Historical:
Tick-borne relapsing fever was first described in the United States in 1915 (Colorado).
- The first case of louse-borne infection in the United States during the twentieth century was reported in 1976 – imported from Ethiopia.

Time and Place:
Peak incidence is reported during the summer, with 47% of cases from July to August.
- The disease is most common in Arizona, California, Colorado and Oregon.
- Sporadic cases are reported from Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
- Most cases occur in the Cascade, Rocky Mountain, San Bernadino and Sierra Nevada ranges.
- 40% of cases occur in tourists to endemic areas (1977 to 2000).
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Recent reports of La Crosse encephalitis in North Carolina remind us that a number of severe arthropod-borne infections continue to appear each year in the United States. For almost four decades, California encephalitis has been the most commonly-reported disease in this group ; however, since 2000, (more…)

As America once again enters the “Lyme disease season” information regarding this major infectious disease continues to evolve rapidly. The following material has been generated using GIDEON, an interactive on line program that can be used to diagnose or explore the status of all infectious diseases: signs and symptoms, status in every country, ongoing epidemics, antibiotics, vaccines, parasites, virus … in real time. So, let’s test your knowledge about Lyme disease:

1. True or false: Lyme disease is a relatively new infection that is primarily limited to the United States.
2. You have probably heard that Lyme disease is transmitted by ticks. How many tick-borne diseases occur in the world ? In the United States ?
3. Many other infectious diseases are characterized by severe illness, involving many body systems. Are there any truly unique features to Lyme disease ?
4. How many antibiotic agents are available ? How many are effective against the bacterium that causes Lyme disease ?

I put these four questions to GIDEON … (more…)