In a study published June 21 in the journal Healthcare, a researcher from The University of Texas at Dallas employed new approaches to tick-borne disease surveillance in Texas with the goal of linking differing forms of surveillance data into one comprehensive picture. Lyme disease, which is caused by a bacterium that is transmitted through the bite of an infected tick, is the fastest-growing vector-borne disease in the country, according to the CDC. The research also underscores the need for more granular-level mapping of Lyme disease and integration of local and demographic information, such as environmental factors. “Researchers and some public health officials are faced with a constant obstacle: Lyme disease is not the only tick-borne disease,” Maxwell said. “Here, the notion is that Lyme disease is a multisystem infection.