Lyme Disease FAQ Lyme Disease - General Information and FAQ Lyme disease is an illness caused by a spirochete bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted to animals and man through the bite of infected ticks. The disease is reported worldwide and throughout the United States. The states of New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Jersey account for the majority of cases in the United States. However, cases are reported from all geographic regions of the country.
Different ticks are carriers in the different regions.
Not all ticks are infected. Infection rates in tick populations vary by tick species and geographic region from as few as two percent to 90 percent or more. THE DEER TICK Ixodes dammini is responsible for most of the cases of Lyme disease in the northeastern United States. They prefer areas where some moisture is present. Each stage takes a single blood meal.