Student Success
University Health Center
LYME DISEASE AND TICK BITE FACT SHEET
If you think you have found a tick on your body or your child’s body, here are some facts you should know:
1. Not all ticks carry Lyme.
 Ticks from deer, mice and (sometimes) birds may carry the bacteria that cause Lyme
Disease.
2. Lyme Disease is seasonal.
 It is not seen until mid or late May and is not seen after the first frost.
3. A typical rash is seen in 80% or more of Lyme cases. 20% of patients with Lyme Disease do not
develop a rash.
 The rash can appear anywhere on the body but usually is at the site of the bite.
 Those patients with Lyme that do not develop a rash often develop a flu like illness; they have
muscle aches, joint aches, and a temperature (usually over 101 degrees).
4. Characteristics of the rash of Lyme Disease, known as Erythema Migrans are:
 Over 2 inches in size
 Persists for more than a week
 Each day the area becomes larger – can be 4 to 24 inches across
 The center of the rash will be clear – no redness
 The rash does not itch. This helps tell it apart from other insect bites.
5. The early symptoms of Lyme Disease occur within 30 days of being bitten by a tick, but usually are seen
within the first 7 to 10 days.
6. If the tick is removed within 48 hours, the risk of developing Lyme Disease is very, very low.
7. Blood tests for Lyme Disease are NOT useful early in the course of the illness. Blood tests are often
normal the first few weeks.
8. Lyme Disease that is treated within the first 4 weeks since infection is usually cured. Nearly all stages
of Lyme respond to appropriate antibiotics.
9. Patients without evidence of Lyme Disease who have been bitten by a tick SHOULD NOT RECEIVE
ANTIBIOTICS. To do so may:
 Complicate diagnosis
 Result in inadequate treatment
 Cause side effects
 Increase antibiotic resistance
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Albany, NY 12206
518-442-5454 FX: 518-442-5444
www.albany.edu