Glossary

Here are definitions of medical terms related to lyme disease:

Antibiotics: Drugs that work against bacteria

Antibodies: Substances produced by the immune system to fight foreign invaders such as disease-causing microorganisms

Arthritis: Inflammation of a joint

Bacteria: Microscopic germs that can cause infection

Bell's palsy: Partial facial paralysis due to inflammation around a facial nerve

Ceftin: Trade name for the antibiotic cefuroxime axetil, approved by the FDA in 1996 for treatment of Lyme disease

DEET: An insect repellant effective against ticks, for use on exposed skin but not on the face or on the hands of young children

Erythema migrans: Spreading rash characteristic of Lyme disease infection

False negative: Test result indicating no disease when disease is actually present

False positive: Test result indicating disease when the disease in question is not present

Nymph: Immature stage of a tick's life cycle, between larval and adult, when transmission of Lyme disease to humans is most likely to occur

Permethrin: An insecticide effective against ticks, for use on clothing

Spirochete: A type of bacteria with a slender spiral shape