Health News

Lyme disease-carrying ticks may invade new territory in the Midwest

Black-legged ticks may soon expand their territory across the midwestern U.S., carrying Lyme disease with them, a new study finds.  The study researchers created a timeline of when and where the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) has spread since the 1960s, when the parasitic arachnid was first detected in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The team pinpointed several […]

Health Problems

Lyme disease is caused by bacteria

Lyme disease is caused by four main species of bacteria. Borrelia burgdorferi and Borrelia mayonii cause Lyme disease in the United States, while Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii are the leading causes in Europe and Asia. The most common tick-borne illness in these regions, Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of an infected black-legged […]

Personal Health

The Facts (and Myths) About How You Really Get Lyme Disease

Now that winter has transitioned to spring and temperatures are warming up in much of the country, you’re likely to start hearing a lot about Lyme disease. Rates of this tick-borne illness have been rising steadily in the United States over the last two decades, with most infections happening in April through October. According to […]