The study examined 208 children with Lyme borreliosis, of whom 169 had Lyme neuroborreliosis, from mid-1986 until the end of 1989. The manifestation index was 0.16, or one case of Lyme neuroborreliosis per 620 infected children, compared with the presence of specific antibodies against B. burgdorferi for children in the same age group and region. Both the seasonal distribution of Lyme borreliosis, which peaked in summer and autumn, as well as the information about when the tick bites took place point to an incubation period of a few weeks. Lyme borreliosis proved to be the most frequently verifiable cause of acute peripheral facial palsy in children, causing every second case of this disorder in summer and autumn. Our answer comes from the Rutgers University Department of Entomology and the Prevent Lyme Foundation.
Compost heaps attract white footed mice, which are known hosts for ticks such as I. dammini.
The heaps are great places for the mice to reproduce. Where you find the mice, you will most probably find the ticks, including Lyme-carrying ticks. The solution is to keep the mice from getting in the compost heaps in the first place by enclosing them. Thanks to Lynn Latchford for sending us this response. I would hope that the bull's eye rash would be a good sign.