Can fleas and other bugs bites pass on Lyme

[kmom]

Both of my kids just did the IGeneX Lyme and co-infections test. We're anxiously awaiting. They were born and raised in Puerto Rico where I've heard and read Lyme doesn't exist. True??? If you know have any info it's greatly appreciated. Also, could fleas, mosquitos and other bugs pass on Lyme Disease? My kids went camping last year in northeastern PA and came back with terrible bites all over stomach so not your typical tick bite but wondering if that could be the cause if they are positive.

[JTs-Mom]

I've read that mosquitos have been found to carry borrelia (Lyme bacteria), BUT... whether they can transmit it is up for debate. It typically (NOT always) takes a tick quite a bit of time to transmit borrelia to a human host. Could a mosquito transmit the bacteria in a matter of seconds? I haven't found any information that definitively answers this. The mechanism for trasmission in a mosquito may vary greatly from that of a tick. Sorry... I know that doesn't answer your question. Just sharing what I've read.

[KeithandElizabeth]

My son and I both got a strain of Bartonella from fleas or lice (which our dog brought home from the groomers). We both immediately developed a bartonella rash. I believe this is a different strain of bartonella than the strain you can get through tics.

 

I think the jury is out about lyme though. I have read that this is more difficult to get from fleas and other bugs, but there are a few doctors who say you can.

 

Elizabeth

[lyme_mom]

Both of my kids just did the IGeneX Lyme and co-infections test. We're anxiously awaiting. They were born and raised in Puerto Rico where I've heard and read Lyme doesn't exist. True??? If you know have any info it's greatly appreciated. Also, could fleas, mosquitos and other bugs pass on Lyme Disease? My kids went camping last year in northeastern PA and came back with terrible bites all over stomach so not your typical tick bite but wondering if that could be the cause if they are positive.

In Cure Unknown by Pamela Weintraub I think she talks about the study in Europe where they found lyme spirochetes in the guts of biting flies, mosquitoes and fleas. They did not determine whether or not a person bitten by a lyme infected fly, mosquito or flea could give you lyme but it sure seems possible. I also would not take assurances that you are fine if the tick has not been on more than 24 hours very seriously. I don't know how they test this hypothesis because nobody in their right mind would sign up to be a test subject (letting a tick bite them and waiting to see if they get lyme disease...). Seems to me that a tick could give you lyme pretty quickly if the tick is full of spirochetes and bites you in the right place. My son had several bites after going on a camping trip shortly before being diagnosed with Lyme Disease. They looked like mosquito bites with a clearing in the middle that was slightly larger than usual. I thought they were big mosquito bites. They were probably tick bites but could have been spider bites. We will never know though. He also had a bite behind his right ear which we discovered later after he got Bells Palsy. I have wondered if you can get lyme from an infected cow's unpasteurized raw milk too. Cows can get lyme disease and lyme can be passed through breastmilk. I read about infected cows in Europe in another book about Lyme.

[dut]

Hi - having read a Polish study I am aware that mosquitoes can carry Lyme but can they transmit it too?

 

I have 2 kids with a PANDAS dx (dd is very classic, ds not so). When ds3 was about 12 months old or so.. maybe younger, he got bitten by a mozzy. He then had 5 days of fever with a diffuse rash (little red bumps kind) with puffy eyes and irritability. At the time this got a dx of roseola, which makes sense. This was followed by a couple of weeks of diarrhea and then maybe a month or so of not quite diarrhea/not quite normal stools.

 

We are thinking of doing the Igenex on both kids but blood draws on ds are hard. Not sure if we should follow this up aggressively or get round to it when we have to do a draw for something else.

 

Any/all thoughts welcomed. Thanks....

[dut]

oops, sorry, I just read the previous post on the same topic

[Chemar]

would you like me to merge this with the other thread?

[dut]

yeh, that would be cool.. thanks chemar

[PacificMama]

As others have said, researchers have definitely cultured borrelia bacteria/spirochetes in other vectors such as fleas and mosquitos. The question is, are they actually able to transmit the bacteria to humans? Not proven yet. It sure seems likely to me, since they transmit so much other disease. And it would sure explain a lot. The two llmd's that I have asked this question gave a resounding "yes!". They just believe that it has progressed to the point where this is happening.

[Fixit]

not trying to add confusion...but i believe i read..and i don't know where.(i have not read any of the main books)...that a large group of people..not sure where, that eat elk meat...

or maybe they were drinking the elk milk(Can i be any less specific about this statement) had an extremely high incidents of lymes...

[lyme_mom]

not trying to add confusion...but i believe i read..and i don't know where.(i have not read any of the main books)...that a large group of people..not sure where, that eat elk meat...

or maybe they were drinking the elk milk(Can i be any less specific about this statement) had an extremely high incidents of lymes...

That's really interesting.If you come across the article I'd love to read it. I did a lot of googling to try and find info on raw milk and lyme disease b/c this acupuncturist I know thinks raw milk is so great for your health. I'm sure raw milk has a lot of good stuff in it but I simply could not get past the lyme risk. The cows are in the tick infested fields, they can get lyme and I am sure that they are not sending cow's blood to igenex for testing every week. Don't know how they would know if it is safe or not. I emailed Dr. SIngleton, author of The Lyme Disease Solution, and he said that he recommends the use of raw cheeses that have been cultured but definitely not raw milk.

[justinekno]

Did I read in the book "Cure Unknown" that they used beagles to test this by letting them be bitten by a tick and then euthanizing them for an autopsy? I grew up with a beagle so it made me kind of sad

 

I don't know how they test this hypothesis because nobody in their right mind would sign up to be a test subject (letting a tick bite them and waiting to see if they get lyme disease...).

Edited September 5, 2010 by justinekno

[lyme_mom]

I remember something about the beagles but I thought the study was to see if the spirochetes survived the antibiotic treatment. I will have to reread it. I remember that they were surprised to find spirochetes in the organs of the beagles long after completion of the antibiotic treatment. I don't remember if they were also testing the time it takes for a tick to infect you. I read the book twice and was planning to read it again. I get different tidbits out of it each time I read it because we have more experience with lyme as time goes on.