A new analysis suggests that north-south differences in ticks host choice, density, and host-seeking behaviors may explain why Lyme disease is more prevalent in the northeastern U.S. than in the southeast. Howard Ginsberg of the U.S. Geological Survey s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and colleagues present these findings in an article publishing January 28th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.
A person can develop Lyme disease after being bitten by a tick that acquired the corkscrew-shaped Lyme disease-causing Borrelia bacteria from another vertebrate host. While ticks are found in both the northeastern and southeastern U.S., Lyme disease is more common among people in the northeast. However, the causes of this geographical gradient have been unclear.