The blood-sucking critters are capable of thriving along the western coast, according to new research. Though experts don't exactly know how they're picking up the bacteria that causes the illness.
The chance of catching Lyme disease from an individual tick ranges from zero to roughly 50 percent. Three factors matter: the tick species, where it came from and how long the tick was feeding.
Researchers invited the public to help them study the geographic spread of ticks that carry pathogens that can sicken humans. People were eager to oblige by sending in the pesky bugs that bit them.
The tick-borne illness is spreading north and south — about 300,000 U.S. cases a year. As scientists work on better diagnostic tests and surveillance tools, you can take steps to cut your risk.
The world is seeing more and more new diseases, and the U.S. is no exception. We're living in a hot spot for tick-borne diseases. Some are deadly. The key to stopping them may be an unlikely critter.
Lyme disease is spreading, and this summer is shaping up as a whopper. Why has the tick-borne illness gotten so bad? The answer traces back to something the colonists did more than 200 years ago.
Scientists have tested all sorts of strategies to keep Lyme disease ticks from biting us. One is to make it less likely you'll cross paths with the critters in your yard. Sawdust mulch, anyone?
A clinical trial found that three months of antibiotic treatment wasn't effective in relieving persistent Lyme disease symptoms. It's the latest study to suggest the approach is ineffective.
Author Sonia Shah says that urbanization and air travel put the global population at an increased risk for disease. "Zika is a great example of how new pathogens are emerging today," she says.
It's not the tick that causes Lyme disease, but the bacteria that live in its spit. Scientists at the Mayo Clinic have found a second bacterium capable of causing the disease in people.
