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Rare Lyme disease-causing strain spreads to new state: What to know
NewsNation • • health
Key Points:
- A rare bacterium, Borrelia mayonii, known to cause Lyme disease, has been detected for the first time in New York, expanding beyond its previous presence in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
- Lyme disease is primarily caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and spread by blacklegged ticks, with symptoms ranging from rash and fever to severe complications affecting the nervous system, heart, and joints.
- In 2023, over 89,000 cases of Lyme disease were reported to the CDC, with actual diagnoses potentially reaching 476,000 annually, mostly concentrated in the Midwest and Northeast.
- The recent detection of B. mayonii in ticks collected from a New York resident’s property showed low prevalence, but health officials emphasize the importance of continued surveillance for tick-borne diseases.
- Blacklegged ticks, the primary vector for Lyme disease, have been found across more than half of the United States, highlighting the widespread risk of tick-borne illnesses.
