Most effective treatments with antibiotics require quick diagnosis, often within days, or even hours, after contact. Recreationists, hunters, and others who might contact rodents in these endemic areas can contact the State of Nebraska Department of Health for details. Lyme Disease Lyme disease is caused by a spiral-shaped bacterium found in infected ticks. The lone star tick is the suspected vector in Nebraska. It is found primarily in southeastern Nebraska counties where most cases of Lyme disease have occurred.
Ticks transmit the disease when they feed on raccoon, dogs, opossums, deer, horses and humans.
Human symptoms of Lyme disease are fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint pain and swollen lymph nodes. Chronic, delayed effects of Lyme disease in humans include arthritis and other complications of the nervous or cardiac system. Persistent symptoms may occur in a few patients, even with antibiotic treatment. Antibiotics are effective in treating patients during early stages of the disease and may alleviate some symptoms. Lyme disease in dogs may include fever, lameness, poor appetite and prolonged illness.