你需要知道的关于莱姆病的一切

你需要知道的关于莱姆病的一切

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

今年夏天，当你在树林里散步时，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.

在过去的20年里，莱姆病的发病率一直在攀升，而今年的莱姆病季节又增加了一个担忧:这些症状与新冠病毒引起的症状类似。但是你不能让蜱虫的恐惧阻止你进入户外——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.

莱姆病——之所以如此命名，是因为它于1975年在美国康涅狄格州的Old Lyme镇首次报道——是由Borrelia burgdorferi细菌引起的。它通过感染的黑脚蜱(也被称为鹿蜱)的叮咬在大西洋中部、大湖地区以及新英格兰地区传播。它也可以通过西部黑脚蜱在太平洋西北部传播。

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.

美国莱姆病基金会称，莱姆病在美国北部各州更为常见，因为鹿蜱最喜欢的宿主有大量:白足鼠和鹿。白足鼠是许多幼虫和扁虱的主要“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.

纽约生态学家Rick Ostfeld和Felicia Keesing已经研究莱姆病超过20年了。他们可以通过计算前一年看到的老鼠数量来预测每年会发生多少病例。

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.

这是因为老鼠是这种疾病非常有效的传播媒介，在美国东北部，大多数携带莱姆病的蜱都会被老鼠感染。它们感染多达95%的以它们为食的蜱虫。

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

冬季气候温和、老鼠数量众多的地区夏季可能会面临莱姆病的危险。

Lyme disease symptoms

莱姆病的症状

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.

莱姆病的明显症状是感染后5 - 14天出现红色圆形“牛眼”皮疹。美国疾病控制与预防中心说，大约70%至80%的感染者会出现皮疹，但新泽西州维恩兰市获得认证的风湿病专家史蒂文·索洛韦博士说，这个数字可能更高，很多人根本就没有注意到皮疹。莱姆病第一阶段的其他症状包括疲劳、寒战、发热、头痛、肌肉和关节疼痛以及淋巴结肿大。

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.

莱姆病第二阶段的症状，也称为早期播散性莱姆病，包括关节肿胀，尤其是膝盖。其症状类似于风湿性关节炎。Soloway说，不同之处在于，类风湿关节炎通常首先影响指关节。

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

其他症状包括贝尔氏麻痹、心悸和由于心跳变化引起的头晕。

Lyme disease treatment

莱姆病的治疗

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.

莱姆病用抗生素治疗两到四周。专家说，绝大多数病人恢复得很快。一小部分接受莱姆病治疗的人会继续出现一些症状。虽然有时被称为慢性莱姆病，这种疾病的正式名称是治疗后莱姆病综合征。PTLDS的病因尚不清楚。但是专家说，治疗应该针对特定的症状，比如关节肿胀。专家说，长期使用静脉注射抗生素是不合适的。

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.

你可以通过采取措施避免被蜱虫叮咬来帮助预防莱姆病。在树林中行走时，避免在浓密的草丛中行走，特别是在有鹿蜱的地方。穿长裤及长袖衬衫，并在外露的皮肤涂上含有避蚊胺的驱虫剂。在树林中行走后，要彻底检查皮肤，看看有没有罂粟籽大小的蜱虫。