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Tick-borne illness expert, Nantucket's Dr. Timothy Lepore demystifies Lyme disease.

Tick-borne illness expert Dr. Timothy Lepore demystifies Lyme disease.

 

This was a good article in Nantucket's "N" magazine (August 2019)

When it comes to island treasures, there is the Great Point Lighthouse, the Old Mill, the Nantucket Whaling Museum—and Dr. Timothy Lepore. An enduring icon on Nantucket, Lepore was the subject of a critically acclaimed book titled Island Practice and has earned a following on the island like no other doctor. Beyond Nantucket, Lepore has developed a national reputation for his expertise in Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. Patients suffering from these diseases venture from all over the world to see him. N Magazine sat down with Lepore to help demystify the confusion around Lyme disease, how it is treated, how serious an illness it is and ways in which it could be managed or eradicated on Nantucket.

N MAGAZINE: What is Lyme disease?

LEPORE: Lyme disease is an infection with a spirochete [a type of bacterium] of which the vector is the tick and the reservoir [or carrier] is probably the white-footed mouse, deer mouse and vole. That’s what Lyme disease is. Now, Lyme disease has a series of several different stages.

Link to full article.

Dr, Lepore with giant Nantucket tick

How to Reduce Tick Rick

Ticks are wide-spread in the Northeast.

This helpful and informative brochure is on the Williams College website. 

 

 

Tick Talk

Recently, we found a tick on the shoulder of an 84 yo man who was being seen for an unrelated problem.  A picture was taken through a dermatoscope.

It is clear to me that tick identification is complicated.

There is a helpful video on Tick Identification produced by the University of Maine.  It may be helpful to send the tick to a state lab for definitive identification.  This 30 second video (also from the State of Maine) describes tick removal and where to send the bugger for identification.

With regards to the tick pictured above, I am not certain if this is a deer tick or a dog tick.   I will follow patient and share his office visit with his primary care physician.