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Lyme disease - Background information
What is it?
- Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis, is an infection caused by a group of spiral-shaped bacteria (spirochetes) called Borrelia burgdorferi, which are transmitted to humans following a bite from an infected tick [Hytonen et al, 2008; HPA, 2009d].
- Early Lyme disease has one or more of the following clinical features: a characteristic erythema migrans rash (also known as erythema chronicum migrans), flu-like symptoms, and neurological, cardiac, and other skin involvement [Wormser et al, 2006].
- Late Lyme disease is characterized by neurological, joint, or other skin involvement [Wormser et al, 2006].
- Lyme disease is also reported to trigger a post-infection syndrome, similar to fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome [HPA, 2009d], although this is controversial [Cameron et al, 2004; Feder et al, 2007].
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