The prevalence of arthritis in the United States is 1 in 100,000 children, However, 1 in 10 children in Lyme, Connecticut developed arthritis between June and September 1973. Allen Steere, a rheumatologist at Yale University, investigate the cases in Lyme and found that 25% of the patients remembered having a skin rash during their arthritic episode and that the disease was treatable with penicillin. Steer concluded that this was a new infectious disease and did not have an environmental, genetic, or immunologic cause.
a.What was the factor that caused Steere to reach his conclusion?
b.What was the disease?
c.Why was the disease more prevalent between June and September?