FAQ

It is the pathogen that causes Lyme borreliosis. Its characteristic shape is easily recognisable under a light microscope. It is also referred to as a Teflon parasite because its surface is covered with a special substance, which makes it difficult for the body’s antibodies to attach to it. Without treatment, it can remain hidden in the body for years or even decades. This is due to its extraordinary adaptability and excellent defence mechanisms, as well as its vegetative forms, known as gemmules.

Lyme borreliosis is caused by bacteria that enter the open skin wound created by a tick bite. The pathogens can remain dormant in the centre of the tick for months or even years. Tick bites are painless, so the bloodsucking can last for days and the infected blood can return to the wound, directly into the capillaries. To our knowledge, the disease is not transmitted from person to person, but from infected animals to humans via ticks. An exception is mother-to-child transmission, which can occur through the placenta and cause infection of the foetus.

Lyme borreliosis is the most common zoonosis (a disease transmitted from animals to humans) worldwide and throughout the United Kingdom. According to our calculations, several hundred thousand, or even up to a million people in our country may be suffering from Lyme borreliosis.

There are 650,000 to 850,000 new infections in Europe every year, and up to 20,000 in Hungary. Lyme disease is being diagnosed more and more frequently, thanks to growing awareness of the disease, but also because ticks are spreading to larger areas due to climate change.

Lyme disease is five times more common than AIDS and one and a half times more common than breast cancer.

Tick season usually begins in mid-March. In colder years, the start of tick activity may be delayed, while in warmer weather they may appear earlier. In general, once the average temperature reaches +7°C, we can definitely expect to encounter ticks.

The frequency of ticks may vary from area to area, but they generally prefer wetter, cooler areas with dense vegetation and animal traffic, although they can occur virtually anywhere in our country. Many countries produce so-called “tick maps”, but these can be misleading. In Hungary, these bloodsuckers are more common along the western border and in the northern mountains. In Budapest, the Buda Hills are the most affected.

Ticks have been found in almost every area across Europe, and in our climate zone, from the northern coast of Africa to the western coast of Norway, we cannot escape these unpleasant guests.

Fortunately, no. The infection rate of ticks varies, with data ranging from a minimum of 20-30%. A recent study examined the infection rate of ticks found on dead animals in Budapest and found that one in four bloodsuckers carried one of the most common strains of Borrelia.

It is therefore extremely important to have ticks removed from humans tested to find out whether they were infected and, if so, with which strain.

Yes. In theory, the pathogen that causes Lyme borreliosis can infect all living creatures. This includes warm-blooded animals in particular. However, the disease is less common in animals, its course is milder, and it can be cured more quickly with treatment. This is partly due to their natural living conditions and greater resistance, but mainly due to their body temperature, which is much higher than that of humans (39–41 °C). Borrelia burgdorferi reproduces best at 30–33 °C; above this temperature, it is damaged and more easily destroyed by the body.

With increased care, examination and professional tick removal. With monthly chemical tick and parasite control from early spring. Unlike fleas, ticks remain at the site of the bite for days, so flea collars do not protect against them. However, tick-killing/repellent shampoos, oils and sprays are effective for a long time and can provide complete protection for a month.

Not likely. Only one in a thousand ticks is infected with a virus, but at least ten (!) in a hundred are infected with bacteria. This means that only one in every thousand bites can cause a viral infection, but one in every ten (!) can cause a bacterial infection.

Not everyone becomes infected because people in good health are less likely to fall ill, but physical, mental and emotional stress increases the risk of developing the disease.

But not against Lyme disease! Ticks attack all living creatures. The vaccine does not protect against them, but against the virus that lives and multiplies in them. Infected ticks infect the body after 4 hours, rarely immediately. The pathogen enters the bloodstream through the open wound of the bite. Vaccines only exist against viruses and protect against viral encephalitis. The pathogen of Lyme borreliosis, the bacterium, can be destroyed with antibiotics. Ticks also spread other diseases, but these can also be treated.

Although vaccines can generally contribute to protection against a given pathogen, in the case of Lyme disease, only vaccines with serious side effects have been developed so far. One reason for this is the pathogen’s high degree of adaptation to the human body.

Not yet, but researchers are working hard on it. Due to the unusual variability of the pathogen and the similarity of some of its proteins to human tissues, the vaccine must target a part of the bacterium that does not change during the disease and has a different structure from human tissues. This will be harmless and provide effective protection. The previous vaccine, which was developed against a single subtype, is no longer available.

One tablet of Polybé in the morning/at noon (continuously, or starting 2-3 days before the trip) Tick repellents and appropriate clothing, especially closed-toe shoes. Twice-yearly tick removal from your land and garden, for which most sprays are suitable, or the spraying of microscopic fungi that are effective for years can be recommended. Soil cultivation, lawn care and leaf collection can also help.

At noon/in the evening, check your body, clothing, backpack, but also all (!) forest finds and your dog for ticks.

Remove ticks with tweezers, treat the wound and monitor it for 4-6 weeks. Photograph the Lyme spot and mark its edges with 3-4 dots so that its typical growth can be observed.

It is best to avoid places that are dangerous for ticks, which vary from season to season.

The one that does not squeeze the soft abdomen of the tick, does not press infected contents into the open wound, does not damage the tick, and removes it alive. This prevents the infected material from entering the body. The removed tick should be enclosed in cellophane or sent by post in a package available from some pharmacies to the Istenhegyi Géndiagnosztikai Klinika (1125 Budapest, Zalatnai u. 2.) for testing to determine whether it is infected.
Only disinfect the wound afterwards! Disinfectants irritate the tick and cause it to release pathogens into the wound.
Remember to keep the tick removal tool and tweezers clean and disinfected.

Because this allows us to reliably recognise the earliest sign of Lyme borreliosis, the characteristic skin inflammation that also indicates the body’s local defence, the Lyme spot. It is recommended to take a photograph and mark the border with 3-4 dots. This is a rapidly spreading skin inflammation around the bite site, one of the most important characteristics of which is that it can be observed to grow within a few days.
Check the location of the bite on the body from time to time for at least a month, but preferably for six weeks, as the body’s reaction can take this long. Make a note of the name and dosage of any antibiotics you may have taken during this time, even if they were prescribed for another condition, such as a sore throat.

Cockade-like ring: inflamed, seemingly intact and healing skin areas may alternate. Most often, a single, barely raised outer ring surrounds the healing central area of inflammation, with a faint strip of skin separating the two. The skin inflammation following a tick bite may also be uniformly raised and swollen and reddish.
The Lyme rash spreads day by day. Despite the infection, the Lyme rash may not develop. In our country, skin inflammation develops in about one-third of cases, or is noticed by the patient.

Lyme borreliosis can affect any organ in our body months, years or even decades (!) after infection. The pathogen can travel anywhere in the bloodstream and, under the right conditions, cause chronic inflammation if our resistance is low. Spontaneous recovery has not been proven, but it can be effectively treated with medication.

It often causes chronic skin inflammation (atrophic skin destruction or skin scarring), but it can also affect the nervous system (neuritis, primarily of the cranial nerves, meningitis, encephalitis), the joint and muscle system (mainly the large joints, but also the small joints) and the heart (pericarditis, arrhythmia). In fact, it can damage any of our organs, as it is a disease of the whole body. Therefore, the disappearance of the Lyme rash does not mean that Lyme borreliosis has been cured!

Sometimes a tick bite goes unnoticed, and so the treating physician may consider a number of other diseases more likely. Lyme disease can cause similar symptoms and can be confused with the following diseases:

multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, various psychiatric illnesses such as depression, acute memory disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, atrioventricular block, etc.

There are several types of tests, based on different reagents and methods. They can detect the causative bacteria, the presence of antibodies indicating infection, provide information on the pathogen’s sensitivity to antibiotics, and prove the activity of the disease and the need for treatment by detecting immune complexes (antibodies associated with bacteria).

Yes. In the case of persistent complaints and symptoms, repeated and extended tests should be performed to confirm the presence of the disease, and the circumstances of the illness, the symptoms observed, any antibiotics used to treat other diseases, and any changes caused by antibiotics used to treat other diseases should be investigated again.

Yes! Completely! The pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi is sensitive to a number of drugs and can be treated with a wide range of antibiotics that are also available in the UK. We identify the specific types (subspecies) of bacteria and take their different antibiotic sensitivities into account when developing a treatment plan. Complete recovery depends on early detection of the disease, the use of effective, sufficient quantities of antibiotics for the appropriate duration, and timely repeat treatment if necessary.
To the best of our current knowledge, there is no natural or herbal remedy that can effectively cure Lyme disease on its own.

The pathogen that causes Lyme borreliosis is incredibly adaptable and can even become accustomed to antibiotics, becoming “resistant”, especially when treated with low doses. In order to damage the pathogen, its system that controls structural and metabolic changes must first be paralysed. Then the second antibiotic can easily deal with the pathogen that has been rendered harmless.

Replenish vitamins and trace elements, drink plenty of fluids to flush out bacterial debris and toxins.
Avoid socialising while taking medication to prevent secondary infection.
Pay extra attention to personal hygiene! Sort out your problems: it is important to realise that with the diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis, we have been given the opportunity to heal from “problems” that were often hidden from us. Rest! Be confident!

The effect of the treatment can be enhanced by raising the body temperature, e.g. with a hot bath or infrared sauna.

After treatment, allow one and a half to two weeks for the body to regenerate.
It takes 3-6 months for the full therapeutic effect to develop. Long-term treatment and generous doses of vitamins and trace elements provide a favourable opportunity for the body to completely rebalance itself. To develop bioactive intestinal flora: consume plenty of live bacterial (probiotic) natural yoghurt and certified probiotic capsules! It is important to choose only native preparations, because probiotics that have been made resistant to antibiotics can cause widespread antibiotic resistance in the body.