你需要知道的關(guān)于萊姆病的一切

你需要知道的關(guān)于萊姆病的一切

You may want to be more wary when walking in the woods this summer.

今年夏天，當你在樹林里散步時，你可能需要更加小心。

The rate of Lyme disease cases has been climbing in the last two decades, and this year's Lyme disease season brings an added concern: The symptoms are similar to those caused by COVID-19. But you can't allow the terror of ticks to keep you from the great outdoors — just be informed.

在過去的20年里，萊姆病的發(fā)病率一直在攀升，而今年的萊姆病季節(jié)又增加了一個擔憂:這些癥狀與新冠病毒引起的癥狀類似。但是你不能讓蜱蟲的恐懼阻止你進入戶外——只要知道就行了。

Lyme disease is more common in northern areas of the United States than other regions due to the presence of animals that ticks like to feed upon. (Photo: Schlegelfotos/Shutterstock)

Lyme disease — so named because it was first reported in the United States in the town of Old Lyme, Connecticut, in 1975 — is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. It is spread through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks (also known as deer ticks) in the Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes regions as well as New England. It can also be spread by the western blacklegged tick in the Pacific Northwest.

萊姆病——之所以如此命名，是因為它于1975年在美國康涅狄格州的Old Lyme鎮(zhèn)首次報道——是由Borrelia burgdorferi細菌引起的。它通過感染的黑腳蜱(也被稱為鹿蜱)的叮咬在大西洋中部、大湖地區(qū)以及新英格蘭地區(qū)傳播。它也可以通過西部黑腳蜱在太平洋西北部傳播。

Lyme disease is more common in northern states because of large numbers of the deer tick's preferred hosts: white-footed mice and deer, according to the American Lyme Disease Foundation. White-footed mice are the principal "reservoirs of infection" on which many larval and ticks feed, according to the website.

美國萊姆病基金會稱，萊姆病在美國北部各州更為常見，因為鹿蜱最喜歡的宿主有大量:白足鼠和鹿。白足鼠是許多幼蟲和扁虱的主要“感染源”。

The role of the mouse

老鼠的作用

White-footed mice infect up to 95% of ticks that feed on them. (Photo: Szasz-Fabian Jozsef/Shutterstock)

New York ecologists Rick Ostfeld and Felicia Keesing have been studying Lyme disease for more than two decades. They are able to predict how many cases there will be each year by counting the number of mice seen the year before.

紐約生態(tài)學家Rick Ostfeld和Felicia Keesing已經(jīng)研究萊姆病超過20年了。他們可以通過計算前一年看到的老鼠數(shù)量來預測每年會發(fā)生多少病例。

That's because mice are very efficient transmitters of the disease and infect the majority of ticks carrying Lyme in the Northeast. They infect as many as 95% of ticks that feed on them.

這是因為老鼠是這種疾病非常有效的傳播媒介，在美國東北部，大多數(shù)攜帶萊姆病的蜱都會被老鼠感染。它們感染多達95%的以它們?yōu)槭车尿缦x。

Areas where the winter has been mild and mice population is high will likely experience a risky summer for Lyme disease.

冬季氣候溫和、老鼠數(shù)量眾多的地區(qū)夏季可能會面臨萊姆病的危險。

Lyme disease symptoms

萊姆病的癥狀

Only certain ticks, like the deer tick pictured here, will transmit Lyme disease to humans. (Photo: Steven Ellingson/Shutterstock)

The telltale symptom of Lyme disease is a red, circular "bulls-eye" rash that appears five to 14 days after infection. The CDC says about 70% to 80% of people infected develop the rash, but Dr. Steven Soloway, a board-certified rheumatologist in Vineland, New Jersey, says the numbers may be higher and many people simply don't notice the rash. Other symptoms in this first stage of Lyme disease include fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint aches and swollen lymph nodes.

萊姆病的明顯癥狀是感染后5 - 14天出現(xiàn)紅色圓形“牛眼”皮疹。美國疾病控制與預防中心說，大約70%至80%的感染者會出現(xiàn)皮疹，但新澤西州維恩蘭市獲得認證的風濕病專家史蒂文·索洛韋博士說，這個數(shù)字可能更高，很多人根本就沒有注意到皮疹。萊姆病第一階段的其他癥狀包括疲勞、寒戰(zhàn)、發(fā)熱、頭痛、肌肉和關(guān)節(jié)疼痛以及淋巴結(jié)腫大。

Symptoms of stage 2 Lyme disease, also known as early disseminated Lyme disease, include swollen joints, particularly the knees. The symptoms are similar to rheumatoid arthritis. The difference, Soloway says, is that rheumatoid arthritis typically affects knuckles first.

萊姆病第二階段的癥狀，也稱為早期播散性萊姆病，包括關(guān)節(jié)腫脹，尤其是膝蓋。其癥狀類似于風濕性關(guān)節(jié)炎。Soloway說，不同之處在于，類風濕關(guān)節(jié)炎通常首先影響指關(guān)節(jié)。

Other symptoms include Bell's palsy and heart palpitations and dizziness due to changes in heartbeat.

其他癥狀包括貝爾氏麻痹、心悸和由于心跳變化引起的頭暈。

Lyme disease treatment

萊姆病的治療

If you've been bitten by a deer tick like this one, the telltale symptom of Lyme disease is a red, circular bulls-eye rash that appears five to 14 days after infection. (Photo: Steven Ellingson/Shutterstock)

Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics for two to four weeks. The vast majority of patients recover quickly, experts say. A small percentage of people treated for Lyme disease will continue to have some symptoms. Although sometimes called chronic Lyme disease, this condition is officially called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. The cause of PTLDS isn't known. But treatment, experts say, should target the specific symptoms, such as joint swelling. Long-term use of IV antibiotics is not appropriate, experts say.

萊姆病用抗生素治療兩到四周。專家說，絕大多數(shù)病人恢復得很快。一小部分接受萊姆病治療的人會繼續(xù)出現(xiàn)一些癥狀。雖然有時被稱為慢性萊姆病，這種疾病的正式名稱是治療后萊姆病綜合征。PTLDS的病因尚不清楚。但是專家說，治療應(yīng)該針對特定的癥狀，比如關(guān)節(jié)腫脹。專家說，長期使用靜脈注射抗生素是不合適的。

You can help prevent Lyme disease by taking steps to avoid a tick bite. Avoid bushy and grassy areas when walking in the woods, especially in the areas with deer ticks. Wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt and wear insect repellent containing DEET on exposed skin. After walking in wooded areas, thoroughly check the skin for the poppy seed-sized ticks.

你可以通過采取措施避免被蜱蟲叮咬來幫助預防萊姆病。在樹林中行走時，避免在濃密的草叢中行走，特別是在有鹿蜱的地方。穿長褲及長袖襯衫，并在外露的皮膚涂上含有避蚊胺的驅(qū)蟲劑。在樹林中行走后，要徹底檢查皮膚，看看有沒有罌粟籽大小的蜱蟲。