Question

Irring pre- in northern Minnesota. Kathy was out walking her Kathy is a 55-year-old Caucasian woman who lives on? dog in the woods and upon returning home found emic that week she noticed a rash on her leg, forming the a deer tick crawling on the back of her hand. Later puld shape of a bull's eye around her knee. She experi- rial enced a fever, headache, and generalized body aches. She was tested and found positive for Lyme dis- ce? e Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted through a tick bite. ease. Lyme disease is infection with the spirochete From your reading and experience regarding infec- al tious processes, answer the following questions:

Outline the process that is most likely occurring in Kathy's body

Answer 1

Kathy is experiencing the symptoms of Lyme disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted by a deer tick bite. Her body is responding to the infection with a bull's-eye rash, fever, and other flu-like symptoms.

Step-by-step explanation:

Kathy is experiencing symptoms of Lyme disease, which is an infection caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. This bacterium is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Ixodes ticks, commonly known as deer ticks. After being bitten by an infected tick, B. burgdorferi bacteria enter the skin and may spread through the bloodstream to various parts of the body. Initially, the body's immune response causes inflammation and symptoms such as a bull's-eye rash, flu-like symptoms, fever, headache, and body aches. If untreated, Lyme disease can progress to more severe complications, affecting the nervous system, joints, heart, and other organs.

The process occurring in Kathy's body likely involves the bacteria spreading from the site of the tick bite into her bloodstream, causing both localized responses (such as the rash) and systemic symptoms as her immune system responds to the infection. This condition has distinct stages: the early localized stage with the characteristic rash, the early disseminated stage, and the late stage which can lead to chronic symptoms.