Lyme Disease: What the Wilderness Provider Needs to Know

Abstract

Lyme disease is a multisystem tickborne illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and is the most common vectorborne disease in the United States. Prognosis after initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy is typically good if treated early. Wilderness providers caring for patients who live in or travel to high-incidence Lyme disease areas should be aware of the basic biology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and treatment of Lyme disease.

Keywords: Borrelia burgdorferi; Ixodes scapularis; Lyme carditis; Lyme disease; tick; tickborne disease.