text: Although Allen Steere realized Lyme disease was a tick-borne disease in 1978 , the cause of the disease remained a mystery until 1981 , when B. burgdorferi was identified by Willy Burgdorfer .
simplified: Although Allen Steere realized in 1978 that Lyme disease was a tick-borne disease , the cause of the disease remained a mystery until 1982 .