Ticks can carry more than just Lyme bacteria. The little blood suckers can also transmit Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, tick paralysis, Powassan Encephalitis, Tularemia, Bartonella (also known as Cat Scratch Fever), Ehrlichiosis, STARI (southern tick-associated rash illness), and Rocky Mt. Spotted Fever.
When people are treated for Lyme Disease, many times if they’re not improving enough they may have a co-infection of one of the above listed bacteria. They really make it harder and longer for someone to recover. Each co-infection needs to be treated in order to recover. As I understand it, the co-infections need to be targeted separately. You can’t just treat for all of them at once. It’s a long process. I am currently being treated for Bartonella because I was not improving at a rate my Lyme Literate Medical Doctor wanted.
These infections are even more reason to protect yourself from ticks and the diseases associated with them.
I found the following link today about Babesia on psychology today. It’s a post adapted by Pamela Weintraub, Senior Editor of Discover Magazine and author of a book on Lyme disease and its co-infections, entitled Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic.
Madison Area Lyme Support Group 