Its prevalence varies considerably in different European countries.
Ticks are spider-like creatures, found in woodland or areas of rough vegetation.
They feed on the blood of many kinds of animals and transmit the bacterium during feeding. All of them are flat when unfed but become spherical when engorged with blood. Ticks are found on low vegetation and attach themselves by their mouthparts to the skin of passing animals and people, where they suck blood for 2-7 days before dropping off into the vegetation. Unfed ticks are usually present on the vegetation from spring until autumn, but a peak of activity occurs in early summer and often again in early autumn. Only the nymph and adult female ticks are known to transmit the infection.