Lyme disease
Sign in to saveinfectious disease caused by Borrelia bacteria, spread through the bite of blacklegged ticks
AI overview
Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by bacteria called Borrelia that spreads to humans through bites from blacklegged ticks. It matters because it's a common tick-borne illness that can affect people in areas where infected ticks are present.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Research
17,064 papers- Lyme Disease.The Nursing clinics of North America · 2019
- Lyme Disease.Annals of internal medicine · 2025
- Lyme disease.Current opinion in rheumatology · 1995
- Lyme disease.Current opinion in rheumatology · 1994
- Lyme disease.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2000
via PubMed
Article
Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a tick-borne disease caused by species of Borrelia bacteria, transmitted by blood-feeding ticks in the genus Ixodes. It is the most common disease spread by ticks in the Northern Hemisphere. Infections are most common in the spring and early summer. Infection is treatable with antibiotics. Most treated patients experience a full recovery. For some patients recovery may not be immediate or complete, resulting in long-term effects. Early detection and prompt treatment are associated with more favorable outcomes.
The most common sign of infection is an expanding red rash, known as erythema migrans (EM), which appears at the site of the tick bite about a week afterwards. The rash is typically neither itchy nor painful. Approximately 70–80% of infected people develop a rash. Other early symptoms may include fever, headaches and tiredness. If untreated, symptoms may include loss of the ability to move one or both sides of the face, joint pains, severe headaches with neck stiffness or heart palpitations. Months to years later, repeated episodes of joint pain and swelling may occur. Occasionally, shooting pains or tingling in the arms and legs may develop.