Lyme disease is just one of a major class of bacterial infections. Syphilis is another. And there are several others... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiroch

Lyme disease is just one of a major class of bacterial infections. Syphilis is another. And there are several others... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirochaete https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirochaete They aren't just limited to the Eastern US.