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Lyme disease

The most common tick-borne disease is Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis, an infection caused by the Borrelia bacteria. The most common Borrelia species is Borrelia burgdorferi, but several other species occur worldwide. These bacteria are transmitted through tick bites. Besides the possibility that ticks carry various Borrelia species, a tick can also be infected with many other bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other microorganisms that are harmful to humans. Any of these microorganisms can cause illness if transmitted, and in most cases, this manifests as a fever some time after the tick bite.

">">Symptoms of Lyme disease

“>According to the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment), more than 1 million people in the Netherlands are bitten by a tick each year. Approximately 2 out of every 100 people develop Lyme disease after a tick bite, around 27,000 people per year. The nature and severity of symptoms in patients with Lyme disease vary. The vast majority of people who contract this disease develop a characteristic ring or spot at the site of the tick bite. In addition, 1,200 to 1,500 people each year develop joint, skin, nerve, or heart problems. This large group of conditions is grouped under the term tick-borne diseases. Diseases in this group are characterized by diverse symptoms but can all develop into a chronic phase. Of the 27,000 patients, an estimated 1,000 to 2,500 people per year experience long-term symptoms. In that case, it is called "chronic Lyme disease."

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Consequences of Lyme disease

If Lyme disease is not diagnosed and treated early, the Borrelia bacteria can spread and hide in various parts of the body, including in white blood cells. Weeks, months, or even years later, patients can develop problems with the brain and nervous system, muscles and joints, heart and circulatory system, digestive system, reproductive system, and skin. Symptoms can disappear without treatment, and various symptoms can reappear at different times. Researchers have shown that pain levels in severely debilitated patients with chronic Lyme disease are comparable to those of postoperative patients, and fatigue was comparable to that of multiple sclerosis, a chronic nervous system disorder.

Detecting these "hidden" bacteria has proven very difficult in the past. Based on its patented technology, NL-Lab has developed a completely new technique to visualize hidden intracellular bacteria, including Borrelia and other tick-related bacteria. We search more specifically and detect more, without any loss of specificity. Furthermore, we are constantly developing our ability to detect more tick-related bacteria.

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