An ancient form of Lyme disease has been unearthed in entombed ticks about 15 million years ago.

Scientists announced the discovery of the fossilized ticks that were trapped in huge pieces of amber. These were found in the Dominican Republic and contained the bacteria Borrelia genus. There was a big population of cells found inside the bodies of the ticks that were reported to have caused today’s Lyme disease.

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The team also reported that it was unusual for bacteria to survive in fossil records after it rose on Earth about 3.6 billion years ago. However, amber could conserve soft tissues including microscopic cells that could decompose over a long period of time. This is because amber comes from the hydrocarbon secretion of plants with hardening properties.

In recent times, researchers have found a 40 million year old sperm from a springtail of an insect like animal as well as a 100 million year old termite gut microbes.

The newly discovered species of bacteria was called Palaeoborrelia dominicana. The new discovery also suggested that disease from tick including Lyme disease have already been infecting animals even before humans walked on Earth.

Entomologist George Poinar Jr. from the Oregon State University said that ticks carry more diseases than other insects like mosquitoes in Asia, Europe and the US.

Professor Poinar said that ticks carry bacteria that can cause a lot of diseases that could affect a broad species of animal. These diseases are not even recognized by medical practitioners, he added. Furthermore, he said that many of unexplained diseases among humans may have been likely caused by ticks.

For instance, Lyme disease has not been formally known until the 70s although it has already affected thousands of people annually. Lyme disease has affected 30,000 people in 2009 in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Humans are affected with Lyme disease when bitten by ticks containing Borrelia bacteria. However, Lyme disease is usually misdiagnosed after its symptoms overlap with other diseases. Symptoms include aches, fever, rash and fatigue.

The oldest known human who have incurred the Lyme disease was the infamous 5,300 year old ice mummy named Otzi which was found in the Easter Alps around 20 years ago. The Nature Communications journal released in 2012 said that scientists found Borrelia bacteria in the iceman.

Poinar said that before the man was frozen, he was probably experiencing the Lyme disease and has had a lot of health issues.

TagsLyme Disease, tick fossils, George Poinar Jr., Oregon State University, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Otzi, Palaeoborrelia dominicana, Dominican Republic