Article on Lyme Disease (from the Public Library of Science, published May 9 2006).

It's also "seed ticks" which are the culprits, probably because they're small (about the size of the head of a pin) and so not noticed. Because they're not obvious, they can remain attached longer and the risk of transmission is higher. The "48 hours" is usually considered to be how long a tick has to be attached to transmit Lyme Disease, but it's less likely a tick on a shorter amount of time can transmit the disease. It's not impossible.

I worked with a guy who was diagnosed with it after one arm became numb and he developed horrible arthritis. Thing is, a few years before this, a bunch of us medical folks had been on a bus going to a training exercise. This friend held up his hand and arm with several little target rashes on it. One doctor said "Haha- looks like Lyme disease." Everybody laughed because that was just over the top and nobody was used to seeing it. IF it had been treated with tetracycline then, my friend would never have developed any other symptoms.

The problem is that medical folks don't suspect it, and many people just don't notice or don't pay attention to the rash. Target rashes on dogs or other animals may not be visible because of fur.