Lyme Disease is it Contagious

Lyme Disease is it Contagious
"Is Lyme Disease contagious?" is a question asked by many
folks who wonder why their family members all have the
disease too.

As my step son who is getting his life back from Lyme says,
"Lyme is like an octopus. It reaches out with its many arms
to other members of the family." Once one member of the
family is diagnosed with the disease it is not uncommon to
find that one or more other members have it as well. You
may be surprised, as I was, to learn that tests results
reveal several generations of one family testing positive
for Lyme.

So, how does this happen that many members of a family have
Lyme but their friends do not. How is this disease passed
from one human being to another? This is an important
question.

Lyme bacteria are passed from one person to another through
the blood and at least one other body fluid. Although Lyme
can be passed to a person via blood transfusions, the most
commonly known ways people get Lyme include:

• Tick bite

• Mosquito bite

• From a man to his sexual partners through semen

• From a woman to her unborn children in utero

• Dogs, horses, cats, rats, mice

All get sick with Lyme and pass it on to those who inhale
the vapors of their infected feces. As you may imagine this
method of transfer occurs most frequently among those who
clean cat litter boxes and horse stables.

When presented with this information, people often wonder
aloud:

"If a mother passes it onto her unborn children, is Lyme a
genetic disorder." The answer is, "No, Lyme is not a
genetic disorder. The Lyme bacteria transfers from the
mother to the child in the blood."

"Is Lyme an autoimmune disorder?" Gone untreated Lyme can
strip away the T-cells, the immune system's front line of
defense against unwanted foreign invaders. When those
T-cells are low, the B-cells try to do the job of the
T-cells. B-cells can end up attacking the body itself as
they are not designed to deal with foreign invaders.

By way of brief example my husband spent some 30 years of
his life in treatment and with surgeries associated with
the diagnosis of Crohn's disease. Crohn's is referred to as
an autoimmune disorder. The immune system seemingly turns
on itself, and cause ulcerations of the digestive tract.
Turns out he regained excellent health when he was finally
diagnosed as having and received treatment for Lyme and
Lyme related co-infections. As soon as those were treated
and resolved all of the symptoms here-to-fore thought of as
Crohn's symptoms were gone.

The next question that is voiced is, "How do I protect my
family." Watch out for ticks wear light colored clothing
when you are outside especially in heavily wooded areas.
You will be able to see little ticks on light colored
fabric and brush them off. Be especially watchful during
the months of May and October when tick are being born and
are active. Tick and mosquito repellants can be helpful as
well.

Check with your veterinarian about Lyme symptoms in pets.
And finally if you are symptomatic be sure and stay in
close touch with a Lyme literate physician.

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