Melissa Kaplan's
Lyme Disease
Part of the Anapsid.org Chronic Neuroimmune Diseases Information Resources for CFS, FM, MCS, Lyme Disease, Thyroid, and more...
Last updated January 1, 2014

I am continually amazed at people who persist in the belief that the only possible way to get Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) is by being bitten by an adult deer tick..and if that species of deer tick isn't found in their geographical area, then they can't possibly get borreliosis. Some people do come to accept that the nymphs of these ticks carry Bb and the usual cohort of other TBI, such as Babesia, Ehrlichia, and Bartonella. But they don't get it that other types of ticks can carry these organisms...ticks that may not feed primarily on deer, or on any deer.

I will not confuse things further right now by going into the likelihood of different species or subspecies or strains of Borrelia that may be found in specific regions of North America, just as there are different ones that live in different areas around the world. That would account for so many people getting negative test results.

For example, if the test is looking for Species A, and you have Subspecies B-1, the test based on Species A may not be broad or sensitive enough to find Subspecies B. This may be especially true if, as in the case of Borrelia, the organism can tailor its outer surface proteins depending on what type of host it is in --just as Bb does, expressing OSP-A when living in a Ixodes tick, changing to OSP-B shortly after being injected into the skin and bloodstream of mice.

But I digress...

This question of vector has come up frequently as the AIDS epidemic has spread around the world, taking its horrendous toll. What if a mosquito bites someone who has an active AIDS infection? someone who is HIV+ but not yet sick? Oh, no, no, we have been assured. HIV/AIDS cannot possibly be spread that way.

Okay...what about other organisms we've been told can't be spread by blood-sucking organisms, or organisms we've been told can't spread disease?

If no one is looking, does that mean it doesn't or can't happen?

Headlice As Vectors of Disease

Suburban Sprawl Could Increase Lyme Disease Infections
Fewer hosts = increased infection load in remaining hosts = more infected Ixodes

Birds and Borrelia
Both terrestrial and seabirds, including migrating species. Can poultry be far behind?

Bartonella spp. DNA Associated with Biting Flies from California
"Since Bartonella are likely to be present in biting flies, investigating the potential of biting flies as either mechanical or biologic vectors of Bartonella in cattle and possibly humans should be pursued."

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