Lyme Science Blog

In their article, “Knowledge and prevention of tick-borne diseases among Hispanic and non-Hispanic residents of Maryland and Virginia,” Hu and colleagues examined U.S. Lyme disease (LD) surveillance data and found that “Hispanics were more likely to have disseminated LD compared with non-Hispanics.” The paper address the Hispanic risk of Lyme disease. The authors summarized several […]

LYMErix was withdrawn from the market in 2002 after concerns over its safety. Since then, there has been growing speculation as to whether researchers will ever be able to develop an effective and safe Lyme disease vaccine for humans. The stakes are high in the race for a new Lyme disease vaccine of humans. “There

New research indicates, however, there may no longer be a division of babesial strains between the East Coast and the West Coast. In their article “Babesia microti – Borrelia burgdorferi Co-infection,” Parveen reports that B. duncani has now been identified in eastern USA and Canada.¹ “Since B. duncani is widespread in Canada, its southern spread

As part of a TickNET collaboration, researchers examined the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to tick-borne disease prevention among persons living in endemic areas of Connecticut and Maryland.¹ They found that out of the nearly 2,000 people surveyed, performing tick checks for humans and applying tick control to pets were the two most common tick

The authors found that nearly 50% of patients did not recall a tick bite and had a delay in diagnosis due to the broad range of symptoms. The average age was 63. None of the patients died. Malaise was the most common symptom (84%) reported, followed by fever (71%), chills (52%) and joint pain (32%).

Researchers at the Azzolino Clinic in San Francisco, California “identified an alarming number of individuals suffering from post-concussion syndrome (PCS), that are refractory to care and that have serologically tested positive for Lyme disease.” [1] “Furthermore, we have witnessed a dramatic improvement in function and reduction in disability following treatment of these patients,” writes Azzolino

Scientists have documented a number of climate changes occurring in Canada, such as rising temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns and extreme weather events (i.e. extreme heat and rainfall). They believe, however, that the greatest environmental threat impacting TBDs has been global warming and the increase in temperatures. Canada has already witnessed a growing number of

Lyme disease is known to be endemic to Japan, but is rarely diagnosed. Between 2006 and 2010, only 41 cases of Lyme disease were reported, according to the authors. “Forty-one cases were domestic cases with 19 suspected to have been acquired in Hokkaido, 5 cases in Nagano, and 2 cases each in Kanagawa, Niigata, Gifu,

The results of a survey by Levy et al. offer some possible answers. The authors looked at patients who had suffered at least 1 of 4 imminent threats including depression, suicidality, abuse, and sexual assault. They found “that many people withhold information from their clinicians about imminent health threats that they face,” writes Levy. [1] The

A 6-year-old child presented to her pediatrician with a circular rash on the left side of her face. The pediatrician initially assumed the rash was allergic dermatitis and prescribed topical steroids. But the rash did not improve, explains Banadyha and colleagues in their case report. Over the next 1½ months the rash spread to the