Tick season is here, when hikers are advised to don boots and spray on insect repellent. The bites are painless, but those of the black-legged, or deer, tick can infect the victim with Lyme disease.
Lyme disease, which causes flu-like symptoms and, sometimes, a bullseye-like rash, is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Some ticks carry the bacteria, which they pick up from biting deer or mice. Treated early, people with the disease can recover within a few weeks with antibiotics such as doxycycline or amoxicillin.
