Scientists now know that there are at least 2 different types of bacteria that cause Lyme disease after lab tests on 6 people produced unexpected results.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Mayo Clinic, and health officials from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota said in a report that it was previously believed that only Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted through bites from the blacklegged “deer” tick, caused Lyme disease in North America. But they’ve discovered a second type, called Borrelia mayonii, which also causes the disease. [1]

The scientists suspected there was another culprit after conducting tests on 6 patients with Lyme disease. They found that B. mayonii – so far only found in the Midwest – is closely related to B. burgdorferi in that it also initially causes fever, headache, rash, and neck pain, and eventually arthritis.

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