Lyme Disease

The Lyme Disease topic includes research on the causative pathogens, transmission, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of the bacterial infection called Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is the most common tickborne infectious disease in the United States. The disease is spread to humans by the bite of a deer tick (also called a blacklegged tick) that carries the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Infected ticks are usually found in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Upper Midwest and along the Pacific Coast.

A short course of antibiotics usually cures Lyme disease, although people with complicated cases need antibiotics for 3 to 4 weeks. If not properly treated with antibiotics, Lyme disease can cause a wide range of potentially serious symptoms. Some people can have symptoms of pain and fatigue that last months after completing a course of antibiotics.