Lyme Science Blog

1.)  Should Lyme disease patients with an impaired immune system get the COVID-19 vaccine? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted mRNA COVID-19 vaccination considerations for people who have a weakened immune system. “People with HIV and those with weakened immune systems due to other illnesses or medication might be at increased risk […]

The study’s objective was to “evaluate the seasonality of pediatric Lyme disease in three endemic regions in the United States,” writes Sundheim. Participants had been treated at 8 different medical centers throughout the Northeast and UpperMidwest. Of the 690 children with Lyme disease, 77 (11.2%) had a single EM lesion, 247 (35.7%) had early disseminated

The authors looked at the perceptions, representations, and experiences of patients who had Lyme disease with nonspecific symptoms and no objective manifestations of the disease. This small study included 12 patients with confirmed and non-confirmed Lyme disease or unexplained symptoms. “Our study highlights that some physicians may also experience a lack of knowledge and information

In their article “The Impact of Operative Intervention in Pediatric Lyme Arthritis,” Tout et al. described 149 children admitted to a tertiary care children’s hospital in Pennsylvania who had been diagnosed with Lyme arthritis between 2008 and 2018.¹ All of the children met the CDC case definition, had Lyme arthritis, and were culture negative. The

The patient presented to the hospital with fevers, headaches, fatigue, and a history of night sweats, according to the case report, “Powassan Meningoencephalitis: A Case Report Highlighting Diagnosis and Management.” He had a history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Lyme disease, and reactive arthritis. He was not on any medication for Lyme disease or CLL. And

They found that some physicians are frustrated with Lyme disease (LD) patients. “Providers described challenges and frustrations in counseling patients with strong preconceptions of LD diagnosis and treatment in the context of chronic infection,” the authors wrote. The authors came to this conclusion after a series of focus groups with 14 clinicians from three primary

The 22-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with cardiac problems. He suffered from morbid obesity and  complained of chest pain and lightheadedness for several days. During his examination, he was sweaty with a fast pulse of 115. He also reported having an erythema migrans (EM) rash. Clinicians initially suspected the patient had non-segment elevation

“Two days after noting this ankle lesion, the patient noticed an erythematous rash on his neck and chest,” the authors explain. He was prescribed an antihistamine and 7-day course of trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole. The rash resolved after 5 days of antibiotic treatment, but the man continued to have pain and swelling in his ankle.  The pain spread

Until recently, India has been considered a non-endemic region for Lyme disease, the authors point out. And, “Although it had been considered extremely rare in India, a recent study conducted in Nagarahole and Bandipur in South India surprisingly revealed a high seroprevalence (19.9%) of Borrelia burgdorferi infection in a population at risk (forest workers and

In a 2003 case report, “Bone marrow manifestation of Lyme disease (Lyme Borreliosis),” Kvasnicka et al.² describe a 35-year-old man, who presented with fever, night sweats, inguinal lymph node enlargement and splenomegaly. He also exhibited neurologic symptoms including hyperkinesis and ataxia. Based on results from a lumbar puncture, doctors initially suspected the patient had infectious