Lyme Disease and It's Origin

"Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in North America and Europe. Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium burgdorferi. Deer ticks, which feed on the blood of animals and humans, can harbor the bacteria and spread it when feeding."(Mayoclinic.com) Lyme disease was once believed to be native only to the U.S., today we now know that is no longer true. In 2008, Yale researchers conducted a study on Lyme disease carrying ticks and their true origin. Using a computer-generated evolutionary tree, the researchers soon found that the Lyme disease of today are more closely related to its ancestors in Europe. There are now 25,000 cases of the disease reported in the Europe each year and is slowly growing. If left unchecked it could one possibly become a world wide problem.

            

Work Cited

Mayo Clinic Staff. Lyme Disease. 1 May 2010. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lyme-disease/DS00116.