Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria
Transmission
Strong but painless bite
The Ixodes tick transmits the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria through the
skin by a strong but painless bite. Most hosts do not even feel the bite, which is why the
tick can remain undiscovered.
After the initial bite through the skin, the tick secretes "cement" to anchor to its host
where it is difficult to remove. Then, it begins to take in its blood meal about 30 minutes
later. But unlike most other insect bites, the tick's bite is painless and non-irritating,
because its saliva contains:
- An anesthetic to numb and reduce pain
- An antihistamine to reduce allergic reaction or itching
- An anticoagulant to enhance blood flow
- An anti-inflammatory to reduce swelling
- An immunosuppressant to help stop host immune responses allowing the tick to continue to
feed
Although early feeding is slow, ticks can continue to feed for days if undetected and female
ticks can remain attached for up to a week.
Infection does not happen immediately
The ratio of the number of hours the tick is attached to the host and the number of hosts
that were infected is clearly in favor of the host. A study done in rodents showed that in
the first 24 hours, only one of 14 rodents became infected. Then at 48 hours, the number of
infected rodents rose to five. At 72 hours, the number rose dramatically to 13 out of 14
rodents. It is thought that the timelines are the same for other mammals, such as dogs and
humans.
Tick checks are important
This slow transmission of the disease demonstrates the importance of incorporating tick
checks into any comprehensive canine Lyme disease preventive program. However, tick checks,
even if done within the recommended 4-hour timeframe, are often less than 100 percent
effective.
So while effective tick prevention strategies are an important part of a Lyme disease
prevention program, using an effective vaccine, like Duramune® Lyme, adds an additional
safeguard to comprehensive Lyme disease prevention.
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