Most people who get ehrlichiosis get better without treatment, the researchers say. There probably are a lot more infections, but they aren't serious enough to cause people to go to the doctor and get blood drawn. HGE is spread by the same deer ticks that carry Lyme disease. Indeed, some individual ticks carry the bacteria that cause both diseases. HME is spread by the lone star tick.
Infection is difficult to diagnose and often requires a blood test.
Rash is uncommon and does not resemble the distinctive bull's-eye rash that marks Lyme disease. Only about one in 10 infected people are thought to get symptoms. The good news is that the disease can be cured by prompt treatment with the antibiotic doxycycline. Still, another conference presentation reports that ehrlichiosis may cause long-lasting health effects. Edward Belongia, MD, and colleagues collected basic health information and blood samples from 85 patients with the HGE form of the disease an average of 24 months after they first became ill.