A team of researchers led by the Yale School of Public Health has found that the Lyme disease bacterium is ancient in North America, circulating silently in forests for at least 60,000 years—long before the disease was first described in Lyme, Connecticut, in 1976 and long before the arrival of humans.

How did Lyme disease begin?

The 1980s. In 1981, a scientist who was studying Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (also caused by a tick bite) began to study Lyme disease. This scientist, Willy Burgdorfer, found the connection between the deer tick and the disease. He discovered that a bacterium called a spirochete, carried by ticks, was causing Lyme.

Is Lyme disease a man made disease?

Some claim that Lyme disease was introduced into the northeastern region of the U.S. by a man-made strain of Borrelia burgdorferi that escaped from a high containment biological warfare laboratory on Plum Island. However, there is ample evidence to indicate that both Ixodes ticks and B.

What animal did Lyme disease come from?

Immature ticks, called nymphs, are the primary transmission source of Lyme disease in humans. They are much smaller than adult ticks and harder to see. Disease in humans can vary from no illness to severe disease. Signs may start 1 to 2 weeks after infection (tick bite).

When was Lyme disease discovered and by whom?

During 1982, Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, was discovered and the first brochure addressing Lyme disease was developed by the Arthritis Foundation. Serology testing became widely available in Connecticut during 1984. In 1987, Lyme disease became a reportable disease.

What are man made diseases?

For the purposes of this discussion, the man-made diseases are defined as those diseases which would not have occurred if man had not deliberately interfered with his environment 1.

Is Lyme disease caused by a bacteria or virus?

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and rarely, Borrelia mayonii. It is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans.

What animals are immune to Lyme disease?

And even better- opossums have immune systems that are really good at fighting off Lyme disease, so ticks are less likely to contract and spread the disease after biting an opossum. Opossums are really interesting animals.

What was the first case of Lyme disease?

When Lyme disease was first identified in rural Connecticut in 1975, the cause of its rheumatoid arthritis-like symptoms was unknown.

What is an example of a man-made disaster?

Man-made disasters are extreme hazardous events that are caused by human beings. Some examples of man-made disaster emergencies include chemical spills, hazardous material spills, explosions, chemical or biological attacks, nuclear blast, train accidents, plane crashes, or groundwater contamination.

How do diseases arise?

Most emerging infections appear to be caused by pathogens already present in the environment, brought out of obscurity or given a selective advantage by changing conditions and afforded an opportunity to infect new host populations (on rare occasions, a new variant may also evolve and cause a new disease) (2,4).