Bartonella and Lyme Disease Mimicking ALS and MS: A Misdiagnosis Case
Bartonella and Lyme disease can cause severe neurological symptoms that mimic ALS and MS.
Bartonella and Lyme disease mimicking ALS and MS is a recognized clinical challenge, particularly when neurologic symptoms evolve and testing is inconclusive.
For an overview, see Bartonella.
In their article, “Bartonella- and Borrelia-Related Disease Presenting as a Neurological Condition Revealing the Need for Better Diagnostics,” Ericson and colleagues describe the case of a 61-year-old female.
It was initially diagnosed as a spider bite. One day later, a large blue ring appeared and the patient developed muscle aches and pain.
The woman was treated with doxycycline for two weeks, which reduced but did not resolve symptoms.
Progression of Neurologic Symptoms
Five months later, symptoms progressed to blurry vision, imbalance, muscle pain, night sweats, and insomnia.
Testing for Lyme disease and coinfections was negative.
When progressive neurologic symptoms develop with negative testing, clinicians should consider infection-related causes alongside degenerative conditions.
These symptoms are part of neurologic Lyme disease, where infection affects motor and sensory pathways.
Diagnostic Challenges
The patient was referred for evaluation, including MRI and neurologic assessment.
Advanced PCR testing later confirmed infection with Bartonella vinsonii and Bartonella henselae.
Understanding testing limitations is essential when standard serology fails to detect active infection.
Suspected ALS or MS
Symptoms continued to progress, and ALS or MS were considered.
These overlapping symptoms can lead to concern for serious neurologic diseases when weakness, imbalance, and sensory changes worsen over time.
Hip degeneration and mobility decline further complicated the clinical picture.
Testing Confirms Infection
Repeat testing confirmed Bartonella infection and later identified a spirochete consistent with Borrelia burgdorferi.
Once Lyme disease treatment began, the patient improved.
This clinical response supports the importance of identifying treatable infectious causes in patients with progressive neurologic symptoms.
Authors’ Conclusions
- Standard serologic testing may miss active infection
- Advanced diagnostic methods may improve detection
- Better understanding of testing limitations is needed
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Bartonella and Lyme disease mimic ALS or MS?
Yes. Neurologic symptoms may resemble these conditions.
Why did testing miss the infection?
Standard serology may not detect active infection.
Did treatment help?
Yes. Symptoms improved with appropriate therapy, though relapse occurred when treatment stopped.
Dr. Daniel Cameron, MD, MPH
Lyme disease clinician with over 30 years of experience and past president of ILADS.
Symptoms • Testing • Coinfections • Recovery • Pediatric • Prevention
This sounds so much like my continuing to find help, thinking I had MS or some terrible disease. I finally found a dr who tested me to find I too had bartonella and Lyme disease. I’ve been on antibiotics off and on now for 5 years and if I get off it recurs.
Not to make things even more difficult but there is a Canadian Herbalist on You Tube that was diagnosed with Lyme.No matter what he did to cure it, it wasn’t budging until he discovered that 1. he is a Targeted Individual & 2. it is Nano form all of the Could seeding or Chemtrails our Governments are doing to us all so Lyme may actually be AI in nano form. My hubby made me one of his devices & it is more powerful that I ever expected. I was dxd with MS supposedly 18+ years ago, have Bulls eye rashes but decided to try this anti nano thing cuz it is less invasive than anything MDs want to do. Just wanted to inform you of this possibility when the antibiotics don’t heal you. Good luck. Here is the Canadian herbalist – https://www.youtube.com/@HerbsPlusBeadWorks
In the UK people are routinely given a diagnosis that describes some of their symptoms, for example MS, ME, or Fibromyalgia, or told (particularly if they are female) that they are imagining the symptoms, or the symptoms are caused by an inability to manage stress, and no further investigations take place. Occasionally some form of “Lyme” test is used, but other TBDs are not considered. Results from blood tests originating from outside the NHS are dismissed, and negative “Lyme” tests from within the NHS are viewed as conclusive. I suspect there are thousands of people here with untreated TBDs and inaccurate diagnoses.
Exactly the same in Canada. Good point about being female results in more gaslighting than males. It’s like the medical community is stuck in Victorian times, despite the excellent improvement in the representation of women in MDs present in the system. Reliable testing is urgently needed, along with improved education of MDs in tick borne diseases
Wait, so this patient never recovered? 😭 That doesn’t give me much hope.
There are Lyme disease patients who fail treatment. There are patients who overlook an evaluation for a persistent infection.
Ah, another example of the usual clown show. “He ‘did not believe in persistent Lyme disease.'” Because science is, after all, a type of religion wherein facts are fluid and solely and completely a function of one’s beliefs, right? … right? I hope the patient takes action against this physician-priest. When is this going to change? How many more of us are going to suffer endlessly while attitudes like this are allowed to prevail? Presumably wide-ranging change will not happen until it stings dismissive individual physicians financially on a regular basis, I guess. At this point, I can’t help but think of Plank’s principle (paraphrased): “Science progresses one funeral at a time”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planck%27s_principle
At least this patient appears to be in the care of competent physicians at this point. Good for her. I wish her well.
It’s amazing that doctors believe in chronic syphilis but deny the existence of chronic Lyme (Borrelia). The bacteria that causes syphillis and the bacteria that causes Lyme are both spirochetes. (Go figure.)
I agree but Lyme is not a single disease. We named the disease Lyme after our was discovered in Lyme. Original name was Scrapie a disease of Scottish sheep.
Howland Grace
Where it all began..Howland Grace suggests visiting Gruinard Island off the NW coast of Scotland.
If more physicians were educated about tick borne illnesses, we might have less chronic lyme, babesia and bartonella cases. Many physicians lack knowledge in this area or refuse to believe what it can do to people.
There is a great divide among Physicians about tick borne illnesses.
After seeing research that show the cyst form of Lyme would die, after not reproducing, in a lab situation after 3 years I decided to test the theory on myself. For Lyme, I took herbal antibiotics; Cat’s claw and Otoba bark plus resveratrol (and other supporting herbs) NON STOP for 4 years before my symptoms totally subsided. At the same time I took Sida acuta and Houytonia NON STOP for Bartonella. I stopped that protocol after about 3 years because the bart symptoms had subsided and I was becoming allergic to the houytonia (runny nose). I had no symptoms of either for over two years but was bitten again a few times during that time. With every bite I do the CC/Otoba for a week. In the last year I have had a few episodes of mild joint pain for a day or two and I take Cryptolesis for a couple of days. (could be arthritis, muscle, ? but when you are paranoid…) I do need to add that after the first 6 months of no symptoms I slowly progressed into moderately severe ME/CFS (chronic fatigue). After 1.5yrs and finally overcoming that (genetically related to thiamine issue) I proceeded to MCAS (histamine intolerance) which may be related to a just discovered cerebral spinal fluid leak. So which of these came first and how they are all related still hasn’t been determined but ME/CFS was definitely the worse followed by Lyme/Bart/?, CSFL, and MCAS. 8+ years after the misdiagnosis and lack of treatment for Anaplasmosis, I count myself VERY lucky right now! Keep searching for the right answer for you and don’t depend on Drs for help!
I developed MCAS and chronic fatigue after lyme, babesia and rocky mountain spotted fever. I was in top health before lyme.
Hi Allen. Did you tested positive for Anaplasmosis after being sick 8 years ? Which lab did you used ? And which treatment? Does it helped fully ?
The longer the multiple pathogens on the backdrop of struggling immunity go misdiagnosed, the longer one gets to suffer—includes family, friends, plus we get drained emotionally and financially….
Unless we all start addressing the doctors directly, medical boards, FDA, politicians, we wont see much change.
4-1/2 years of misdiagnosis, rheumatologists, etc….kept prescribing pain meds, diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I found the right doctor and was diagnosed with FIVE tick-borne diseases, including Bartonella and Lyme. The right doctor can make all the difference.
I am sorry you hear you were sick 4 1/2 years.