Deer Ticks Carry Yet Another Bacterial Threat.

Deer Ticks Carry Yet Another Bacterial Threat

Lyme disease is better known, but a different germ causes an infection that may lead to dementia

By Randy Dotinga
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 16 (HealthDay News) — People who go outdoors in several regions of the United States may have something else to worry about. Scientists report that there’s another troublesome germ hiding in the deer tick that already harbors the Lyme disease bacterium.

There are indications that the germ infects a few thousand Americans a year, potentially causing flu-like symptoms such as fever. In one newly reported case, a woman with existing medical problems appeared to have brain swelling and dementia caused by an infection.