No Lyme disease in Australia, new research finds

Lyme disease cannot be contracted in Australia and patients should not be treated with antibiotics for so-called Lyme-like diseases, new medical research has found. Professor Peter Collignon AM from The Australian National University (ANU) and colleagues dispute well-publicised claims by some people and advocacy groups that the disease can be transmitted by ticks in Australia. "Australia doesn't appear to have ticks capable of hosting the bacterial species that causes Lyme disease. Lyme disease diagnosed in Australia is acquired overseas," said Professor Collignon from the ANU Medical School and ACT Pathology. Lyme disease commonly causes fever, chills and headaches, and can lead to complications in the central nervous system weeks or months after the onset of illness. The condition is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the United States, and is also reported in Asia and Europe. Professor Collignon said some patients and advocacy groups claimed Lyme-like illnesses to label chronic, debilitating symptoms, often following a tick bite.