The first sign of Lyme disease is usually a growing skin lesion where the tick bit. There may also be fever, muscle and joint pain, headaches and other skin lesions. Without antibiotics early, the illness may involve the heart, nervous system, joints and other organs.
Causes and Risk Factors
An organism called a spirochete causes Lyme disease. The infection is spread through the bite of a tiny infected tick. In the United States, this tick is found mainly in three areas: the coastal Northeast, the upper Midwest (where the carrier is the deer tick) and in coastal California (where the carrier is the western black-legged tick).