I have a friend who had a positive test for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever after a tick bite. However he also got a bullseye rash. He started getting neuropathy a couple of weeks after the bite, as well as other symptoms.
My question is, does the positive RMSF test rule out Lyme as the cause for the tick bite? Can that particular type of rash be caused by RMSF, or does Lyme commonly co-occur with other tick-borne infections?
Thanks for your input!
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
I think the rash is indicative of Lyme alone. The RMSF causes different kinds of rashes, but not the bull's eye (I think).
You can definitely have both Lyme borrelia and RMSF at the same time. Not only that, but you might be dealing with other co-infections besides those two as well.
Lyme definitely commonly co-occurs with co-infections. Many people say it's rare to get just Lyme borreliosis alone, without any co-infections.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
He's bound to have BOTH. Lyme is sneaky and the tests will often come back falsely negative. The bullseye PROVES that he had Lyme.
Make sure he finds an LLMD and gets tested for more coinfections. And .. take pics of the bullseye for proof. He will probably need it!
Posted by LymeAware's Husband (Member # 29136) on :
Alas, this was a few years ago and they just treated the RMSF ... So the bullseye is Lyme-specific?
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
Yes, the bull's eye rash is specific for Lyme and means that Lyme treatment is needed.
Posted by LymeAware's Husband (Member # 29136) on :