Is Lyme disease contagious?

According to MedicineNet, Lyme disease is not contagious from an infected individual to another person. Lyme disease is caused by a kind of bacterium referred to as spirochete. According to Mayo Clinic, this bacterium is predominantly carried by deer ticks; an infected deer tick must bite a person for transmission.

According to Mayo Clinic, the responsible bacteria travel into the bloodstream after entering through the bitten skin; however, a tick needs to be attached for between 36 to 48 hours in order for transmission of the disease to occur. The early signs of Lyme disease may begin to show within a month of being infected and may include a rash and flu-like symptoms. The rash, ultimately displaying a bull's-eye formation, is one of the most distinguishing indications of Lyme disease infection.