![Tick that has the potential to spread Lyme disease. / [Image by Frankieleon via Flickr, CC BY 2.0]]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/6/29/660x290/b_502x220x82/tick-that-has-the-potential-to-spread-lyme-disease-image-by-frankieleon-via-flickr-cc-by-20_1421191.jpg "Tick that has the potential to spread Lyme disease. / [Image by Frankieleon via Flickr, CC BY 2.0]]")
Each year, there are 30,000 cases of Lyme Disease reported which many researchers believe are lower numbers than they believe are actually infected. This is considering the fact that millions of Americans are constantly exposed to the outdoors and tick bites during the summer months.
Currently, the Ticks spreading a meat allergy have been making headlines. But studies suggest that 10 to 15 percent of those reported to have Lyme disease have describe long-lasting symptoms such as memory lapses, fatigue and joint pain. The problem, however, is that there is currently no vaccine for Lyme disease for humans but there is for dogs, unless one considers sports clothing at the very least a preventive measure.
Experiments to detect Lyme disease bacteria
In a report by PBS Newshour, a patient who was involved in a study said that they were still experiencing symptoms of Lyme disease long after being on antibiotic treatment.
Despite various efforts, doctors were not been able to detect if the bacteria that causes the disease was still in the patient's body. Dr. Linden Hu of Tufts University hoped that by using ticks, he could find it. His experiment was to see if by placing 30 ticks on the patient's arm, this Lyme disease bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi would gravitate to them like a magnet.
The way Dr. Hu explains it is that the bacteria is so well-adapted to the tick that the bacteria can sense the tick and concentrate to where the ticks are on the arm.
Of course, this means that the tick would have to bite in order to get the bacteria. These ticks were bred in a lab without any chance of them having the bacteria which would only come from the host. Dr. Hu said that he would then grind up the ticks and check them for the disease.
New efforts towards a vaccine
The PBS Newshour report also spoke with Dr.
Allen Steere who has been involved with research in Lyme disease since 1975. Dr Steere was the first to be able to make the connection between children showing symptoms of arthritis with Lyme back then. His commitment has been around Lyme disease and it's connection with humans. Dr. Steere was able to develop a vaccine which was said to be 80 percent effective against the disease back in 1998.
But the people taking it began to complain that the vaccine made their symptoms worst without any proof. Their threats to sue forced the vaccine to be taken off the market.
But the vaccine is now only given to dogs. Dr. Steere feels that it's time to bring that vaccine back to people. He currently does not have any involvement in the new one that is being tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration which was developed by a French biotech firm called Valneva.
Their version of the vaccine is said to be similar to the one Dr. Steere introduced in the 80s which was called LYMErix. The reports of the disease spreading is said to be an epidemic and certainly in agreement with Steere's view that the vaccine needs to be distributed to people. Here is a video of that report.
