Definition of Lyme disease
Lyme disease: Lyme disease is a bacterial
illness caused by a bacterium called a "spirochete." Lyme
disease is spread by ticks when they bite the skin. Lyme
disease can cause abnormalities in the skin, joints, heart
and nervous system.
Interestingly, the disease only became apparent in 1975
when mothers of a group of children who lived near each
other in Lyme, Connecticut made researchers aware that
their children all were diagnosed with rheumatoid
arthritis. This unusual grouping of illness that
appeared "rheumatoid" eventually led researchers to the
identification of the bacterial cause of Lyme disease in
1982. The number of cases of the disease in an area depends
on the amount of ticks in an area and how often the ticks
are infected with the bacteria. In certain areas of New
York, where Lyme disease is common, over half of the ticks
are infected. Lyme disease has been reported most often in
the Northeastern United States, but has been reported in
all 50 states as well as China, Europe, Japan, Australia
and the parts of the former Soviet Union.
Last Editorial Review: 10/12/1999 8:43:00 PMCommon Misspellings: lyme diease, lyme desease, lymes disease, lymes diease, lymes desease
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