Claim: Lyme disease is infectious and spread from bacteria carried by some ticks.

Borrelia is a genus of bacteria of the spirochete phylum . It causes borreliosis , a zoonotic , vector-borne disease transmitted primarily by ticks and by lice , depending on the species . The genus is named after the French biologist Amédée Borrel -LRB- 1867 -- 1936 -RRB- . There are 52 known species of Borrelia . 21 are members of the Lyme disease group , 29 belong to the relapsing fever group , and two are members of a third group .