Objective. This article presents an overview of Lyme disease (LD) as i
t applies to neuropsychiatry and summarises research results on the ep
idemiology of LD in South Africa. Method. The study is based on a revi
ew of research papers from various medical disciplines that focused on
the epidemiology of LD in South Africa. Results. Assessment of the in
cidence of LD in South Africa is based on a few anecdotal studies, The
results of the studies are dominated by experimental weaknesses. Conc
lusions. The sporadic nature of LD incidence in South Africa may eithe
r reflect a restriction of research efforts or be a true indication of
the epidemiology of the disease, This review lends support to the for
mer hypothesis. The low reported incidence of LD in South Africa is pr
obably due to a lack of awareness and research effort.