Diseases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diseases - Essay Example The CDC estimates that there are approximately 300 strains of Lyme disease (Matthews, 2012). Characteristics of the disease: Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is caused by the spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacterium also possesses several serotypes. Lyme borreliosis is transmitted through nymph and tick bites belonging to the genus lxodes. Humans are mainly infected by nymph bites. Lymph disease is mostly prevalent during the summer period. The onset of the disease is characterized by early lesions on the skin which have a central zone and expand in ring form. Other symptoms include myalgia, fever, rash, chills and migraines (McPhee & Papadakis, 2010). The patient also has a case of unexplained tendonitis, depression, insomnia and the appearance of floaters in the eyes. The disease may also progress to meningeal pathology and can also involve the central nervous system. Joint pains are also characteristic of later stages of the disease. Other symptoms that are less common in Lyme disease include inflammation of the eye, severe fatigue and hepatitis (McPhee & Papadakis, 2010). Treatment of the disease involves administrations of oral and intravenous antibiotics such as doxycycline, amoxicillin and cefuroxime (McPhee & Papadakis, 2010). Problems with diagnosing, preventing, treating or eradicating the disease: Firstly it is difficult to stop Lyme disease due to the fact that the vectors (ticks) are impossible to eradicate entirely. There is also difficulty in the diagnostic process of Lyme disease due to the fact that the â€Å"bull’s eye rash† that is considered a positive indication of the disease does not appear in all the patients. In addition, the disease has adverse impacts on organs of elimination; therefore, any type of rash can be a sign of Lyme disease. Other conditions that have been associated