Transmission of Lyme Disease

There is lots of contradictory information about how Lyme disease and other tick borne infections are transmitted. Many doctors will tell you that the tick needs to be attached to you for at least 36 hours before it can transmit Lyme disease to you. But, we are still trying to find any evidence or research showing this to be true.

On the other hand, we have found quite a bit of research to the contrary. There seems to be a lot of research stating that tick borne illnesses can be transmitted even in less than ten hours. Also, remember most people never even see the tick that attached to them, as it may be hidden in their hairline or some place easily missed, so how would anyone know how long the tick was attached?

As for which type of bugs transmit Lyme disease and other tick borne infections, so far science has only proven ticks transmit these diseases. But, science has proven that other bugs carry these illnesses. The consensus seems to be that because spider, mosquitos or flies bite you quickly, that they cannot pass it to a human. However, since the studies below show this not to be true, how true can this statement be? Many Lyme patients claim to have been bitten by spiders or flies before developing the bull’s eye rash.

I am not a doctor or professional researcher. I am just a Lyme patient looking for answers myself. So this information I collect, is just for the sake of trying to find answers to what is making our generation so sick. Whether you call it Lyme disease, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or whatever, there is something making a bunch of us sick, with no known cause. Of course, unless that cause happens to be Borrelia Burgdorferi and/or a combination of co infections.   ~Lisa Hilton

How long does a Tick have to be Attached to Transmit Lyme Disease?

The CDC Says:

“In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours or more before the Lyme disease bacterium can be transmitted.” http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/index.html

But this is simply Not true: Transmission can happen quicker.

• Lyme: Rapid bacterial transmission following a tick bite shown in European study
• Study finds nymphal ticks can transmit Lyme within 12 hours
• Lyme borreliosis: a review of data on transmission time after tick attachment
• HARD SCIENCE ON LYME: Ticks can transmit infection the first day.
• Clinical evidence for rapid transmission of Lyme disease following a tickbite.
• Transmission from Saliva is Now Proven, Doesn’t Need to Come from the Gut Ruling out the “72 hour attachment Rule”
• The hypothesis that Lyme disease spirochetes were transmitted via the salivary gland route was confirmed when spirochetes were actually identified in tick saliva^.
• Lyme borreliosis: a review of data on transmission time after tick attachment
• Lyme Disease Transmission and Tick Saliva

What Bugs Transmit Lyme Disease?

According to the CDC:

“There is no credible evidence that Lyme disease can be transmitted through air, food, water, or from the bites of mosquitoes, flies, fleas, or lice.” http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/

However:

Research Shows:
Studies do show that other bugs carry Lyme Disease. It also shows that many of the co infections can be passed through other bugs too.  More studies are necessary to prove that these other vectors can pass Lyme to humans.

• German study finds Lyme in mosquitoes
• SWARMING DEER FLIES COULD QUICKLY EXPOSE PEOPLE TO LYME DISEASE AND ANAPLASMOSIS
• Bartonella Transmitted Through Dust Mites
• Novel spirochetes isolated from mosquitoes and black flies in the Czech Republic

So Why does the CDC Say:

“Ticks not known to transmit Lyme disease include Lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum), the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), the Rocky Mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni), and the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus).” http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/

When Research Shows:

• Lone Star Ticks Can Also Pass Lyme
• Ticks and mosquitoes as vectors of Borrelia burgdorferi s. l. in the forested areas of Szczecin
• Clark and his team identified lone star ticks removed from humans who tested positive for Lyme bacteria
• Proven – Lyme Disease Is Spread By Mites, Spiders, Mosquitoes, Fleas
• Lyme Borreliosis in Human Patients in Florida and Georgia, USA
• Tokyo (AFP) – A Japanese woman has died from a tick-borne virus after being bitten by a stray cat in what is possibly the world’s first animal-to-human transmission of the disease.

And don’t forget the Co infections

• STUDY RAISES CONCERNS FOR BABESIA PATIENTS AND BLOOD BANKS
• STARI Transmitted by Lone Star Tick
• Colorado Fever Spread by Wood Tick
• Erlichiosis Found in Blood Banks
• Cat Scratch Fever (Bartonella) transmitted by the bite or the saliva of a cat.
• Babesia in the Blood Bank
• Lone star tick implicated in Lyme disease in the South

Is Lyme Disease Sexually Transmitted?

Then the CDC says:

“There is no credible scientific evidence that Lyme disease can be spread from person-to-person through sexual contact. The biology of the Lyme spirochete is not consistent with sexual transmission, attempts to demonstrate sexual transmission in infected animals have all failed, and there has not been a single, adequately documented case of sexual transmission of Lyme disease reported in the scientific literature.” http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/faq/

Yet there are these studies that show otherwise:

• Culture and identification of Borrelia spirochetes in human vaginal and seminal secretions
• Expanded Study Confirms that Lyme Disease May Be Sexually Transmitted
• Lyme Disease: Sexually Transmitted? 
• Recovery of Spirochetes in Semen
• The Causes of Lyme Disease
• Monogamous? This STI Won’t Care

Can Lyme Disease be Passed Congenitally or through Breastfeeding?

The CDC says:

“Lyme disease acquired during pregnancy may lead to infection of the placenta and possible stillbirth; however, no negative effects on the fetus have been found when the mother receives appropriate antibiotic treatment. There are no reports of Lyme disease transmission from breast milk.” (From http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/transmission/)

Research seems to prove othewise.

• Pregnancy and Tick-borne Diseases: Gestational Lyme Charles Ray Jones, MD
• Borrelia burgdorferi in a newborn despite oral penicillin for Lyme borreliosis during pregnancy
• Could Lyme Disease be Transmitted to Newborns?
• Maternal Lyme disease and congenital malformations: a cord blood serosurvey in endemic and control areas
• Recovery of Spirochetes in Semen and Breast Milk
• U.S. Department of Agriculture’s USDA guidelines on Infant Nutrition and Feeding- (Page 74) “Other infectious diseases for which breastfeeding may need to be temporarily discontinued while therapy is initiated or the risk of transmission is passed include hepatitis, cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus, varicella-zoster virus, tuberculosis, and Lyme disease.”

• Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi DNA by polymerase chain reaction in the urine and breast milk of patients with Lyme borreliosis.

• Proven – Lyme Disease Is Spread By Mites, Spiders, Mosquitoes, Fleas
  It Is Also Spread Via ALL Body Fluids By Patricia Doyle, PhD

Can I get Lyme Disease through a Blood Transfusion?

The CDC Says:

“Although no cases of Lyme disease have been linked to blood transfusion, scientists have found that the Lyme disease bacteria can live in blood that is stored for donation. Individuals being treated for Lyme disease with an antibiotic should not donate blood. Individuals who have completed antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease may be considered as potential blood donors. Information on the current criteria for blood donation is available on the Red Cross website .”

Research Shows:

While research might not show Lyme Disease has been transmitted “YET,” there are several people claiming they got infected  through a blood transmission. There is research showing spirochetes have been found in the blood stored for transfusions. Several of the co infections such as Babesia, Anaplasmosis and Erlichiosis have now been proven to be transmitted.

• • Erlichiosis- Boy Gets Rare Tick Infection Through Transfusion
  • Anaplasmosis- Anaplasma phagocytophilum Transmitted Through Blood Transfusion — Minnesota, 2007
  • Tick Borne Illnesses Infiltrate our Blood Supply
  • Babesia Transmitted Through a Blood Transfusion in California
  • Can Babesia be Transmitted Through a Blood Tranfusion?
  • Currently, there are no FDA licensed tests to screen blood donations for Babesia
  • Erlichiosis Found in Blood Banks

Expanded Study Confirms that Lyme Disease May Be Sexually Transmitted

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