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==Description==
Lyme disease descibes the clinical syndrome caused by infection with ''[[Borrelia burgdorferi]]'' in humans, dogs, horses, cattle and sheep. The disease is named after the town of Lyme[http://townlyme.org/] in Connecticut, USA where clinical cases were first described in humans in 1975.
The bacterium is transmitted by ticks of which the most common is ''[[Ixodes ricinus]]'' in the UK. ''I. ricinus'' is a three host tick that acquires ''B. burgdorferi'' bacteria when it obtains a blood meal from small rodents as a larva or nymph and transmits it to large mammals as an adult. Lyme disease therefore occurs when domestic animals and humans enter areas of tick habitat.
===Pathophysiology===
**Pathogenesis
**Pathogenesis
***Virulence of the borreliae requires a change in expression of an outer membrane protein following ingestion of blood by the tick
***Virulence of the borreliae requires a change in expression of an outer membrane protein following ingestion of blood by the tick
***Localisation in joints, brain, nerves, eyes and heart can occur
***Localisation in joints, brain, nerves, eyes and heart can occur
***The associated lesions may be in part caused by the host immune response
***The associated lesions may be in part caused by the host immune response
==Signalment==
==Diagnosis==
===Clinical Signs===
***May be subclinical in endemic areas
***May be subclinical in endemic areas
***Clinical manifestation depends on the site of localisation of organisms
***Clinical manifestation depends on the site of localisation of organisms
***Horses suffer similar clinical signs but also lameness, uveitis, nephritis, hepatitis and encephalitis
***Horses suffer similar clinical signs but also lameness, uveitis, nephritis, hepatitis and encephalitis
***Cattle and sheep may suffer from lameness
***Cattle and sheep may suffer from lameness
===Laboratory Tests===
===Other Tests===
***Laboratory confirmation difficult due to low numbers of organisms and fastidious growth requirements
***Laboratory confirmation difficult due to low numbers of organisms and fastidious growth requirements
***History of exposure to ticks in an endemic region and clinical signs
***History of exposure to ticks in an endemic region and clinical signs
***Culture in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly medium for 6 weeks under microaerophilic conditions
***Culture in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly medium for 6 weeks under microaerophilic conditions
***PCR
***PCR
===Diagnostic Imaging===
==Treatment==
***Amoxycillin and oxytetracycline in the acute phase; prolonged treatment in the chronic phase
***Amoxycillin and oxytetracycline in the acute phase; prolonged treatment in the chronic phase
***Tick control and removal
***Tick control and removal
***Vaccines including whole cell bacterins and recombinant subunit vaccines available for dogs
***Vaccines including whole cell bacterins and recombinant subunit vaccines available for dogs
==Prognosis==
==References==
[[Category:To_Do_-_James]]
[[Category:To_Do_-_James]]
[[Category:Dog]][[Category:Sheep]][[Category:Cattle]][[Category:Horse]][[Category:Zoonoses]]