Recent data show that less than 16 percent of persons chronically infected with Lyme disease ever recall a bullseye rash.

Most patients with the chronic persistent form of Lyme disease (Borrelia infection) never recall a bullseye rash which would explain why their treatment was delayed allowing the disease to progress into the late stages.

Bullseye rashes (Erythema migrans) are even more rare during relapses of chronically infected patients. This number is less than 2 percent of patients. (The 1 percent that does see a bullseye when relapsing has often been re-infected with the disease).

A recent stream of articles has compared a small study using a handful of 17 patients with repeat bullseye rashes with a much larger group of patients chronically infected with the disease who never recall a bullseye rash and rarely have repeat bullseye rashes.

Many patients who do present with bullseye rashes often get early treatment and never become chronically infected patients.

The recent data collected polled 1000 patients with chronic Lyme disease infections.

150 of 1000 patients recall a bullseye when they were diagnosed with the disease (15 percent of patients)

10 of 1000 patients reported a bullseye during episodes of relapse (1 percent of patients)

With the bullseye rash re-appearing in only 1 percent of chronically infected patients during relapse it should not be used in any studies of chronic Lyme disease.