2020, Volume 16
Resistance and rational actions as effective countermeasures in the struggle against Lyme disease
Marcin Weiner1, Patrycja Teodorowicz2, Ewelina Niźnikowska1
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Pope John Paul II State School of Higher Education in Biała Podlaska, Biala Podlaska, Poland
2Medical Laboratory, Innovation Research Center, Pope John Paul II State School of Higher Education in Biała Podlaska, Biala Podlaska, Poland
Author for correspondence: Marcin Weiner; Faculty of Health Sciences, Pope John Paul II State School of Higher Education in Biała Podlaska, Biala Podlaska, Poland; email: m.weiner@pswbp.pl
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Abstract
Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in Lyme borreliosis, a diseases transmitted by ticks, which occurs in Poland and many other countries across world. Previously, foresters, hunters, and farmers were considered a high-risk group, however, the increasing physical activity in woodland areas means athletes are also at risk of contracting the disease. The aim of this study is a general review on the possibilities of counteracting Lyme disease, and efforts to combat the disease in the light of recent scientific findings.
Fundamental survival strategies of living organisms include mutual interaction, independent of the elements that form it, cell structure complexity, size, or mass, as well as the ability to select the right countermeasures to vector-borne diseases.
This paper specifically presents the issues of dependence and interrelationships between humans, ticks, and Lyme spirochete through a detailed presentation of the problem of Lyme disease in athletes. Furthermore, this article presents strategies used by the Lyme spirochete to infect the host’s organism, strategies used by the arachnid to cause infection and its preferences in choosing a host, and principles of modern microbiological diagnostics and prophylaxis as a tool in the fight against a tick infected with B. burgdorferi.
Key words: interactions, combat strategies, borreliosis, agonology, ticks