For comprehensive information about Lyme disease prevention, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment, please visit our dedicated educational pages. The questions below address specific topics not covered elsewhere.
For patient-specific medical advice, please consult with a healthcare provider.
Q: Can Lyme disease affect pregnancy?
A: Lyme disease during pregnancy should be evaluated and treated promptly by a healthcare provider. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognize the potential for mother-to-child transmission of Lyme disease. A peer-reviewed article in Frontiers in Medicine evaluates existing evidence indicating Lyme disease in pregnancy may be associated with mother-to-child transmission of the Lyme bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi. More research is urgently needed to better understand maternal transmission and its potential risks.
Q: What other infections can ticks transmit?
A: Deer ticks can transmit more than one pathogen in a single bite. In addition to Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, deer ticks may also transmit:
- Anaplasma, which causes anaplasmosis
- Babesia, which causes babesiosis, a malaria-like infection
- Powassan virus
- Other Borrelia species, including B. mayonii and B. miyamotoi
Other tick species can transmit or trigger additional conditions, including:
- Ehrlichiosis
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and other rickettsial diseases
- Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness, or STARI
- Alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat and other mammalian products
Some tick-borne infections can be severe or even fatal, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Anaplasmosis, Powassan virus). Babesiosis can be especially serious for people who are immunocompromised, have had their spleen removed, or take immunosuppressive medications. Babesia can also be transmitted through blood transfusions.
Signs that may suggest a tick-borne co-infection include:
- Rapid onset of high fever
- Abnormal liver function tests
- Low platelet counts
- Anemia
- Signs of red blood cell breakdown, also called hemolysis
- Elevated LDH levels
Tick-borne co-infections are spreading geographically along with Lyme disease and may complicate diagnosis and treatment.
Some infections, such as Bartonella and mycoplasma infections, may occur in people who also have Lyme disease or other tick-borne infections. However, the role of tick transmission for these infections is less clear.
The CDC provides more information about diseases transmitted by ticks here: CDC tickborne diseases. More information about Lyme disease diagnosis and testing is available here: CDC Lyme diagnosis and testing.
Q: Can tick bites cause problems other than Lyme disease or other tick-borne infections?
A: Yes. Tick bites can sometimes cause problems that are not infections:
- Local allergic reactions to tick bites can be confused with Lyme disease. Local reactions can be red, itchy, and irritating. Unlike the expanding Lyme rash, these reactions are smaller and do not expand to greater than 2 inches over time.
- Alpha-gal syndrome: Lone Star tick bites can trigger an allergy to mammalian meat and products such as beef, pork, lamb, or gelatin. Symptoms often occur several hours after consuming these foods and can range from hives or upset stomach to more serious allergic reactions.
Q: How does the Lyme bacteria evade the immune system?
A: Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, can be difficult for the immune system to eliminate. It can interfere with complement, one of the immune system’s early defense mechanisms, and it can also alter some of its surface proteins over time. These changes may make it harder for antibodies to recognize and help clear the bacteria from the body.
Q: Can you get Lyme disease more than once?
A: Yes. It is possible to get Lyme disease more than once. Having had Lyme disease before does not reliably protect someone from getting it again, especially after another bite from an infected tick. Reinfecton may occur because there are different strains of Lyme disease bacteria. Long-lasting protective immunity is not fully understood.
Q: Is there a Lyme disease vaccine?
A: There is not currently a Lyme disease vaccine available for people in the United States. A previous human Lyme disease vaccine, LYMErix, was available in the late 1990s but was discontinued by the manufacturer in 2002. New Lyme disease prevention tools, including vaccine candidates, are now being studied in clinical trials. Pfizer and Valneva are in the final clinical trial stages of their investigational vaccine, VLA15, and despite mixed Phase 3 trial results may submit for FDA approval in 2026.
