Lyme disease

Lyme disease is an infectious disease transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks.

Erythema migrans develops at the site of tick bite usually within 1 to 2 weeks and is a pathognomic feature.

Constitutional symptoms such as fever, headache, myalgias, fatigue, and arthralgias may occur.

Complications of Lyme disease may be neurologic, cardiac, or musculoskeletal.

Mainstay of treatment is antibiotic therapy.

There is currently no vaccine; prevention is centered around reducing exposure to ticks.

Lyme disease is a zoonotic infection caused by a spirochete of genus Borrelia, which is transmitted to humans by ticks. Zoonotic diseases are transmitted between vertebrate animals and humans. Animals serve as the primary reservoir of Borrelia. Ticks become infected by feeding on an infected animal. The most common initial manifestation is a typical skin lesion known as erythema migrans. Later manifestations may include arthritis, or central nervous system or cardiac involvement.