Powassan virus encephalitis contracted during winter months
Most individuals with Powassan virus are asymptomatic but the virus can cause serious complications, penetrating the central nervous system and causing severe encephalitis or meningitis. Investigators explore the case of a 62-year-old man who contracted the virus through a tick bite he received during the winter months, outside normal tick season.
3 benefits of telemedicine for Lyme disease
It can be difficult finding a doctor to recognize and treat Lyme disease. Now with telemedicine, you may be able to consult with a Lyme doctor, who specializes in tick-borne diseases. In a recent study, Trevisan and colleagues describe 3 benefits that telemedicine has had on treating Lyme disease patients.
Can Lyme disease be mistaken for herpes?
Only 1 in 4 Lyme disease rashes present in a Bull’s-eye pattern. In fact, lesions can appear as a flat red rash, a blistering rash, and a rash that resembles cellulitis. Investigators describe a woman with Lyme disease who presented with a rare variant of an erythema migrans (EM) rash, which appeared with a herpetiform center.
Could Lyme disease have led to a spinal cord lesion?
Doctors considered Lyme disease as a possible cause of a longitudinally extensive spinal cord lesion in a 55-year-old man. The clinicians considered a spinal cord infarction, a malignancy and Lyme disease.
Lyme disease triggers neuropathy in the legs
It is well-recognized that Lyme disease can cause neurologic symptoms, such as peripheral neuropathy when the infection goes untreated. Patients can experience muscle weakness and/or twitching, loss of sensation in parts of the body, numbness, tingling sensations, problems with balance and bladder control, and a feeling of dizziness or faintness. But now, new research indicates that femoral neuropathy may also be due to Lyme disease.
Can Lyme disease cause cognitive dysfunction or dementia?
Welcome to another Inside Lyme Podcast with your host Dr. Daniel Cameron. In this episode, Dr. Cameron will be discussing a paper that addresses the question, “Can Lyme disease cause objective cognitive dysfunction or dementia?”
One year after infection, patient shows signs of Lyme meningitis
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss can be due to various factors but most often, the exact cause is unknown. This case report describes how undiagnosed Lyme disease with neuroborreliosis could induce sudden sensorineural hearing loss and facial nerve palsy – as long as one year after the infection with Borrelia burgdorferi.
Use of disulfiram for Lyme disease
Disulfiram, a drug intended to deter alcohol abuse, has been introduced as a potential treatment for Lyme disease. In their review article, “Disulfiram: A Repurposed Drug in Preclinical and Clinical Development for the Treatment of Infectious Diseases,” Custodio and colleagues examine studies regarding the use of disulfiram as an antimicrobial agent for post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, as well as an intervention for COVID-19 infections and as an HIV latency reversal agent. [1]
Neurological manifestations of Babesiosis
Babesiosis is an infectious disease caused by Babesia, microscopic parasites that infect a person’s red blood cells. Babesia can be transmitted through the bite of an infected deer tick. In their study, Venigalla and colleagues highlight the severe neurologic symptoms which occurred in two individuals with the disease. [1]
Mother describes challenges in getting treatment for newborn with Lyme disease
In the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Victoria Saigle, a nurse, described the difficulties in getting the care she needed for her newborn child (only 4 lbs.) with Lyme disease. [1] She is not alone.
