In addition to Lyme Disease, there are many other tick-borne diseases that can affect humans. These are often referred to as co-infections, however, each infection represents a distinct organism. Here are some of the most common from the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS).

Anaplasmosis

• Symptoms: Fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, nausea, and fatigue.

• Transmission: Black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and western black-legged tick (Ixodes pacificus).

Babesiosis

• Symptoms: Fever, chills, sweats, body aches, headaches, dizziness, loss of appetite, fatigue, chest pain/palpatation.

• Transmission: Black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis).

Bartonella

• Symptoms: Headaches, numbness/tingling, brain fog, muscle twitching, bone pain, irritability, anxiety/depression, abdominal pain/diarrhea, skin striae resembling stretch marks, intensely red or purple, not caused by weight gain.

• Transmission: Anywhere fleas, lice and ticks are found. Primary tick vector is the black-legged tick.

Ehrlichia

• Symptoms: Fever, headache, myalgias, malaise, nausea, and vomiting.

• Transmission: The Lone Star Tick which can be found across the southeastern and Atlantic Coastal U.S.

Tularemia

• Symptoms: Swollen and painful lymph glands, fever/chills, headache, exhaustion.

• Transmission: Insect bites, dear flies, dog ticks, wood ticks, lone star ticks, and exposure to sick or dead animals.

Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever (TBRF)

• Symptoms: Headache, myalgias, arthralgias, nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, dry cough, rash and jaundice.

• Transmission: These Borrelia species have been found in a variety of hard-and soft-bodied ticks. Cases of TBRF have been found throughout the United States.

Mycoplasmas

• Symptoms: Early symptoms can include fatigue and myalgias.

• Transmission: Certain Mycoplasma species, particularly M. fermentans, have been identified in blood-sucking arthropods, including Ixodes ticks. Reactivation is possible when the immune system is under attack, such as with Borrelia infection.

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