Tennessee Governor Hospitalized With Illness from a Suspected Tick Bite

by Dawn Irons, Editor

The wheels of government in the state of Tennessee came to a drastic slowdown as their Chief Executive, Governor Phil Bredesen, and avid outdoorsman, was admitted to the hospital for 4 days. Press Secretary Lydia Lenker, in her statement concerning the Governor said he, "was admitted to Centennial Medical Center in Nashville for observation late Monday night after experiencing flu-like symptoms, including a severe headache and high fever. Medical staff indicated the Governor's symptoms could be the result of a tick bite. The Governor is receiving antibiotics and feeling better. Physicians advised him to remain at the hospital overnight Tuesday for additional observation."

Blood tests are still out concerning the nature of Bredesen’s illness. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the two most common blood tests for Lyme disease are the Lyme ELISA screening test followed by the Western Blot test. Recognizing that these tests are highly insensitive, the CDC states clearly that the diagnosis of Lyme disease and other tick borne illnesses must be a clinical diagnosis based on the symptoms alone.

There is much controversy surrounding the Western Blot test. This blood test is supposed to screen for extremely Lyme specific bands that would indicate infection by the borrelia bacteria that is transmitted by the bite of an infected tick. Unfortunately, the FDA approved Western Blot does not include the testing bands that were so specific to Lyme disease that they were used to create a Lyme disease vaccine. Therefore, the results of the most common tests available are basically useless in helping diagnose tick borne illnesses. Governor Bredesen is described as an avid hunter and outdoorsman. This gives much opportunity for tick exposure. The Governor presented at the hospital with the classic Lyme disease symptoms and received the best possible outcome: immediate treatment.

Ticks have been known to spread Lyme disease and a host of co-infections in as short as 4 hours to 24 hours. The longer the tick is attached the more likely the infection. 40% of Lyme patients never have the classic “bulls eye rash”. A larger majority than that never even recall a tick bite.

Lyme disease, if caught early, has the best prognosis for recovery. Due to the difficulty in diagnosing Lyme and other tick borne illnesses, it is rare that the average person receives treatment right away. Lyme has been called “the great imitator” with good reason. The symptoms mimic many other diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, and Lupus. By the time the doctor runs the patient through the battery of tests to rule out those diseases, Lyme disease can enter the central nervous system and cause neurological damage.

Governor Bredesen has received the gold standard for Lyme treatment: IV antibiotic treatment from the moment he presented his symptoms to the medical professional. This should set precedence for all treatment of suspected Lyme disease or tick borne illnesses. The consequences of not treating immediately upon symptoms (as suggested by the CDC with a clinical diagnosis), and risking the disease progressing to its chronic and late stages, by far supercede the inconvenience of antibiotic treatment if the tests come back negative. .