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October 2024 | Ticks

Dr. Willy Burgdorfer: One Tick at a Time

Image of Willy Burgdorfer, American entomologist

Dr. Willy Burgdorfer, born on June 27, 1925, in Basel, Switzerland, is known for transforming the understanding of tick-borne illnesses.

Image of Willy Burgdorfer at RML
Dr. Willy Burgdorfer
Rocky Mountain Laboratories / National Institute of Health/ Science Photo Library

Burgdorfer pursued his undergraduate and doctoral studies in parasitology and tropical bacteriology at the University of Basel – where he first developed his fascination with ticks while studying how these arthropods transmitted spirochetes that caused relapsing fever. In 1951, Burgdorfer moved to the United States for a fellowship in Montana at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) – a National Institute of Health biomedical research facility for vector-borne diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme disease and Q fever.

Burgdorfer’s most significant scientific contribution came in 1981 when the New York State Department of Health sent deer ticks from Long Island to his laboratory, suspecting cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Like many times before, Burgdorfer dissected the ticks and stained cells from their gut to examine them for rickettsia bacteria. Instead of the short, rod-shaped bacteria that cause spotted fever, he found long, slender, corkscrew-shaped spirochetes – bacteria he had first studied 30 years earlier as a graduate student.

Burgdorfer suspected these spirochetes could be responsible for Lyme disease, a mysterious illness that had been baffling scientists since it was first recognized in children in Connecticut in the 1970s. He published his further findings in Science in 1982, which identified Borrelia burgdorferi (named in his honor) as the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease.

Once my eyes focused on these long, snake-like organisms, I recognized what I had seen a million times before: spirochetes

Dr. Willy burgdorfer

Aside from his work with Lyme disease, Burgdorfer helped to map the geography of diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and advocated for public education on the importance of preventing tick-borne diseases.

Although retiring in 1986, Burgdorfer continued his association with the Rocky Mountain Laboratories’ Laboratory of Human Bacterial Pathogenesis as scientist emeritus. He was also active on the Scientific/Medical Advisory Committee of the Lyme Disease Foundation.

Dr. Willy Burgdorfer passed away on November 17, 2014.

More from October 2024 | Ticks

Riley Sims: Colors of Resilience

Riley Sims, a graduate of Ball State University and currently pursuing her graduate studies at Kent State University, combines geometric precision with spontaneous bursts of vibrant color to create a dynamic representation of life’s complexities, healing and resilience.

A key focus of Sims’ art is her intimate exploration of Lyme disease, a condition she has personally battled. However, Sims’ work goes beyond self-expression – her canvases are powerful advocacy tools. Her paintings education viewers about Lyme disease, bringing awareness to the financial and emotional challenges faced by those with the disease.

What Does Lyme Disease Do to Your Body?

What exactly is the connection between a tick bite and lyme disease?

While we’re not sure exactly where and when the disease originated, we do know a lot about how it works, its signs, its symptoms in humans and dogs, how it’s spread and its treatment.

Check out this video by Seeker to learn all about what lyme disease does to your body.

Tick-ing Time Bomb: The Expanding Threat of Tick-Borne Diseases

Urbanization, resistance to pesticides, and, most critically, climate change are creating ideal conditions for global tick proliferation. As these 8-legged bloodsuckers expand their territories, the world should expect a corresponding rise in Lyme disease, spotted fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, tick-borne encephalitis, and other conditions that infect humans, pets, and livestock.

“This is an epidemic in slow motion,” a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tick expert and research, biologist told the Associated Press.

Ticks live on every continent except Antarctica, and while estimates of annual tick populations vary, the scientific community agrees that their numbers are growing. Researchers also are unanimous that arachnids pose an increasing health risk as mild winters and longer summers associated with global warming kill off fewer individuals, give them longer to develop and feed, and make higher elevations and northerly latitudes that previously were too intemperate or elevated more hospitable.

Lyme Disease Quick Facts

Lyme disease is one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the country and one of the most difficult to diagnose. Experts in the medical and scientific community, as well as key legislators, have deemed Lyme disease an epidemic … a national public health crisis … and a growing threat.

300,000 people are infected with Lyme disease each yearAt least 300,000 people are infected with Lyme disease each year
New tick-borne diseases are emerging … the number of tick endemic regions is growing … the tick population is increasing … and, the number of people infected with Lyme disease is steadily rising.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that at least 300,000 people are infected with Lyme disease each year in the United States. That’s 25,000 new cases per month. Twenty-five percent of those patients are children, ages 5 to 14.

Information and Infographic obtained from https://danielcameronmd.com/.