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Lyme Disease Causes
What causes Lyme disease?
Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. Infected ticks spread the bacteria by biting people or animals.
Two types of ticks carry the Lyme disease bacteria in the U.S. They are:
- Deer ticks. They spread the disease in the Northeast and Midwest.
- Western black-legged ticks. They spread the disease along the Pacific coast, mostly in northern California and Oregon.
Dogs, cats, and horses can become infected with Lyme disease bacteria, but they can't pass the illness to humans. But infected ticks may fall off the animals and then bite and infect humans.