Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (738 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
An infectious disease caused by a spirochete, borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted chiefly by Ixodes dammini (see ixodes) and pacificus ticks in the United States and Ixodes ricinis (see ixodes) in Europe. It is a disease with early and late cutaneous manifestations plus involvement of the nervous system, heart, eye, and joints in variable combinations. The disease was formerly known as Lyme arthritis and first discovered at Old Lyme, Connecticut.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Disease, Lyme; Borrelia burgdorferi Infection; Borrelia burgdorferi Infections; B. burgdorferi Infection; B. burgdorferi Infections; Lyme Borreliosis; Borreliosis, Lyme; Lyme Arthritis.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections; Borrelia Infections; Tick-Borne Diseases
- Narrower topics
- Erythema Chronicum Migrans; Lyme Neuroborreliosis; Post-Lyme Disease Syndrome
Related concepts
- Borrelia Burgdorferi
- Ixodes
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 13,002 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Lyme Disease” (counts retrieved 2026-10-29). 2,074 of them (16.0%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 4,527 records.
Reviews account for 1,835 records (14.1%) and meta-analyses for 41. Randomized controlled trials number 97 (0.7%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 4,527 |
| 2000-2009 | 3,078 |
| 2010-2019 | 3,323 |
| 2020 onward | 2,074 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 1,835 | 14.1% |
| Meta-analyses | 41 | 0.3% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 97 | 0.7% |
Method: PubMed query "Lyme Disease"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-29.
Reading the evidence in infectious diseases
Infectious disease evidence combines microbiology, epidemiology and clinical trials. Laboratory studies identify pathogens and how they cause harm; surveillance and outbreak investigations describe who is affected and how infection spreads; trials establish whether treatments and vaccines work. Results depend on place and time, because pathogens evolve and resistance patterns and population immunity change. Check when and where the data were collected, how cases were defined and how up to date the evidence is.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tick hemocytes have a pleiotropic role in microbial infection and arthropod fitness | 2024 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 22 | cc by PMID 38459063 · DOI · PMC10923820 |
| Rapid single-tier serodiagnosis of Lyme disease | 2024 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 20 | cc by PMID 39164226 · DOI · PMC11336255 |
| Characterization and genomic analysis of the Lyme disease spirochete bacteriophage ϕBB-1 | 2024 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 20 | cc by PMID 38558079 · DOI · PMC11008901 |
| Clinical Manifestations of Lyme Borreliosis in Europe: Burden of Lyme Disease Study (BOLD), 2021-2022 | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 41901780 · DOI · PMC13029277 |
Tick hemocytes have a pleiotropic role in microbial infection and arthropod fitness [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Uncovering the complexity of systems in non-model organisms is critical for understanding arthropod immunology.
- Closing excerpt
- Altogether, we discover a role for tick hemocytes in immunophysiology and provide a valuable resource for comparative biology in arthropods.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (153 words)
Uncovering the complexity of systems in non-model organisms is critical for understanding arthropod immunology. Prior efforts have mostly focused on Dipteran insects, which only account for a subset of existing arthropod species in nature. Here we use and develop advanced techniques to describe immune cells (hemocytes) from the clinically relevant tick Ixodes scapularis at a single-cell resolution. We observe molecular alterations in hemocytes upon feeding and infection with either the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi or the rickettsial agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum. We reveal hemocyte clusters exhibiting defined signatures related to immunity, metabolism, and proliferation. Depletion of phagocytic hemocytes affects hemocytin and astakine levels, two I. scapularis hemocyte markers, impacting blood-feeding, molting behavior, and bacterial acquisition. Mechanistically, astakine alters hemocyte proliferation, whereas hemocytin affects the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway in I. scapularis. Altogether, we discover a role for tick hemocytes in immunophysiology and provide a valuable resource for comparative biology in arthropods.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 38459063 · DOI · PMC10923820
Rapid single-tier serodiagnosis of Lyme disease [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Point-of-care serological and direct antigen testing offers actionable insights for diagnosing challenging illnesses, empowering distributed health systems.
- Closing excerpt
- This LD diagnostic test could potentially replace the cumbersome two-tier testing, improving diagnosis and enabling earlier treatment while facilitating immune monitoring and surveillance.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (151 words)
Point-of-care serological and direct antigen testing offers actionable insights for diagnosing challenging illnesses, empowering distributed health systems. Here, we report a POC-compatible serologic test for Lyme disease (LD), leveraging synthetic peptides specific to LD antibodies and a paper-based platform for rapid, and cost-effective diagnosis. Antigenic epitopes conserved across Borrelia burgdorferi genospecies, targeted by IgG and IgM antibodies, are selected to develop a multiplexed panel for detection of LD antibodies from patient sera. Multiple peptide epitopes, when combined synergistically with a machine learning-based diagnostic model achieve high sensitivity without sacrificing specificity. Blinded validation with 15 LD-positive and 15 negative samples shows 95.5% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Blind testing with the CDC's LD repository samples confirms the test accuracy, matching lab-based two-tier results, correctly differentiating between LD and look-alike diseases. This LD diagnostic test could potentially replace the cumbersome two-tier testing, improving diagnosis and enabling earlier treatment while facilitating immune monitoring and surveillance.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 39164226 · DOI · PMC11336255
Characterization and genomic analysis of the Lyme disease spirochete bacteriophage ϕBB-1 [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection caused by the spirochete Borrelia (Borreliella) burgdorferi.
- Closing excerpt
- Collectively, our results shed light on the biology of the ubiquitous ϕBB-1 phage and further implicates ϕBB-1 in the generalized transduction of diverse genes and the maintenance of genetic diversity in Lyme disease spirochetes.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (234 words)
Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection caused by the spirochete Borrelia (Borreliella) burgdorferi. Borrelia species have highly fragmented genomes composed of a linear chromosome and a constellation of linear and circular plasmids some of which are required throughout the enzootic cycle. Included in this plasmid repertoire by almost all Lyme disease spirochetes are the 32-kb circular plasmid cp32 prophages that are capable of lytic replication to produce infectious virions called ϕBB-1. While the B. burgdorferi genome contains evidence of horizontal transfer, the mechanisms of gene transfer between strains remain unclear. While we know that ϕBB-1 transduces cp32 and shuttle vector DNA during in vitro cultivation, the extent of ϕBB-1 DNA transfer is not clear. Herein, we use proteomics and long-read sequencing to further characterize ϕBB-1 virions. Our studies identified the cp32 pac region and revealed that ϕBB-1 packages linear cp32s via a headful mechanism with preferential packaging of plasmids containing the cp32 pac region. Additionally, we find ϕBB-1 packages fragments of the linear chromosome and full-length plasmids including lp54, cp26, and others. Furthermore, sequencing of ϕBB-1 packaged DNA allowed us to resolve the covalently closed hairpin telomeres for the linear B. burgdorferi chromosome and most linear plasmids in strain CA-11.2A. Collectively, our results shed light on the biology of the ubiquitous ϕBB-1 phage and further implicates ϕBB-1 in the generalized transduction of diverse genes and the maintenance of genetic diversity in Lyme disease spirochetes.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 38558079 · DOI · PMC11008901
Clinical Manifestations of Lyme Borreliosis in Europe: Burden of Lyme Disease Study (BOLD), 2021-2022 [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Lyme borreliosis (LB), the most common European tick-borne disease, can manifest as an erythema migrans (EM) rash or as disseminated LB.
- Closing excerpt
- This study underscores the need for improved prevention strategies.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (200 words)
Lyme borreliosis (LB), the most common European tick-borne disease, can manifest as an erythema migrans (EM) rash or as disseminated LB. The prospective Burden of Lyme Disease (BOLD) study evaluated the frequency of LB clinical manifestations, including signs, symptoms, and treatment patterns in 14 healthcare practices in endemic regions of six European countries: the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden. Between April 2021 and December 2022, patients with suspected LB were evaluated using predefined case definitions that were applied by investigators to identify medically attended LB cases. Enrolled cases were interviewed about their symptoms. Among the 797 LB cases, 615 (77.2%) had EM and 182 (22.8%) had disseminated disease; 154 of the disseminated cases had Lyme arthritis (LA), five had Lyme neuroborreliosis, and three had Lyme carditis. Geographically, the proportion of disseminated disease varied by country, from 1.1% in Slovenia to 78.0% in Slovakia. Overall, 76.3% of all LB cases in Slovakia were LA. Antibiotic use varied by country, although every country prescribed doxycycline. The frequency of LB manifestations varied substantially between countries. EM was the most common manifestation in all countries except Slovakia, where LA was most common. This study underscores the need for improved prevention strategies.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41901780 · DOI · PMC13029277
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Lyme borreliosis [5]
- Research article Epidemiology of Lyme disease [6]
- Research article Lyme borreliosis in Europe [7]
- Research article Emerging tick-borne infections in mainland China: an increasing public health threat [8]
- Research article Landscape epidemiology of vector-borne diseases [9]
- Research article Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Lyme Disease, Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis, and Babesiosis: A Review [10]
References
- Rolandelli A, Laukaitis-Yousey HJ, Bogale HN, Singh N, Samaddar S, O'Neal AJ, et al.. Tick hemocytes have a pleiotropic role in microbial infection and arthropod fitness. . 2024. PMID 38459063 · DOI · PMC10923820
- Ghosh R, Joung HA, Goncharov A, Palanisamy B, Ngo K, Pejcinovic K, et al.. Rapid single-tier serodiagnosis of Lyme disease. . 2024. PMID 39164226 · DOI · PMC11336255
- Faith DR, Kinnersley M, Brooks DM, Drecktrah D, Hall LS, Luo E, et al.. Characterization and genomic analysis of the Lyme disease spirochete bacteriophage ϕBB-1. . 2024. PMID 38558079 · DOI · PMC11008901
- Halsby K, Loew-Baselli A, Strle F, Moniuszko-Malinowska A, Berglund JS, Cibik V, et al.. Clinical Manifestations of Lyme Borreliosis in Europe: Burden of Lyme Disease Study (BOLD), 2021-2022. . 2026. PMID 41901780 · DOI · PMC13029277
- Steere AC, Strle F, Wormser GP, Hu LT, Branda JA, Hovius JW, et al.. Lyme borreliosis. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016. PMID 27976670 · DOI · PMC5539539
- Mead PS. Epidemiology of Lyme disease. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2015. PMID 25999219 · DOI
- Rizzoli A, Hauffe H, Carpi G, Vourc H G, Neteler M, Rosa R. Lyme borreliosis in Europe. Euro Surveill. 2011. PMID 21794218 · DOI
- Fang LQ, Liu K, Li XL, Liang S, Yang Y, Yao HW, et al.. Emerging tick-borne infections in mainland China: an increasing public health threat. Lancet Infect Dis. 2015. PMID 26453241 · DOI · PMC4870934
- Reisen WK. Landscape epidemiology of vector-borne diseases. Annu Rev Entomol. 2010. PMID 19737082 · DOI
- Sanchez E, Vannier E, Wormser GP, Hu LT. Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Lyme Disease, Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis, and Babesiosis: A Review. JAMA. 2016. PMID 27115378 · DOI · PMC7758915
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-29.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.