Transmission+-+Lyme+Disease

Lyme disease is a vector-borne disease, meaning it is transmitted to humans by an insect or other arthropod. In this case, the disease is spread by ticks infected with the bacteria associated with Lyme Disease, //Borrellia burgdorferi//. When an infected tick bites you, bacteria travels through the tick's salivary glands and crosses the barrier into human skin. The process takes around 24 hours for the tick to fully attach itself to the skin and begin to feed on it.

In the United States, there are two types of ticks that carry the Lyme Disease bacteria:


 * Deer Ticks**
 * Cause the spread of Lyme Disease in the northeastern and upper Midwestern portion of the United States


 * Western Black-Legged Ticks**
 * Cause the spread of Lyme Disease along the Pacific Coast -- mostly in Northern California and Oregon[[image:lifecycle.jpg width="398" height="406" align="right" caption="This diagram displays the lifecycle of black-legged ticks."]]