Cases of Lyme disease in Michigan have risen dramatically in recent years, and a new study links that trend to larger and more widespread tick populations. Because Lyme disease is frequently misdiagnosed as other illnesses, reported cases likely represent only a fraction of true Lyme disease infections — perhaps as little as 10 percent, the study authors reported. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, and can be transmitted to humans only through the bite of a tick carrying that bacterium. However, from 2000 to 2014, the number of new cases of Lyme disease in Michigan expanded, both numerically and geographically. This expansion coordinated geographically with the spread of Lyme disease cases, the study authors reported.

Source: Fox News March 13, 2017 17:48 UTC