HealthWise KnowledgeBase
Lyme Disease
Cause
Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. Infected ticks spread the bacteria by biting people or animals.
Two types of ticks carry the Lyme disease bacteria in the U.S. They are:
-
Reference Deer ticks Opens New Window Reference
Opens New Window. They spread the disease in the Northeast
and Midwest. -
Reference Western black-legged ticks Opens New Window Reference Opens New Window. They spread
the disease along the Pacific coast, mostly in northern California and
Oregon.
Dogs, cats, and horses can become infected with Lyme disease bacteria, but they can't pass the illness to humans. But infected ticks may fall off the animals and then bite and infect humans.
| By: | Reference Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: Reference August 21, 2012 |
| Medical Review: | Reference E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Reference Christine Hahn, MD - Epidemiology |
|
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