Case report: Lyme neuroborreliosis triggers multiple strokes
Lyme disease can trigger neurological complications. But neurovascular manifestations are far less common. In this case report, the authors describe a 58-year-old man who suffered multiple strokes due to Lyme neuroborreliosis.
3 Lyme disease vaccines in the pipeline
National Geographic magazine recently published an article, “Lyme disease is spreading fast—but a vaccine may be on the way.” In it, Guynup summarizes three Lyme disease vaccines that are currently in the pipeline. [1]
Neurologic complications of Babesia
Babesia is a parasitic infection that can be transmitted through the bite of an infected tick or a contaminated blood transfusion. The infection can increase the severity and duration of Lyme disease. In a new study, Locke and colleagues describe the various neurologic manifestations of Babesia.
Case study: Lyme disease in patient with Long COVID
Long COVID and Lyme disease share similar characteristics. A recently published article “Corona With Lyme: A Long COVID Case Study,” highlighted the similarities of Long COVID and Lyme disease in a 26-year-old medical student. [1]
Investigators question the term “Australian Lyme”
In their paper, “Characterising DSCATT: A case series of Australian patients with debilitating symptom complexes attributed to ticks,” Schnall and colleagues question the use of the term “Australian Lyme.” [1] And prefer instead to refer to this condition as Debilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks (DSCATT).
What parts of the body do ticks prefer to bite?
Do all tick species have the same attachment/biting preference? Does an infected tick attach to or bite different areas vs. non-infected? Does a tick’s life stage impact where it attaches? Investigators examined the biting behavior of several tick species collected from New York State in hopes of answering these questions.
Does Lyme disease affect the brain?
Rheumatologists often see patients complaining of joint pain, some of whom may live in Lyme-endemic regions. However, as the authors of a new study point out, “Today, Lyme disease with true arthritis occurs far less than cases with arthralgias and neurologic features.”
Abnormal MRI leads to Lyme encephalitis diagnosis
Encephalitis is a rare manifestation of Lyme disease with brain parenchymal inflammation being documented in only a handful of cases. In this study, the authors present the case of Lyme neuroborreliosis with encephalitis with “significant parenchymal inflammation on MRI imaging in an immunosuppressed patient.” [1]
Borrelia miyamotoi infection: An emerging tick-borne disease in California
Borrelia miyamotoi has been detected in various species of Ixodes ticks including I. ricinus in Europe, I. scapularis in eastern North America, and I. pacificus in western North America.
In California, the I. pacificus tick can harbor 2 types of spirochetes (Borrelia miyamotoi and Borrelia burgdorferi) capable of causing Borrelia miyamotoi infection and Lyme disease.
Is SOT an effective treatment for Lyme disease?
Supportive Oligonucleotide Therapy (SOT), also called Antisense Oligonucleotide Therapy (ASOT), is currently being used to treat viral infections, some cancers and Lyme disease.
