quest journey difference

Quest vs. Journey — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Quest and Journey

Table of contents, key differences, comparison chart, literary use, compare with definitions, common curiosities, what drives someone to embark on a quest, how do quests differ from journeys in literature, what types of challenges are faced on a quest, can journeys be metaphorical, what signifies the end of a quest, can a journey become a quest, how important is the destination in a quest, what motivates the challenges in a quest, how does the concept of a journey change in different cultures, can a journey have a goal, is personal growth guaranteed in a journey, why do people undertake journeys, are all quests heroic, how are obstacles viewed in journeys compared to quests, can the outcome of a quest affect others, share your discovery.

Author Spotlight

Popular Comparisons

Trending Comparisons

New Comparisons

Trending Terms

Quest vs. Adventure vs. Journey

Which to use, and why?

By MARK WILSON

Quest : Trip to accomplish a specific task.

Adventure : Trip without a destination.

Journey : When the trip is more important than the destination.

I borrowed those definitions from a writing blog. Here’s the link . I also realize that we could define those terms differently. But for the purposes of thinking about plots and character motivation in D&D and RPGs, I think those definitions are a wonderful starting point.

“Go to {X} and get {Y}.” That’s the formula for the classic “fetch quest” in video games and tabletop RPGs. There’s a defined end condition or goal. And quests like this (and many others) have their place in RPGs.

In a larger sense, many adventure modules that span multiple levels are simply long quests. Curse of Strahd is a quest to kill Strahd and escape Barovia. It’s one of the best-reviewed D&D adventures ever, and it rarely strays from this singular focus. So you can build an entire campaign around just one or two strong quests.

“There’s a defined end condition or goal. And quests like this (and many others) have their place in RPGs.”

The Adventure

“We’re seeking glory and adventure, and will aid those in need.” This is a classic beginning to an adventure. Eventually you’ll end up with a specific goal or quest, but it might be one in a series of quests, where the reasons for doing so are more personal and without a specific end condition.

A lot of homebrew, character-focused campaigns are in this mold. The adventurers might roll into a town and help them with their trouble (or make things worse!), but then they’ll be onto the next one.

When you go out on the town in real life for an adventure, you end up doing specific things, but you don’t necessarily have the activities in mind at the start. You simply head out and see what strikes your fancy. Adventuring in D&D is kind of like that.

The Journey

“The real treasure is the friends you made along the way.” Ok, that one is a little sappy for my taste, but it’s a classic example of the journey being more important than the destination.

I read a fascinating module about a town with a witch, and the entire adventure revolves around figuring out who in the town is the witch. The twist is that there is no witch, but over the course of the module, the players may end up doing some morally ambiguous things and giving into the paranoia sweeping the town, before they discover the truth.

It’s an odd duck of a module. I may do a video about it sometime. But it’s very much a Journey-style scenario, because as players, you can calm the townsfolk and prevent – say – people being burned at the stake. Or you can give into that and try to root out a nonexistent threat. You can be friends, saviors, pariahs and murderhobos, or anything in between. And it’s that journey to the end point that is the entire point of the module.

Players, which of those do you prefer? DMs, which do your players prefer? The answer is likely “some of each” depending on the specific game you’re playing. I’d argue that a lot of campaigns use elements of all three. But I think it helps to think about hooks and motivations in this way, so that you can provide a variety in your game. Or perhaps less of a variety, but more of a focused experience once you’ve determined what fits best.

Either way, there’s a full spectrum of quest/adventure/journey types available to you in D&D. Enjoy playing with all of them!

For more content, or just to chat, find me on Twitter @BTDungeons , and if you enjoy my content, be sure to subscribe on Youtube !

Recent Posts

• Successful Player Characters in TTRPGs
• D&D’s Ranger Problem
• Modernism, Postmodernism and Meta-Modernism in Roleplaying
• AI Writing, Gaming Media and My Position on AI Use
• The King is Dead, 2nd Edition Board Game Review
• Announcements (3)
• Board Games (138)
• Playing the Game (14)
• Reviews (139)
• Session Reports (83)

2021 | Bumbling Through Dungeons

All non-branded images are licensed for use or are released under Creative Commons CC0. Blog entries may be reprinted with attribution. © All rights reserved on name, logo and BTD branded elements.

• 5th Edition D&D Guide
• Adventures & Supplements

Board Games

• Modern Board Gaming

Quest vs. Journey

Check any text for mistakes in above text box. Use the Grammar Checker to check your text.

A journey or effort in pursuit of a goal (often lengthy, ambitious, or fervent); a mission.

The act of seeking, or looking after anything; attempt to find or obtain; search; pursuit.

(obsolete) Request; desire; solicitation.

(obsolete) A group of people making search or inquiry.

(obsolete) Inquest; jury of inquest.

To seek or pursue a goal; to undertake a mission or job.

To search for; to examine.

To locate and attach to a host animal.

The act of seeking, or looking after anything; attempt to find or obtain; search; pursuit; as, to rove in quest of game, of a lost child, of property, etc.

Request; desire; solicitation.

Those who make search or inquiry, taken collectively.

Inquest; jury of inquest.

To go on a quest; to make a search; to go in pursuit; to beg.

a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria;

the act of searching for something;

make a search (for);

search the trail of (game);

bark with prolonged noises, of dogs

seek alms, as for religious purposes

express the need or desire for; ask for;

A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical.

Journey noun

A set amount of travelling, seen as a single unit; a discrete trip, a voyage.

(metaphorical) Any process or progression likened to a journey, especially one that involves difficulties or personal development.

(obsolete) A day.

(obsolete) A day's travelling; the distance travelled in a day.

(obsolete) A day's work.

The weight of finished coins delivered at one time to the Master of the Mint.

A group of giraffes.

Journey verb

To travel, to make a trip or voyage.

The travel or work of a day.

Travel or passage from one place to another, especially one covering a large distance or taking a long time.

A passage through life, or a passage through any significant experience, or from one state to another.

The distance that is traveled in a journey{2}, or the time taken to complete a journey{2}; as, it's a two-day journey from the oasis into Cairo by camel; from Mecca to Samarkand is quite a journey.

To travel from place to place; to go from home to a distance.

To traverse; to travel over or through.

the act of traveling from one place to another

undertake a journey or trip

travel upon or across;

an act of travelling from one place to another

a long and often difficult process of personal change and development

travel somewhere

Quest Illustrations

More relevant Comparisons

• Resigned vs. Resined
• Gift vs. Token
• Affinity vs. Consanguine
• Nowaday vs. Nowadays
• Witful vs. Wise

Important Links

Please wait....

Quest Archetype

What is a quest archetype.

A quest is a journey, and a quest archetype is a type of journey that is told in a storyline with a plot , a hero , his journey, obstacles, victory, and its meanings. Such stories abound in folk literature. Every folk literature has some quest archetype stories, but the difference lies in the purposes and the heroes. Interestingly, the quest archetype examples from across the globe have almost the same stages, features, and even elements.

Purpose of a Quest Archetype Storyline

The question archetype storylines or plots have certain specific purposes. Although these purposes may be different from culture to culture and context to context, some of the common and universal purposes are as follows.

• Search of a treasure
• Search of a love
• Search of life
• Search of identity
• Desire for fame
• Desire for salvation

Elements of a Quest Archetype

A quest archetype plot has certain elements. Although these elements differ from culture to culture and context to context, some of them are universal. These universal elements are as follows.

• The Hero’s supporters, allies, comrades
• Long journey
• Antagonists
• Transformation

Types of a Quest Archetype

There are four major types of quest archetypes. The first one is classical, in which a hero goes on a long journey, overcomes his opponents, surmounts obstacles, and returns home. This is called his homeward journey based on his homesickness. The second one is a quest in which the hero goes on a long journey, finds the treasure, and brings it back to his people. The third is the puzzle quest which presents the hero in a situation where he does not understand what is right and what is wrong but takes certain steps to accomplish the mission. The last one is the rescue quest in which the hero rescues his beloved or a certain character , taking various risks on the way.

Example of a Quest Archetype Characters in Storylines in Literature

Aeneas in Aeneid by Virgil

When Aeneas goes on expeditions and expresses his concern to start his homeward journey after he feels homesick, it becomes his urgent desire and also a quest archetype as he wants to reach home, which is lost. Troy is actually lost in the beginning of the epic and Aeneas’s major quest to find home stays unfulfilled. That is why he settles in Rome and lays the foundation of the Roman nation, his ultimate nation. He is a good quest archetype.

Oedipus in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

Although Oedipus does not seem to be on any quest, his main quest of finding his own identity is the quest archetype example in his character. He constantly tries to find out who he is despite the discouragement coming from Tiresias as well as his wife, Jocasta. However, he continues until he finds himself the same person who has married his mother and killed his father. This is, perhaps, the best quest archetype example in a character who is also a classic hero archetype.

Odysseus in The Odyssey by Homer

Although Odysseus is also a classical hero type, a young man having a family and a son behind, yet his quests to find out something new and then the final quest to reclaim his state shows him presenting the best quest archetype character. His quest, in the beginning, rests on his expeditions to find something new and more. Later, it turns toward a homeward journey and still later to the reclamation of his home and his homeland. That is why it is also an excellent example of a quest archetype character.

Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum

Although it does not seem that Dorothy is on a specific quest, her final quest to go home is like that of Aeneas and Odysseus. Several other characters in the novel are also on the quest, such as the scarecrow who wants to have a brain and the tin man who wants to have a heart. Even the lion wants to have courage . All these characters show their quest for something. Therefore, almost all the archetypes are the archetypes of a quest.

Related posts:

• Caregiver Archetype
• Goddess Archetype
• Jester Archetype
• King Archetype
• Lover Archetype
• Magician Archetype
• Mother Archetype
• Maiden Archetype
• Outlaw Archetype
• Queen Archetype
• Ruler Archetype
• Sage Archetype
• Temptress Archetype
• Siren Archetype
• Sophisticate Archetype
• 10 Archetype Examples in Movies
• Damsel in Distress Archetype
• Earth Mother Archetype
• Dark Magician Archetype
• Wild Woman Archetype
• Archetype of Imagination
• Creator Archetype
• Customer Archetype
• Scapegoat Archetype
• Shadow Archetype
• Trickster Archetype
• Warrior Archetype
• Anti-Hero Archetype
• 7 Classic Story Archetypes with Examples
• 10 Antagonist Archetypes with Examples
• 10 Hero Archetypes with Examples  
• 12 Archetypal Characters in Story Writing
• 20 Major Types of Archetypes with Examples

Post navigation

• Professional
• International

Select a product below:

• Connect Math Hosted by ALEKS
• My Bookshelf (eBook Access)

Sign in to Shop:

My Account Details

• My Information
• Security & Login
• Order History

Log In to My PreK-12 Platform

• AP/Honors & Electives
• my.mheducation.com
• Open Learning Platform

Log In to My Higher Ed Platform

• Connect Math Hosted by Aleks

Business and Economics

Accounting Business Communication Business Law Business Mathematics Business Statistics & Analytics Computer & Information Technology Decision Sciences & Operations Management Economics Finance Keyboarding Introduction to Business Insurance and Real Estate Management Information Systems Management Marketing Student Success

Humanities, Social Science and Language

American Government Anthropology Art Career Development Communication Criminal Justice Developmental English Education Film Composition Health and Human Performance

History Humanities Music Philosophy and Religion Psychology Sociology Student Success Theater World Languages

Science, Engineering and Math

Agriculture and Forestry Anatomy & Physiology Astronomy and Physical Science Biology - Majors Biology - Non-Majors Chemistry Cell/Molecular Biology and Genetics Earth & Environmental Science Ecology Engineering/Computer Science Engineering Technologies - Trade & Tech Health Professions Mathematics Microbiology Nutrition Physics Plants and Animals

Digital Products

Connect® Course management ,  reporting , and  student learning  tools backed by  great support .

McGraw Hill GO Greenlight learning with the new eBook+

ALEKS® Personalize learning and assessment

ALEKS® Placement, Preparation, and Learning Achieve accurate math placement

SIMnet Ignite mastery of MS Office and IT skills

McGraw Hill eBook & ReadAnywhere App Get learning that fits anytime, anywhere

Sharpen: Study App A reliable study app for students

Virtual Labs Flexible, realistic science simulations

Inclusive Access Reduce costs and increase success

LMS Integration Log in and sync up

Math Placement Achieve accurate math placement

Content Collections powered by Create® Curate and deliver your ideal content

Custom Courseware Solutions Teach your course your way

Professional Services Collaborate to optimize outcomes

Remote Proctoring Validate online exams even offsite

Institutional Solutions Increase engagement, lower costs, and improve access for your students

General Help & Support Info Customer Service & Tech Support contact information

Online Technical Support Center FAQs, articles, chat, email or phone support

Support At Every Step Instructor tools, training and resources for ALEKS , Connect & SIMnet

Instructor Sample Requests Get step by step instructions for requesting an evaluation, exam, or desk copy

Platform System Check System status in real time

What is Quest: Journey Through the Lifespan?

Quest: Journey Through the Lifespan is an engaging and innovative auto-graded learning game providing students with opportunities to apply content from their human development curriculum to real life whether you are teaching face-to-face or online.

What are students saying about Quest: Journey Through the Lifespan?

Did you recognize content you were learning about in class, did quest: journey through the lifespan help make content and theories relevant to daily life, is quest: journey through the lifespan engaging.

It was enjoyable and I feel like I learned a lot from it because of how it relates to real-life experiences.

Autumn W. Forsyth Technical Community College Student

I loved this learning tool. It is way more engaging than anything I’ve ever used. It made learning fun! 10/10!

Cedtazia M. Florida International University Student

What are Instructors Saying about Quest: Journey Through the Lifespan?

Want to enhance your course with Quest: Journey Through the Lifespan?

Let's talk - book a call.

Complete the form below, and we’ll reach out to schedule a call.

Fields marked by * are required.

Your information will be used to provide you with the requested information and other information about McGraw Hill’s products and services. You may opt out at any time by contacting  McGraw Hill’s local privacy officer  or selecting “unsubscribe” at the bottom of any email you receive from us.

• Accessibility

It is the first learning game designed with inclusivity and accessibility at the forefront of development. Each stage of development was designed, developed, and tested against WCAG standards to ensure all learners will benefit from this amazing new learning resource!

Application

A learning game designed to help students apply course content and theories into real-life scenarios. Each quest is auto-graded and carefully designed to optimize student learning and efficiency. Follow-up analytical questions are available for further critical thinking.

Each character, environment, and task bring in real-life scenarios, questions, and factors to keep students engaged while helping them understand how what they are learning about is important to everyday life!

Culture and Diversity

Students play in the first person as 14 different characters who vary in age from 9 months to 80 years, as well as range in gender, race, and nationality. By taking on the perspectives of their characters, students experience human development concepts and theories—as well as real-world problems and situations—through the eyes of others, developing skills related to understanding others’ motivations, intentions, and behaviors.

Higher-Level Assessment

In addition to completing content-related objectives during game play, follow-up higher-level assessment is available for each of the 14 quests. Instructors can choose from 17 multiple choice and three short-answer questions to assign and assess students’ understanding of content applied during the game play experience.

Course Offerings

Included with Connect when using a McGraw Hill textbook at no additional charge in:

• Lifespan Development
• Child Development
• Adolescence

Life: The Essentials of Human Development , Link will open in a new tab

By: Gabriela Martorell

Essentials of Life-Span Development , Link will open in a new tab

By: John W. Santrock

A Topical Approach to Lifespan Development , Link will open in a new tab

Life-Span Development , Link will open in a new tab

Experience Human Development , Link will open in a new tab

By: Diane E. Papalia and Gabriela Martorell

By: John Santrock

Child , Link will open in a new tab

Children , Link will open in a new tab

Child Development , Link will open in a new tab

Adolescence , Link will open in a new tab

By: Laurence Steinberg

Company Info

• Contact & Locations
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Social Responsibility
• Investor Relations
• Social Media Directory
• Place an Order
• Get Support
• Contact Customer Service
• Contact Sales Rep
• Check System Status

Additional Resources

• Permissions
• Author Support
• International Rights
• Purchase Order

Follow McGraw Hill:

©2024 McGraw Hill. All Rights Reserved.

What is the difference between journey , trip , voyage and excursion ?

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Score: 0 / 5

Adventure vs. Journey: What's the Difference?

Key Differences

Comparison chart, role in literature, adventure and journey definitions, is adventure always physical, can a journey be an adventure, is a journey always related to physical travel, can journeys be planned, is every thrilling experience an adventure, is a journey’s duration fixed, are all adventures enjoyable, is every adventure a journey, can adventure occur in everyday life, does adventure always involve risk, can adventure be a career, does every journey have a destination, can a journey be metaphorical, are journeys only about the physical distance covered, can adventure lead to personal growth.

Trending Comparisons

Popular Comparisons

New Comparisons

As writers, we've learned a lot. As publishers, we've seen a lot. As supporters of authors no matter what their publishing path, we want to share those experiences with you.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Plot archetypes: quests and voyage and return,  let's keep in touch, no comments:, post a comment.

What is the Difference Between a Pilgrimage and a Quest?

Our promise to you.

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy , ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

Editorial Standards

At Language & Humanities, we are committed to creating content that you can trust. Our editorial process is designed to ensure that every piece of content we publish is accurate, reliable, and informative.

Our team of experienced writers and editors follows a strict set of guidelines to ensure the highest quality content. We conduct thorough research, fact-check all information, and rely on credible sources to back up our claims. Our content is reviewed by subject-matter experts to ensure accuracy and clarity.

We believe in transparency and maintain editorial independence from our advertisers. Our team does not receive direct compensation from advertisers, allowing us to create unbiased content that prioritizes your interests.

In literature like the legends concerning the search for the Holy Grail or The Canterbury Tales , significant differences are made between the terms quest and pilgrimage. It helps when reading material to understand these distinctions, as they can render discussion and analysis of a work more lucid and fascinating.

A pilgrimage is a journey with a specific destination. One knows how to get to the destination, like Mecca, The Canterbury Church, or Lourdes. What occurs at the end of the pilgrimage is unknown. Will one find spiritual enlightenment? Will one witness miracles? In most cases one can call the pilgrimage destination-centered.

Conversely, a quest is a search for something that has an unknown location. One expects to find something, like the Holy Grail, at the termination of it. However, quests are primarily journey-centered. Of greatest importance is the journey, which prepares one to receive known benefits.

For example, finding the Holy Grail is God’s essential recognition of one’s spiritual qualities. One expects this. There's no road map for this, though. Clearly, the quest also is a way of testing a person for preparedness to find what he or she seeks.

This is quite obvious in Grail legends. Most knights fail on their quest to find the Grail because they lack the spiritual ability to be in God’s presence. They don’t fail because they can’t figure out how to get to the Grail. The only way to get there is to prove oneself through the journey.

Unlike a quest, a pilgrimage generally has a road map. Part of the journey of the pilgrimage does prepare the spirit for interaction with the divine. This is particularly the case with the modern Hajj, the pilgrimage many Muslims make in their lifetime to Mecca. These pilgrims are walking in the footsteps, literally, of Muhammad. They experience some deprivation, discomfort and hardship along the way. But with many other travelers alongside them, it is difficult to lose their way.

Like a quest, the deprivations of a pilgrimage can ultimately influence how one might react to reaching a destination. However, those on a pilgrimage will reach the destination. A quest may never end, and one may never be prepared to find what he or she seeks.

In critical analysis of literature, many argue that certain works represent quest or pilgrimage. For example, Dante’s Divine Comedy evokes this debate. Many critics argue that Dante is essentially on a quest to find the divine, represented by Paradise and Beatrice. Dante as a character is not certain whether he will ever achieve his goal, but each step of his journey makes him more so.

Conversely, some critics argue Dante is on a pilgrimage. He is always guided in his journey so his path is sure to achieve an end result of finding heaven and of finding his lost love Beatrice. Yet many critics counter that if Dante’s path really was a pilgrimage, the actual journey would not be given in so much detail.

Many also use the terms quest and pilgrimage when discussing the ideal ways to live a life. Work’s like Pilgrim’s Progress represent man’s struggle through temptations to reach a known destination. Single-minded focus on the goal is more important than the aspects of the journey.

Related Articles

• What is the Hero with a Thousand Faces?
• What is the Holy Grail?
• What does Godspeed Mean?
• Who is Don Quixote?
• Who is Gawain?
• What is the Grail Legend?
• What is a Hero's Journey?

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

• Work & Careers
• Life & Arts

Become an FT subscriber

Try unlimited access only $1 for 4 weeks.

Then $75 per month. Complete digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Cancel anytime during your trial.

• Global news & analysis
• Expert opinion
• Special features
• FirstFT newsletter
• Videos & Podcasts
• Android & iOS app
• FT Edit app
• 10 gift articles per month

Explore more offers.

Standard digital.

• FT Digital Edition

Premium Digital

Print + premium digital, ft professional, weekend print + standard digital, weekend print + premium digital.

Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.

• Global news & analysis
• Exclusive FT analysis
• FT App on Android & iOS
• FirstFT: the day's biggest stories
• 20+ curated newsletters
• Follow topics & set alerts with myFT
• FT Videos & Podcasts
• 20 monthly gift articles to share
• Lex: FT's flagship investment column
• 15+ Premium newsletters by leading experts
• FT Digital Edition: our digitised print edition
• Weekday Print Edition
• Videos & Podcasts
• Premium newsletters
• 10 additional gift articles per month
• FT Weekend Print delivery
• Everything in Standard Digital
• Everything in Premium Digital

Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.

• 10 monthly gift articles to share
• Everything in Print
• Make and share highlights
• FT Workspace
• Markets data widget
• Subscription Manager
• Workflow integrations
• Occasional readers go free
• Volume discount

Terms & Conditions apply

Explore our full range of subscriptions.

Why the ft.

See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times.

International Edition

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

• Signs and Symptoms
• How It Spreads
• Testing and Diagnosis
• Surveillance and Data
• Educational Materials
• Clinical Testing and Diagnosis
• Clinical Care and Treatment
• Continuing Education
• Clinical Resources

Related Topics:

• Show All Home
• Vector-Borne Diseases

Testing and Diagnosis for Lyme disease

• Healthcare providers consider multiple factors when evaluating a patient for Lyme disease.
• Laboratory diagnosis of Lyme disease relies on a blood test that detects antibodies to the Lyme bacteria. It can take several weeks after infection for the immune system to make enough antibodies to be detected by the test.
• CDC recommends using antibody tests that have been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and follow a two-step process.
• Some laboratories that do not accept private insurance may be offering tests that are not cleared by the FDA.

When assessing a patient for Lyme disease, your healthcare provider will consider:

• The signs and symptoms of Lyme disease
• The likelihood that you have been exposed to infected blacklegged ticks
• The possibility that other illnesses may cause similar symptoms
• Results of laboratory tests, when indicated

Laboratory testing

CDC recommends the use of FDA-cleared antibody tests for laboratory diagnosis of Lyme disease. As with antibody tests for other infectious diseases, the accuracy of these tests depends upon how long you've been infected. Antibody tests may appear falsely negative during the first few weeks of infection, typically when a patient has an erythema migrans rash, but FDA-cleared assays have good sensitivity after 4-6 weeks have passed. Once your blood tests positive for antibodies, it will likely continue to do so for months to years, even when the bacteria are no longer present.

Be aware that laboratories that do not accept private insurance may be offering tests that are not cleared or approved by the FDA.

What a diagnosis means

Patients treated with antibiotics in the early stages of the infection usually recover rapidly and completely. Most patients who are treated in later stages of the disease also respond well to antibiotics, although some may have suffered long-term damage to the nervous system or joints.

Because the immune system continues to make the antibodies for months or years after an infection is gone, your blood test will remain positive after the bacteria are no longer present. Unfortunately, these antibodies don’t reliably prevent re-infection should you be bitten by another infected tick.

About tickborne co-infections

In addition to Lyme disease, blacklegged ticks can spread several other tickborne diseases . A person who has more than one tickborne disease at a time is said to have a co-infection. The frequency of co-infections varies widely from place-to-place and over time.

The most common co-infection with Lyme disease is anaplasmosis , which occurs in up to ~10% of patients with Lyme disease. Other co-infections, including babesiosis , Powassan virus disease , and hard tick relapsing fever , occur less frequently.

Lyme disease and anaplasmosis are treated with the same antibiotic, so a person getting treatment for Lyme disease will be treated for anaplasmosis at the same time, regardless of whether additional tests were run. Babesiosis is a parasitic disease that is treated with different medications. If your Lyme disease symptoms do not seem to be going away after taking antibiotics, see your healthcare provider.

Although some providers test patients for Bartonella or Mycoplasma co-infections, there is no evidence that these germs are spread by ticks. If you have been diagnosed with co-infections, you may consider getting a second opinion. CDC recommends finding a board-certified infectious disease specialist, internist, or pediatrician affiliated with a university teaching hospital. Learn more about how to select a healthcare provider .

Your state or county health department is typically the best source of information about tickborne diseases that occur your area.

If you need a doctor

In areas where Lyme disease is common, most family practice physicians, general practitioners, and pediatricians are familiar with diagnosing and treating Lyme disease.

In areas where Lyme disease is not common or for more complicated cases of Lyme disease, infectious disease specialists are often the best type of doctor to see. Please note that CDC cannot evaluate the qualifications and competence of individual doctors; however, the National Institutes of Health provides information about how to choose a doctor. Additionally, your state medical board can help you find out if your health care provider is in good standing.

• Horowitz HW, Aguero-Rosenfeld ME, Holmgren D, McKenna D, Schwartz I, Cox ME, Wormser GP. Lyme disease and human granulocytic anaplasmosis coinfection: impact of case definition on coinfection rates and illness severity . Clin Infect Dis. 2013 Jan;56(1):93-9.
• Krause PJ, McKay K, Thompson CA, Sikand VK, et al. Disease-specific diagnosis of coinfecting tickborne zoonoses: babesiosis, human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, and Lyme disease . Clin Infect Dis . 2002 May 1;34(9):1184-91.
• Belongia EA, Reed KD, Mitchell PD, et al. Clinical and epidemiological features of early Lyme disease and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Wisconsin . Clin Infect Dis . 1999 Dec;29(6):1472-7.
• Steere AC1, McHugh G, Suarez C, Hoitt J, Damle N, Sikand VK. Prospective study of coinfection in patients with erythema migrans . Clin Infect Dis . 2003 Apr 15;36(8):1078-81.
• Lantos PM, Wormser GP. Chronic coinfections in patients diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease: a systematic review . Am J Med . 2014 Nov;127(11):1105-10.
• Telford SR, Wormser GP. Bartonella transmission by ticks not established. Emerg Infect Dis . 2010 Mar;16(3) 379-84.

Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia bacteria spread to people by the bite of an infected blacklegged tick.

For Everyone

Health care providers.

• Share full article

For more audio journalism and storytelling, download New York Times Audio , a new iOS app available for news subscribers.

• June 11, 2024   •   24:11 Biden’s Hard-Line Effort to Close the Border
• June 10, 2024   •   33:44 The Rise and Fall of Congestion Pricing in New York
• June 7, 2024   •   30:00 Real Teenagers, Fake Nudes: The Rise of Deepfakes in American Schools
• June 6, 2024   •   23:38 The Fight Over the Next Pandemic
• June 5, 2024   •   30:42 Biden’s Push to End the War in Gaza
• June 4, 2024   •   29:17 A Conversation With President Zelensky
• June 3, 2024   •   32:07 How Trump’s Conviction Could Reshape the Election
• May 31, 2024   •   31:29 Guilty
• May 30, 2024   •   25:21 The Government Takes On Ticketmaster
• May 29, 2024   •   29:46 The Closing Arguments in the Trump Trial
• May 28, 2024   •   25:56 The Alitos and Their Flags
• May 24, 2024   •   25:18 Whales Have an Alphabet

Real Teenagers, Fake Nudes: The Rise of Deepfakes in American Schools

Students are using artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit images of their classmates..

Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise

Featuring Natasha Singer

Produced by Sydney Harper and Shannon M. Lin

Edited by Marc Georges

Original music by Marion Lozano ,  Elisheba Ittoop and Dan Powell

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTube

Warning: this episode contains strong language, descriptions of explicit content and sexual harassment

A disturbing new problem is sweeping American schools: Students are using artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit images of their classmates and then share them without the person depicted even knowing.

Natasha Singer, who covers technology, business and society for The Times, discusses the rise of deepfake nudes and one girl’s fight to stop them.

On today’s episode

Natasha Singer , a reporter covering technology, business and society for The New York Times.

Background reading

Using artificial intelligence, middle and high school students have fabricated explicit images of female classmates and shared the doctored pictures.

Spurred by teenage girls, states have moved to ban deepfake nudes .

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson, Nina Lassam and Nick Pitman.

Natasha Singer writes about technology, business and society. She is currently reporting on the far-reaching ways that tech companies and their tools are reshaping public schools, higher education and job opportunities. More about Natasha Singer

Advertisement