Light micrograph of a Ixodes tick, revealing its boring mouthparts used to penetrate mammalian skin.

Lyme disease is spreading fast—but a vaccine may be on the way

Several vaccines and new treatments are in the works as the ticks that carry the disease spread to new locations. Here’s what you need to know about tick bites and your risk of infection.

Light micrograph of a Lyme disease tick (Ixodes species). Only the female feeds on blood using its boring mouthpart (at upper right) to attack mice, deer, dogs, and humans. Ixodes is a carrier of the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is the cause of Lyme disease in humans. The symptoms of Lyme disease include skin lesions, joint inflammation, fever, and headache, and will persist if left untreated.
Micrograph by ALFRED PASIEKA, SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
This content is Subscriber-Exclusive
You must have a National Geographic subscription to explore this article.

Unlock this Nat Geo Premium content–and much more

Want to keep exploring? Unlock this exclusive story and more with Nat Geo Premium.
Already a subscriber?
Sign In

Read This Next

'World’s worst shipwreck' was bloodier than we thought
World’s first ultrasounds of wild manta rays reveal a troubling truth
Titanic was found during secret Cold War Navy mission

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet