Lyme in Alaska

There have been several cases of imported Lyme disease in Alaska. The most recent involved an eight year old white male who visited Fauquier County, Virginia on June 23, 1991. He spent the day playing in the woods and afterwards was noted by his mother to have four ticks, including one which was engorged, on his body. The ticks were identified by a local resident as "deer ticks", likely Ixodes damini.

Approximately 10 days later his mother noticed a raised, red, circular area near the sight of one of the tick bites on the nape of his neck. This grew to a maximum diameter of 8 cm. and then faded over several weeks. There was no central clearing of the lesion. On returning to Alaska near the end of July, the child was described as being more moody, particularly more fussy and depressed.

On August 9, the child was brought to a local physician for a draining ear which was treated with a topical antibiotic. After hearing the history of an annular skin lesion, moodiness, and recent tick exposure,  See More