How do humans catch Lyme Disease?
Lyme Disease is caused by a spirochete called Borrelia burgdorferi, which is spread from mammal to mammal by an infected tick. This tick, which also spreads another disease called Ehrlichia, abounds in the Southern California area. In a study done more than 9 years ago, 10-50% of these ticks in Northern California were infected, while in Southern California, fewer than 1% were infected. Tick-laden migratory birds can easily disseminate these ticks to new locations. Transmission requires 48 hours of tick attachment.
