Investigation of a Symptomatic Tick Bite Patient Confirms Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes scapularis and White-Footed Mice in Ashe County, North Carolina

Abstract

In June 2021, a traveler to Ashe County, North Carolina, was bitten by an Ixodes scapularis tick. The patient experienced axillary lymphadenopathy and an erythematous rash near the bite site. We confirmed Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto through PCR testing and DNA sequencing in the attached tick and later from mice trapped inside the cabin where the patient stayed.