Removal · field guidance

Distinguishing EM from STARI rash (lone star bite)

STARI rash from lone star ticks looks similar to Lyme EM but does not cause Lyme; treatment is supportive and based on symptoms.

Steps

schema.org/HowTo

01
STARI follows a lone star tick bite (Amblyomma americanum), more common in the Southeast and South-Central US.
02
The rash mirrors EM: round, expanding, sometimes with central clearing.
03
Lab tests for Lyme are usually negative in STARI; the cause is unknown.
04
Clinicians often treat empirically with doxycycline because the rash is hard to distinguish from EM.
05
Bring the tick or its photo; species identification is the key disambiguator.
06
STARI does not cause the late-stage joint, cardiac, or neurologic disease seen in untreated Lyme.

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