We have only known about Lyme disease since 1975 , but now the discovery of an amber - encased 15 - million - year - older tick has revealed that the bacteria that causes the disease has been around much , much longer than the human race . The discovery was made by George Poinar , Jr. from Oregon State University , and the findings were release inHistorical Biology .
Lyme disease is triggered by the bacteria in the genusBorrelia , which uses ticks as vector to infect a change of being . Upon infection , the disease produces flu - similar symptom , including tiredness , fever and head ache . It can be easily treated with antibiotic drug in the earliest stages , and it is very important to seek treatment as soon as possible . Without discourse , the infection can progress and it could pretend the nervous system , nub , and spliff .
" Ticks and the bacteria they carry are very opportunistic , " Poinar say in apress liberation . " They are very efficient at maintaining populations of microbes in their tissue paper , and can infect mammals , birds , reptile and other creature .
“ In the United States , Europe and Asia , tick are a more authoritative insect transmitter of disease than mosquitos , " he continued . " They can pack bacterium that cause a wide reach of diseases , bear on many different beast metal money , and often are not even understood or recognized by Dr. . It ’s likely that many ailment in human chronicle for which doctor had no account have been cause by tick - borne disease . "
The report utilized four ticks that had been bear on in amber . bacterium typically does n’t fossilize well , but amber protect it from conditions that would otherwise destroy the colony . Poinar discovered that the ticks had large sum of bacteria that look very much like species ofBorrelia .
Throughout his career , Poinar has found evidence of disease like malaria and leishmania in the fogy record , and thinks it is probable that dinosaur were infect by bacteria like to what we see today . He also state that for as long as there have been mankind , there have been ticks that were in all likelihood passing along disease .
In 1991 , researcher discoveredÖtzi the Iceman , a by nature mummified human being who was case in deoxyephedrine in the mountains between Austria and Italy about 5,300 years ago . desoxyribonucleic acid evidence revealed that Ötzi was in poor health prior to his death and was taint with Lyme disease . This is the oldest know grounds of a human to have the disease .
In this same inquiry , Poinar also chance upon ticks that had bacterial cellphone which resemble the Rickettsia bacteria , which causes Rocky Mountain spotted fever . Those results were print in the journalCretaceous Research .
