NIAID's Role in Lyme Disease Research
Lyme disease, or borreliosis, is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected blacklegged deer tick. It is the most common tickborne infectious disease in the United States. State health departments reported 22,572 confirmed cases and 7,597probable cases of Lyme disease to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2010.
NIAID has a long-standing commitment to conduct Lyme disease research with the major goals of developing better means of diagnosing, treating, and preventing the disease. To accomplish these objectives, the NIAID Lyme disease research portfolio includes a broad range of activities designed to increase our understanding of this disease. Learn more about NIAID's Lyme disease research.