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Melting pot of tick-borne pathogens found in European hedgehogs
Researchers from the Netherlands have found that a sizeable number of the 1,205 ticks removed from European hedgehogs in urban and suburban areas contain multiple pathogens. In the journal Parasites & Vectors, the authors explain how these European hedgehogs contribute to a “Melting pot of tick-borne zoonoses.” [1]
Could slowing down the swimming speed of the Lyme disease spirochete help treatment?
The pathogenesis of the Lyme disease bacterium depends on its ability to migrate into human tissue. The virulence of the Lyme disease spirochete could depend on its swimming speed, according to scientists. The authors of “Vancomycin Reduces Cell Wall Stiffness and Slows Swim Speed of the Lyme Disease Bacterium” report that antibiotis in vitro could negatively impact spirochete survival by impeding their swim speed.
What is it about the Nanotrap® test we know for Lyme disease that led to support by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation?
Developing a test which can accurately diagnose both early and late-stage Lyme disease has been an ongoing challenge for scientists. Multiple tests are on the market. But a relatively new test, the Nanotrap®, has caught the eye of and garnered financial support from billionaire Bill Gates and his foundation.
Doctors recognize Lyme disease in a patient with kidney disease
Kidney disease induced by Borrelia burgdorferi has been commonly reported in dogs but in the literature there are only a few cases of Lyme disease-associated renal damage in humans. In the February 2017 issue of BMC Nephrology, Florens and colleagues discuss the “unique case of minimal change disease (MCD) associated with chronic Lyme borreliosis that resolved completely after treatment with ceftriaxone and corticosteroids.” [1]
Risk of tick bites at outdoor events
A research group in the UK described a novel way to determine the risk of tick bites at an outside event. Researchers asked ≈500 participants in a 2-day mountain marathon in Scotland to check for ticks. [1] Their findings are reported in an Emerging Infectious Diseases article, “Use of Mass-Participation Outdoor Events to Assess Human Exposure to Tickborne Pathogens.”
“Fake news” charges do not give credit to the Lyme disease community
Thousands of professionals have been working earnestly to understand Lyme disease. The Lyme disease professional community should take credit for the following findings.
Don’t count on a relapsing fever to diagnose Borrelia miyamotoi
You might assume a patient infected with Borrelia miyamotoi, a relapsing fever spirochete, to present with a relapsing fever. However, your assumption would be wrong 48 out of 50 times, according to a case series published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. [1] The authors found that only 2 out of 50 patients infected with the relapsing spirochete B. miyamotoi actually presented with a relapsing fever. [1]
American traveler with Lyme disease
Travelers typically prepare to possibly incur infections when visiting other countries. A case study in Travel Medicine Infectious Diseases entitled “American woman with early Lyme borreliosis diagnosed in a Colombian hospital” reminds travelers that they should not overlook an infection they may have contracted from their country of origin. [1]
Borrelia miyamotoi disease can be added to list of traveler’s concerns
B. miyamotoi was first identified in Japan in 1995. Since then Borrelia miyamotoi disease (BMD) has been described in Russia, United States, Europe, and Japan. Now, we can add BMD to their list of travel-associated medical concerns. [1]
Questions linger on the efficacy of the Lyme disease vaccine
A new study examines the efficacy of the Borrelia burgdorferi outer surface protein A (OspA) Lyme disease vaccine in a meta-analysis. [1]
