Lyme disease is a common tick-borne disease that affects majority of the people. There are different types of ticks that carries pathogens. These bacteria that reside within the ticks are capable of causing various infections, such as cat-scratch fever, anaplasmosis, tick-borne encephalitis, etc. Have you heard of Rocky Mountain spotted fever?
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a bacterial infection, which is spread through a tick bite. Both Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are transmitted through ticks, but caused by different bacteria. In this blog, we will discuss the key differences between the two tick-borne conditions.
What is Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection, which is caused by the bacterium “Borrelia burgdorferi”. It affects individuals, who are residing in Northeast, and upper Midwest regions. The tick attaches to the host surface and feeds on human blood. The chances of infection can be reduced if ticks are removed within 24 hours.
Clinical symptoms:
- Musculoskeletal pain
- Arthritis
- Facial nerve paralysis
- Skin rashes
Treatment options:
Antibiotics are prescribed for a period of 10-14 days to relieve the clinical symptoms. Antibiotic treatment depends on several factors, such as
- Clinical symptoms
- Patient’s age
- Existing allergies
- Pregnancy
Antibiotics such as amoxicillin, doxycycline, cephalosporin, etc are used to manage the symptoms of Lyme disease.
What is Rocky Mountain spotted fever?
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a tick-borne infection, which is caused by the bacterium, “Rickettsia rickettsii. Mostly, RSMF occurs during the months of April-September. The following ticks are responsible for transmitting the bacteria.
| American dog tick |
| Rocky mountain wood tick |
| Brown dog tick |
| Lone star tick |
Clinical symptoms:
Non-itchy skin rashes that begin on the arms, hands, and legs. These rashes comprise pink spots that occur within 5-10 days after the tick bite.
- Dilemma
- Sore throat
- Body pain and chills
- Reduced appetite
The bacteria affect the endothelial cells that line the small and medium vessels, leading to systemic symptoms. The bacterial entry can result in downregulation of the immune system.
When the endothelial cells are affected, it can cause
- Inflammation
- Changes in vascular permeability
- Loss of barrier integrity
Antibiotics, such as doxycycline are considered the treatment option for RSMF. Doxycycline is recommended for all patients, particularly those under 8 years, and pregnant ladies. People recover from clinical symptoms, such as fever within 24-48 hours. Individuals, who are experiencing chronic symptoms require longer duration of treatment. The mortality rate of RSMF ranges between 20-30% without proper antibiotic therapy.
Diagnosis of RSMF:
Blood tests and skin tests are used to diagnose RSMF. Your blood tests may not be positive for 7-10 days. To confirm the disease, blood test has to be repeated. In skin test, a small sample of skin is obtained to check for the signs.
