Lyme disease is a multisystemic, infectious disease caused by the tick-borne spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. The CDC designated LD as a reportable disease in 1990 and evidence suggests underreporting of the disease in Indiana. Local health department nurses have a major role in the areas of disease recognition, reporting, and education about LD. The present study assessed local health department nurses' knowledge of LD to determine their competence as LD educators.The study consisted of 428 nurses in 92 counties and three cities with independent health departments who were mailed a questionnaire containing 30 multiple-choice and/or true/false questions. Twenty-four nurses participated in a pilot study to establish the reliability of the instrument.The results were: (1) nurses did not differ in knowledge regardless of their duties, (2) urban and rural counties did not differ in knowledge, (3) experience did not make a difference in knowledge, and (4) less educated nurses were more knowledgeable. The nurses were least knowledgeable about LD reporting criteria, late stage symptoms, and and description of EM and most knowledgeable about prevention. The following are some of the recommendations suggested: more research with nurses on vector- borne diseases, better dissemination of information from CDC and ISDH, inservice programs for nursing personnel, and educational materials to distribute to the public. / School of Nursing