Lyme disease is an infection that causes an inflammatory disease affecting the skin, joints, nervous system, and other organ systems.

Symptoms usually appear within a week of infection but may develop up to 30 days after the tick bite. In some cases, there are no symptoms at all.

The symptoms of early Lyme disease, called early localized stage, may include a red-ringed bull's-eye rash known as erythema migrans, which appears either as a solid red expanding rash or blotch, or as a central red spot surrounded by clear skin that is ringed by an expanding red rash. This rash, which develops in most patients with Lyme disease, usually appears 1 to 2 weeks after the disease is transmitted and may persist for 3 to 5 weeks. It may be warm to the touch and is usually not painful or itchy. The bull's-eye rash may be more difficult to see on darker-skinned people. A dark, bruise-like appearance is more common in those cases. Other symptoms of early localized stage include:

The next stage of Lyme disease, called early disseminated stage, usually appears 2 weeks to 3 months after the tick bite, and may include:

The last stage of Lyme disease, late stage, may occur if early disease was not detected or appropriately treated. Symptoms of late stage can appear any time from weeks to years after an infectious tick bite and include: