TICK BITES AND LYME-BORRELIOSIS - AN EPID EMIOLOGIC-STUDY IN THE AREAOF ERLANGEN, GERMANY

Background. Lyme borreliosis is transmitted by tick bites. Approximate ly every fifth local tick (Ixodes ricinus) is infected. Transmission, therefore does not occur with every bite, and disease doesn't always f ollow infection. The goal of the study was to investigate the risks of infection and disease after tick bites in the area of Erlangen/German y. Methods: Between April 1989 and October 1991 seventy-one of our out -patients (30 females, 41 males) aged 6 months to 29 years had a tick bite and were enrolled into the study. After the ticks had been remove d, a blood specimen for a specific Borrelia burgdorferi antibody assay (IFT) was collected. An interview by phone was performed 4 weeks late r and an appointment for a second blood collection was arranged. Resul ts: In 69 patients the initial titer was negative, in two patients it was 1:32. Sixty patients could be reached by phone, and in 43 a second blood sample was available. There was seroconversion detectable in 4 instances, two of whom were asymptomatic, one had unspecific symptoms and one developed lymphocytoma. There were no manifestations of late s tage disease in the study population. Conclusion: These results confir m the current recommendation of the Bundegesundheitsamt (German Federa l Health Institute) that generally antibiotic treatment after a tick b it is not necessary.