Lyme disease is transmitted by bacteria in the bite of black-legged ticks (deer ticks). They must remain attached for at least 24 hours to transmit the bacteria. It cannot be transmitted in saliva, and there is no evidence of sexual transmission.

Can you get Lyme disease from your partner?

There is no evidence that Lyme disease is transmitted from person-to-person. For example, a person cannot get infected from touching, kissing, or having sex with a person who has Lyme disease.

Is Lyme sexually transmittable?

Sexual transmission: A 2014 study found Borrelia burgdorferi—the bacteria that transmits Lyme disease—in vaginal secretions and semen from infected study participants, but not from uninfected control groups.

How is Lyme disease passed from person to person?

Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) is a tick-borne infectious disease. It is caused by a specific group of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.) bacteria, which can be transmitted to humans through a bite from an infected tick.

What is the most common way for someone to develop Lyme disease?

To contract Lyme disease, an infected deer tick must bite you. The bacteria enter your skin through the bite and eventually make their way into your bloodstream. In most cases, to transmit Lyme disease, a deer tick must be attached for 36 to 48 hours.

Does Lyme disease ever leave your body?

If treated, Lyme disease does not last for years. However, for some people, the after-effects of the disease can linger for months and sometimes even years. Alternative medicine providers call this condition Chronic Lyme disease, but this title is simply wrong.

How do you feel when you have Lyme disease?

But Lyme disease has a huge range of other symptoms, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which include fever, chills, severe headaches, neck stiffness, night sweats, pain in muscles, joints, and bones, dizziness, nausea, and facial palsy, as well as the EM rash.