Lyme Science Blog

Although the majority of Babesia cases are treated with antimicrobial agents, patients with severe cases may require an exchange transfusion (ET). In their article, “Repeat exchange transfusion for treatment of severe babesiosis,” Radcliffe and colleagues describe the case of a 73-year-old woman with an extreme case of a Babesia infection, who was immunocompromised. [3] The woman ultimately […]

According to an annual, cross-sectional, nationwide survey, 20.3% were treated for 5 to 8 weeks, while 35.6% were treated for more than 8 weeks. The CDC authors were surprised at the number of Lyme disease (LD) cases being treatment with long term antibiotics “A surprisingly large proportion of respondents reported receiving more than 8 weeks

In an effort to better understand the role of the immune responses in the clinical course and post-treatment outcome of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), Bogovič  and colleagues “assessed 24 cytokines and chemokines associated with innate and adaptive (T and B cell) immune responses.” A black-legged (Ixodes spp) tick can transmit tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease. The

Neuroborreliosis manifestations typically include headaches and symptoms of meningitis, encephalopathy and stroke-like symptoms. The diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms and lumbar puncture findings. The woman had other serious health problems, which included lupus, a left-posterior parietal ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt due to congenital hydrocephalus, and migraine headaches, explains Khan. Diagnostic tests revealed renal failure and

“[Lyme carditis] is caused by direct invasion of myocardial tissue by spirochetes and an immunological host response causing lymphocyte inflammation,” writes Marcos¹ in a discussion of Lyme carditis diagnosis.  Furthermore, “B. burgdorferi has a predisposition to cause inflammation of the atrioventricular (AV) node resulting in variable conduction abnormalities.” The 18 patients with possible Lyme carditis were

Looking for a Lyme disease news? Here are the top 10 Lyme disease news items for 2019 for www.DanielCameronMD.com. 1) A growing number of doctors are treating Lyme disease for longer than 21 days.Tseng and colleagues described 488 physicians who treated for more than five weeks in a review of insurance claims data in the

Doctors have also shared their frustration in a survey taken by Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious disease specialist and associate professor at the University of Alberta’s medical school. Lyme disease myths may lead to frustrations for doctors. The survey reported that “30% [of doctors] said they have been pressured to give antibiotics and almost 90%

Following is a list of the top blogs on Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses for 2019 according to our readers.  (Please click on the headline to read the complete Lyme disease blogs.) 1.) First report of Lyme disease causing mitral valve endocarditis There have been multiple reports documenting cardiac manifestations of Lyme disease, including

In the short run, we can kill ticks, explains Hodo and colleagues. “Controlled burns may affect tick populations, pathogen prevalence, and risk of pathogen exposure to humans and animals and therefore may be a useful tool in integrated tick management.” wrote Hodo in an article addressing killing ticks. “We found a marked difference in density

Lyme disease can lead to acute and chronic illness. But deaths from Lyme disease can occur. “Death can occur when Lyme carditis is untreated,” wrote Marx, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the Annuals of Internal Medicine. “Before this report, only 9 fatal cases were reported in the literature.” Case 1: