what was the 1st case of lymes disease?

Florencia Manolakis: Lyme disease was first documented in the United States in 1975. The organism that causes Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of a tick. Lyme disease is named for the town in Connecticut where some of the first cases in the U.S. occurred.

Emilie Santmyer: I would modify Odile's reply, Lyme disease is named for the town in Connecticut where some of the first cases in the U.S. were *identified.* Since Lyme bacteria in ticks have been found in many other states, countries, and continents, and even in museum specimens of ticks, Lyme, CT, was probably just the "perfect storm" where there were so many cases that it was finally studied and identified. Before that time people were being diagnosed on Long Island, NY (another highly endemic area) with "Montauk knee," indubitably the typical swollen knee of Lyme disease. And no doubt, then, as now, many people with true Lyme disease were being diagnosed with "arthritis," "hypochondria," multiple scleros! is, and other diseases that look like Lyme....Show more

Delmy Varano: Look up Polly Murray's book "The Widening Circle" on Amazon.