Lyme disease facts
Published 1:00 am, Saturday, March 21, 2009
n Is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi.
n Is spread to humans by the bite of the black-legged tick, aka the deer tick.
n Is the most common tick-borne illness in the U.S., with 27,444 confirmed cases in 2007. The actual number of cases may be 10 times larger.
n The initial infection sometimes -- but not always -- manifests itself as a flu-like fever, with headache and aching joints.
n Sometimes -- but not always -- it is accompanied by a red bull's-eye rash around the tick bite.
n Often -- but not always -- a month-long course of antibiotics will cure the infection.