tick. Lyme disease is named for the town in Connecticut where some of the first cases occurred in the United States. Lyme disease cases have since been documented in about 43 states, with over 15,000 cases reported annually between 1998 and 2004. Over 153,000 total cases were reported in the United States between 1993 and 2002. During 2002, 23,763 Lyme disease cases were reported, making this the peak year. During 2003-2005, 64,382 cases were reported. During the year of 2007, 27,444 cases of Lyme disease were reported, yielding a national average of 9.1 cases per 100,000 persons. Several cases of Lyme disease have been reported in Florida as well, corresponding to approximately 40 cases per year. The primary vector of Lyme disease in the United States is the black-legged deer tick. Other closely related ticks are also known to transmit the disease. Lyme disease is maintained in wild rodent populations, on which the larval and nymphal ticks develop. These immature ticks pick up the disease organism when they suck the blood of infected rodents. The nymphal and adult ticks then seek a larger host, such as deer or humans, to obtain their final blood meal and transmit the disease when they feed.
Details
| Organization | University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences |
| Publisher | University of Florida |
| Publication Date | November, 2017 |
| Publication Views | 1052 |
| Material Type | Written Material |
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