Disease
Lyme disease
Tick-borne multistage spirochetal illness
LYME dih-ZEEZ
High-yield clue
Lyme classically evolves in three stages - early localized erythema migrans, then early disseminated disease (facial palsy, carditis, multiple lesions), then late Lyme arthritis and neuroborreliosis.
Overview
A tick-borne multisystem illness caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, studied for its expanding erythema-migrans rash and staged progression. It matters as the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S. and a classic early-vs-late syndrome.
Classification
- Tick-borne multisystem syndrome
- Stages: early localized, early disseminated, late
- Zoonosis with rodent reservoir
- Region-linked (Northeast/upper Midwest) framing
Lab & identification clues
- Erythema migrans (expanding bull's-eye) vocabulary
- Ixodes (blacklegged) tick attachment ~36-48h concept
- Two-tier antibody testing (screen then confirmatory) vocabulary
- Late signs: arthritis, facial palsy, carditis, neuroborreliosis terms
Associations
- Transmitted by Ixodes ticks; deer and mice in cycle
- Peak in late spring-summer outdoor exposure
- At-risk framing: wooded/grassy endemic regions
- Bell's palsy and Lyme arthritis as later-stage associations
Commonly confused with
- Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI)
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.