What is Lyme disease, an infection transmitted by ticks?

Lyme disease or borreliosis is an infection caused by bacterium usually transmitted by the bite of a hard tick, in Europe the most common is Ixodus castor.

On the occasion of May 1st, World Lyme Disease DayThe SOS Lyme Foundation has warned that climate change is causing tick populations to increase throughout the year, which “could increase the number of Lyme disease cases in Spain in the next decade.”

Hospitalizations due to Lyme disease in Spain tripled between 2005 and 2019, according to the National Epidemiological Center of the Carlos III Institute of Health.

Bites occur both directly, especially during outdoor activities, be it in nature or in parks, and indirectly, through pets. If early containment measures are not taken, it can lead to chronic and severe Lyme disease, which can even lead to death.

How to detect the disease

The greatest risk of developing the disease, which without adequate treatment becomes chronic, occurs in the spring in non-humid areas and in the summer in humid regions, which coincides with the most active phases of the vector.

After incubation period from three to 32 days symptoms of the early localized phase appear: the characteristic initial sign is Erythema migransskin lesions after vaccination, which, although appearing in 70-80% of cases, can go unnoticed and is usually accompanied by a flu-like syndrome.

If the disease is not treated, it progresses to early late phase which may occur within 3 months after the bite, with multiple erythema and/or acute neurological, cardiac and/or articular manifestations; The chronic phase, which occurs after several months or years, is characterized by the presence of tertiary neuroborreliosis and/or persistent arthritis lasting at least 6 months and/or cardiac manifestations.

Small size of tick larvae or nymphs, painless bite and the lack of clinical specificity means that the disease, which has been mandatory in Spain since 2015, is diagnosed late.