Lyme disease is transmitted by the __ tick.

• A. Dog
• B. Wood
• C. Deer
• D. Lone star

Answer: (C)

Lyme disease is spread when a tick carrying Borrelia burgdorferi feeds on a person. The primary vector in most of the United States is the deer tick, also called the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis). These ticks pick up the bacteria from wildlife during earlier bites and can transmit it to humans during subsequent feedings, usually after attaching for a day or two. The other ticks listed are associated with different diseases or are not the main carriers of Lyme: the wood tick is more known for transmitting Rocky Mountain spotted fever; the Lone Star tick is linked to ehrlichiosis and other illnesses; and the dog tick is not a major Lyme vector. So the tick most closely linked to Lyme is the deer tick.