Lyme disease is a vector-borne illness spread through the bite of infected ticks. The main types of ticks that are commonly known to transmit Lyme disease include the blacklegged tick (also known as deer tick), which is native to the northeastern, mid-Atlantic and north-central United States, and the western blacklegged tick, which is native to the Pacific coast of the United States. In Northern, Western, and Eastern Europe, the primary ticks responsible for the spread of Lyme disease include the castor bean tick and the taiga tick.
Lyme disease in the United States is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, a Gram-negative, microaerophilic bacteria of spirochete morphology. B. burgdorferi does not produce toxins, unlike most disease-causing bacteria, but instead interacts directly with the cells it infects. In 2013, B. mayonii was also discovered in North America, but is comparatively much less prevalent than B. burgdorferi. In both Europe and Asia, there are two bacteria attributed to Lyme disease, B. afzelii and B. garinii.
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