The End of Lyme?

By Christine Gorman

Back in the 1950s it was polio. Nowadays the big summertime scare--at least in the suburbs of the Northeast and northern Midwest--is Lyme disease. Caught early enough, the tick-borne infection can usually be cleared by taking antibiotics. But if the corkscrew-shaped bacteria, or spirochetes, that cause Lyme disease linger undetected in the body, they can trigger crippling arthritis, serious heart problems and even nerve damage.

This summer could be different. For the first time there is a vaccine against the Lyme-causing spirochetes. It's not perfect--you need to take three shots over 12 months, and by the time you're done you're still only 80% protected. Also, the vaccine won't work against the spirochetes in Europe, hasn't been approved for children under 15 (who are at the greatest risk of developing Lyme disease) and won't allow you to relax your guard in the garden or the woods, since ticks carry other diseases as well. But for folks who live in a heavily infested area, particularly if they spend a lot of time landscaping or clearing brush, the shots may be worth it.

You will have to act fast, however, if you want to beat this year's tick season. In order to build up even the 50% protection provided by the first two shots, which are given a month apart, you must start the injections before the end of April.

Manufactured by SmithKline Beecham under the brand name Lymerix, the new vaccine operates on the principle that the best defense is a good offense. Unlike other vaccines, it targets disease-causing organisms outside the body, in the tick, rather than after they've invaded the bloodstream. Here's how it works:

A deer tick, or another member of the genus Ixodes, attaches to your body and starts sucking your blood, also swallowing the antibodies triggered by the vaccine. If all goes well, the antibodies then kill the Lyme-causing spirochetes in the tick's saliva and intestine. Twenty-four hours later, the tick drops off your body, and you're none the worse for wear. Booster shots will probably be required every few years to keep your antibody levels high.

The vaccine's main side effects are soreness and redness at the site of the injection. A few unlucky people also develop fever, chills and other flulike symptoms that can last up to three days. Doctors have voiced concern that the vaccine could make matters worse for folks who are already unknowingly infected with Lyme spirochetes at the time of inoculation. Researchers looked for these problems during the vaccine's trial and didn't find any, but that doesn't mean they won't surface later.

The most important thing to remember if you get vaccinated is that you can still develop Lyme disease. So pay attention to any unusual symptoms, like an expanding red rash, that might indicate an active infection. The vaccine makes diagnosis a little more complicated since it means you will automatically test positive on the most commonly used test. There is also a theoretical risk that the vaccine could mask the rash, but once again researchers found no evidence of this effect in the trial.

You still have to follow the rules--tuck your pants into your socks, spray DEET on your clothes, check your body and your kids for ticks. But the new vaccine could buy you some extra peace of mind.

For more info, visit www.lymevaccine.com or time.com/personal on the Web. You can e-mail Christine at gorman@time.com