Borreliosis (Lyme disease and relapsing fevers)

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The Day the Forest Whispered “Beware”

Picture this:

A quiet morning trail, dew shimmering on leaves, your dog trotting happily ahead - the sort of peaceful walk that makes you forget emails exist.

Until it happens.

A tick - tiny, smug, dressed in nature’s version of camouflage, clings to your dog like a stowaway pirate.

You don’t notice.

Your dog doesn’t notice.

But deep inside that eight-legged micro-ninja sits a villain with a long résumé:

Borreliosis - the broad name for diseases caused by Borrelia bacteria.

The most famous? Lyme disease.

The most dramatic? Relapsing fevers, which sound like a medieval curse someone would whisper in a tavern.

And just like that… our adventure begins.

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What It Is

Borreliosis is caused by Borrelia, a spiral-shaped bacterium.

Not the cute twisty shape you’d find in pasta - more like a microscopic corkscrew drilling its way through tissues.

There are two major clans in this microbial family:

1. Lyme Disease Borrelia

Spread mainly by Ixodes ticks (a.k.a. black-legged or deer ticks).

These are the patient, slow-feeding, “I’ll take a whole weekend to suck blood” types.

2. Relapsing Fever Borrelia

Spread by soft ticks or lice, depending on the species.

These are quick biters - “in and out before you know it” operators.

Both cause illness in people and animals… but in very different ways.

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What It Does and Why Pet Parents Should Care

In Humans

Lyme disease often begins with:

• A bull’s-eye rash (erythema migrans)
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Achy joints
• That “I feel weird but don’t know why” vibe

If untreated, Lyme can move into the nervous system, joints, and even the heart.

Relapsing fever, on the other hand, is like a bad DJ:

fever on → fever off → fever on again

It comes in sudden waves - high fever, chills, headaches - then disappears, only to return dramatically days later.

In Dogs

Dogs don’t get the classic rash, but they can develop:

• Lameness (often shifting from one leg to another)
• Joint pain
• Fever
• Lethargy
• In rare cases, kidney complications

Why it matters

Because ticks are opportunists.

If you, your dog, your goats, or even wildlife stroll through tall grass, the villain has a chance.

Anyone with pets, livestock, or a love of the outdoors should pay attention.

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The Discovery

The tale of Borreliosis spans continents and centuries.

Relapsing Fever

First described in the 1800s, especially during outbreaks in Europe and Africa.

Doctors noticed strange “fever waves” - people would nearly die of fever, then recover dramatically, only to crash again days later.

It was baffling.

Were the patients cursed?

Haunted?

Victims of a supernatural prankster?

Eventually, in 1868, German physician Otto Obermeier peered into a microscope and saw the spiral culprit - Borrelia recurrentis.

Lyme Disease

Fast-forward to 1975, Old Lyme, Connecticut.

Parents noticed children developing odd arthritis.

Doctors scratched their heads.

What evil spirit had visited this quiet American town?

Enter tick biologist Dr. Willy Burgdorfer.

In 1981, he discovered the culprit hiding in deer ticks.

The bacteria was named Borrelia burgdorferi in his honor - because when you solve a mystery this big, you deserve the credits.

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The Naming Story

Borreliosis comes from the genus Borrelia, named after French biologist Amédée Borrel, famous for studying microorganisms back when microscopes were basically fancy magnifying glasses.

Lyme disease?

Named after Old Lyme, Connecticut, where the cluster was first recognized.

Relapsing fever?

A straightforward name - the fever comes, goes, and then “relapses” again like an unwanted sequel.

No political drama in the naming here - just science doing its best to keep things tidy.

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How It Spreads

Animal → Animal

Wildlife like deer, mice, rodents, and birds carry Borrelia.

Ticks hop on, take a long drink, and pick up the bacteria.

Animal → Human

A tick bites you or your pet.

The bacteria travels from tick gut → salivary glands → your bloodstream.

Tick: “I’m just saying hi.”

Borrelia: “Surprise attack!”

Human → Human

Almost never.

Not through touching, hugging, or sharing spoons.

The tick is the middleman - the shady one in the trench coat.

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Death Toll and Impact

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in North America and Europe.

Estimated cases:

• ~476,000 people per year in the U.S.
• Tens of thousands in Europe
• Cases rising due to climate factors and expanding tick habitats

Relapsing fevers cause:

• Thousands of cases annually in Africa, the Americas, and parts of Asia
• Historically caused major outbreaks before antibiotics existed

Pets, especially dogs in tick-heavy regions, are also at risk.

This is no joke — it’s a serious public health challenge.

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Political and Social Atmosphere

Lyme disease became a cultural phenomenon in the 90s and 2000s.

People argued passionately about testing, chronic symptoms, and diagnosis standards.

Some patients felt ignored.

Some doctors felt pressured.

Scientists debated loudly at conferences (politely, but loudly).

Meanwhile, climate change and land development brought wildlife closer to towns, increasing tick encounters.

But unlike some diseases, Lyme didn’t trigger widespread xenophobia - no one blamed Connecticut residents or deer for global problems.

The tension was mostly:

patients vs. medical uncertainty,

not people vs. people.

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Actions Taken

Governments, veterinarians, and doctors responded with:

• Tick-control programs
• Public health campaigns
• Dog vaccines for Lyme
• Improved diagnostics
• Maps tracking tick populations
• Awareness training for hikers, hunters, and pet owners

Soft-tick relapsing fever in some regions is tackled by:

• Housing improvements
• Rodent control
• Treating outbreaks quickly
• Training rural clinics to recognize symptoms

Are these actions perfect?

No.

But they’re improving year by year.

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Prevention for Pet Parents and the Public

A. What Pet Parents Can Do

• Use vet-approved tick preventatives
• Check your dog’s fur after walks
• Keep grass trimmed
• Avoid tall brush
• Remove ticks safely (no fire, no oil - just fine-tipped tweezers!)
• Don’t let pets roam in tick-dense wilderness
• Ask your vet about Lyme vaccination if you live in a high-risk area

B. What Vets and Professionals Do

• Test dogs using SNAP/ELISA tests
• Track tick prevalence
• Treat infected pets
• Educate communities
• Advise on environmental tick control
• Work with public health teams during outbreaks

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Treatment and Prognosis

In Humans

Diagnosis is based on:

• Symptoms
• Travel/exposure history
• Blood tests (ELISA + Western blot)

Treatment:

• Antibiotics
• Supportive care

Most people recover fully, especially when treated early.

In Dogs

Diagnosis:

• Antibody tests
• Clinical signs
• History of tick exposure

Treatment:

• Antibiotics prescribed by the vet
• Monitoring for kidney issues

Most dogs recover well - though follow-up is important.

Relapsing fevers also respond to antibiotics, often dramatically.

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Fun Tidbits

Did you know…

1. Ticks don’t jump or fly.

    They climb grass blades, stretch out their legs, and wait like tiny hitchhikers.

2. Borrelia move using corkscrew motility.

    They literally screw themselves through tissues like microscopic drill bits.

3. Dogs rarely show the bull’s-eye rash.

    That classic Lyme sign? Mostly a human thing - your dog prefers to keep things mysterious.

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Your Turn

And that, my friend, is our forest-dwelling foe unmasked -

quiet, patient, maddeningly tiny…

but absolutely beatable with sharp eyes, steady hands, and a dash of good old-fashioned prevention.

The goal here isn’t to make you sprint away from every blade of grass, glare suspiciously at innocent deer, or start burning your hiking boots after a weekend trail walk.

Ticks are part of the ecosystem.

Tiny, persistent, slightly rude… yes.

But they’re not the overlords of doom.

This episode of The Vet Vortex was crafted to make you just a little wiser about the sneaky spiral-shaped stowaway that sometimes hitchhikes on your pets -

a corkscrew-shaped troublemaker with a flair for drama and a fondness for long woodland vacations.

So if this story:

• lifted a bit of fog from the forest floor,
• helped you decode the mystery of the bull’s-eye rash,
• or made you whisper, “Wait… relapsing what fever?”

…then do something useful with that spark.

• Save this post so you don’t forget the trail-side lesson.
• Share it with a pet parent, a hiker, a camper, or that one friend who insists “ticks don’t bother me” (right before they get bitten every single summer).
• And drop your questions or your wildest “I found a tick in the weirdest place” stories - in the comments.

And remember:

This blog exists for education, empowerment, and a hint of adventure.

But if your dog starts limping after a woodland walk, you spot a suspicious rash, or you pull off a tick that looks like it paid rent to stay on -

your next step isn’t another Google search.

It’s your veterinarian.

The real-world hero.

The one with the tests, the treatment plans, the tick-removal finesse, and absolutely zero fear of nature’s tiniest drama kings.

Healthy humans.

Healthy pets.

Fewer surprises hiding in the underbrush.

Until next time -

stay curious, stay informed, and stay wonderfully vortexy.

Check out previous post - Bhanja virus

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