investigation of rocky mountain spotted fever. in examining the ticks for rickettsiae, burgdorfer noticed "poorly stained, rather long, irregularly coiled spirochetes." further examination revealed spirochetes in 60% of the ticks. burgdorfer credited his familiarity with the european literature for his realization that the spirochetes might be the "long-sought cause of ecm and lyme disease." benach supplied him with more ticks from shelter island and sera from people diagnosed with lyme disease. university of texas health science center researcher alan barbour "offered his expertise to culture and immunochemically characterize the organism." burgdorfer subsequently confirmed his discovery by isolating, from people with lyme disease, spirochetes identical to those found in ticks. in june 1982, he published his findings in science, and the spirochete was named borrelia burgdorferi in his honor. after the identification of b. burgdorferi as the causative agent of lyme disease, antibiotics were selected for testing, guided by in vitro antibiotic sensitivities, including tetracycline antibiotics, amoxicillin, cefuroxime axetil, intravenous and intramuscular penicillin and intravenous ceftriaxone. the mechanism of tick transmission was also the subject of much discussion. b. burgdorferi spirochetes were identified in tick saliva in 1987, confirming the hypothesis that transmission occurred via tick salivary glands. society, culture, & controversy landscape changes & urbanization urbanization and other anthropogenic factors can be implicated in the spread of lyme disease to humans. in many areas, expansion of suburban neighborhoods has led to gradual deforestation of surrounding wooded areas and increased border contact between humans and tick-dense areas. human expansion has also resulted in a reduction of predators that hunt deer as well as mice, chipmunks and other small rodents—the primary reservoirs for lyme disease. as a consequence of increased human contact with host and vector, the likelihood of transmission of the disease has greatly increased. researchers are investigating possible links between global warming and the spread of vector-borne diseases, including lyme disease. the dilution effect given these habitat-host dynamics, some researchers have begun to postulate whether the dilution effect could mitigate the spread of lyme disease. the dilution effect is a hypothesis that predicts that an increase in host biodiversity will result in a decrease in the number of vectors infected with b. burgdorferi. scientific research has shown that nymphal infection prevalence (nip) decreases as the number of host species increases, supporting the dilution effect. that said, these findings should not be misinterpreted to suggest that there is a direct relationship between decreased nip and decreased epidemiological risk, as this has yet to be proven. additionally, it is important to note that, thus far, the dilution effect is only supported in the northeastern united states, and has been disproved in other parts of the world that also experience high lyme disease incidence rates chronic lyme disease main article: chronic lyme disease the term "chronic lyme disease" is controversial and not recognized in the medical literature, and most medical authorities advise against long-term antibiotic treatment for lyme disease. studies have shown that most people diagnosed with "chronic lyme disease" either have no objective evidence of previous or current infection with b. burgdorferi or are people who should be classified as having post-treatment lyme disease syndrome (ptlds), which is defined as continuing or relapsing non-specific symptoms (such as fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, and cognitive complaints) in a person previously treated for lyme disease. the 2008 documentary under our skin is known for promoting controversial and unrecognized theories about "chronic lyme disease". other animals pets prevention of lyme disease is an important step in keeping dogs safe in endemic areas. prevention education and a number of preventive measures are available. first, for dog owners who live near or who often frequent tick-infested areas, routine vaccinations of their dogs is an important step. another crucial preventive measure is the use of persistent acaricides, such as topical repellents or pesticides that contain triazapentadienes (amitraz), phenylpyrazoles (fipronil), or permethrin (pyrethroids). these acaricides target primarily the adult stages of lyme-carrying ticks and reduce the number of reproductively active ticks in the environment. formulations of these ingredients are available in a variety of topical forms, including spot-ons, sprays, powders, impregnated collars, solutions, and shampoos. examination of a dog for ticks after being in a tick-infested area is an important precautionary measure to take in the prevention of lyme disease. key spots to examine include the head, neck, and ears. in dogs, a serious long-term prognosis may result in glomerular disease, which is a category of kidney damage that may cause chronic kidney disease. dogs may also experience chronic joint disease if the disease is left untreated. however, the majority of cases of lyme disease in dogs result in complete recovery with, and sometimes without, treatment with antibiotics. in rare cases, lyme disease can be fatal to both humans and dogs.