New light shed on Lyme disease-causing bacteria.

New light shed on Lyme disease-causing bacteria.A new species of bacteria that causes Lyme disease needs the same amount of time for transmission after a tick bite compared to previously implicated bacteria, according to new research. Existing guidelines for frequent tick checks and prompt removal of attached ticks remain the same. The duration of attachment of a single nymphal blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) needed for the tick to be likely to transmit the bacterial species Borrelia mayonii, identified in 2016, is 48 hours or more, according to the study. By 72 hours, however, likelihood of transmission has risen significantly. This timeframe aligns with existing research on Borrelia burgdorferi, previously the sole bacteria species known to cause Lyme disease in the United States. The research is published in the Entomological Society of America's Journal of Medical Entomology.