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Short, plain-language answers to the questions people ask most about Lyme disease, each checked against CDC guidance and linked to its sources.
Quick answer
This page collects clear, sourced answers to the most common Lyme disease questions. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by blacklegged ticks. Most people recover fully with early antibiotics. Pick a question below for a short answer checked against CDC guidance, or open a full guide for more depth.
The basics
What Lyme disease is and how common it is.
- What is Lyme disease? GuideThe bacteria behind it, what it does to the body, and how it is treated.
- What causes Lyme disease?Borrelia bacteria, the ticks that carry them, and the role of rodents and deer.
- How common is Lyme disease?Estimated and reported U.S. cases, trends, and where risk is highest.
- Is Lyme disease an autoimmune disease?Why it is an infection, and how the immune system fits in.
Ticks and how it spreads
How people get Lyme disease, and how they do not.
- How is Lyme disease transmitted?Tick bites, plus what the evidence says about sex, pregnancy and blood transfusions.
- Is Lyme disease contagious?Whether you can catch it from a partner, child, coworker or pet.
- Do mosquitoes carry Lyme disease?Which bugs do and do not spread it.
- Which ticks carry Lyme disease? GuideBlacklegged ticks, where they live, and ticks that do not spread Lyme.
- What should I do after a tick bite? GuideSafe removal, what to watch for, and when to call a doctor.
- How long does a tick need to be attached? GuideWhy quick removal lowers your risk.
Symptoms and testing
What to look for and how Lyme disease is diagnosed.
- What are the symptoms of Lyme disease? GuideEarly signs, later symptoms, and when to get care.
- What does the Lyme rash look like? GuideThe erythema migrans rash, including rashes that are not a bull’s-eye.
- Can Lyme disease cause seizures?What neurologic Lyme usually looks like, and what research says.
- How is Lyme disease tested? GuideHow blood tests work, their timing, and their limits.
Treatment and recovery
How Lyme disease is treated and what recovery looks like.
- How is Lyme disease treated? GuideAntibiotics, how long treatment lasts, and what to ask.
- Is Lyme disease curable?What antibiotics can do and why early treatment matters.
- How long does Lyme disease last?Typical timelines, lingering symptoms, and 20-year follow-up research.
- Is Lyme disease permanent?Whether it goes away, and when effects can last.
- What is chronic Lyme disease? GuideLingering symptoms after treatment, with both mainstream and patient-advocate views.
- Can Lyme disease kill you?How rare deaths are, and the heart warning signs to know.
- Can you get Lyme disease twice?Reinfection, immunity and testing the second time.
- Is there a Lyme disease diet?What food can and cannot do, and the alpha-gal red meat allergy.
Prevention, vaccines and pets
Lowering your family’s risk, including four-legged members.
Looking for something else? Browse all Lyme disease guides, check your area on the risk map or by state, or send us your question.
We are collecting real experiences about the questions they had after a Lyme diagnosis from people who have lived it, shared with their permission. As stories come in, they will appear here, clearly marked as personal experience rather than medical advice.