Transmission usually requires the tick to be attached for 36 to 48 hours or more.
If left untreated, the infection can move through different stages: Borrelia Burgdorferi - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf - NIH borrelia burgdorferi
Its spiral shape allows it to "drill" through dense tissues, like cartilage and nerves, where other bacteria might get stuck. Transmission usually requires the tick to be attached
Unlike almost all other life forms, this bacterium does not need iron to survive. Instead, it uses manganese, allowing it to bypass the body's natural defense of "starving" invaders of iron. 3. Symptoms to Watch For Instead, it uses manganese, allowing it to bypass
When an infected tick latches on to feed, the bacteria migrate from its gut to its salivary glands and then into your bloodstream.
The bacterium lives in the midgut of certain ticks—primarily the (deer tick) in the Northeast and Midwest, and the western blacklegged tick on the Pacific Coast.