Lyme and other tickborne diseases are on the rise in the U.S. Here’s what that means.

An infectious disease physician answers questions about the increase in cases

blacklegged tick Ixodes scapularis

PERSISTANT PEST  The bacteria that cause Lyme disease are spread by infected ticks, including the blacklegged tick Ixodes scapularis.

Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service/Bugwood.org (CC BY 3.0)

There’s no sign that ticks are backing down.