Lyme Science Blog

A study published in Healthcare (Basel) by Johnson and colleagues [1] summarizes information provided by 3,903 individuals registered with MyLymeData. The participants reported a delay in diagnosis. “More than half (51%) reported that it took them more than three years to be diagnosed and roughly the same proportion (54%) saw five or more clinicians before […]

In turn, investigators from ISDH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) examined specimens from 14 of the patients diagnosed with Lyme disease and B. microti.  They tested for Babesia infection by Giemsa-stained blood smears, PCR (polymerase chain reaction), and indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) for total immunoglobulin to B. microti. The only clinical

Medics found the boy to be pale, with a heart rate of 300 beats per minute and unstable regular wide complex tachyarrhythmia (WCT). He was given a dose of amiodarone but remained in ventricular tachycardia. At the hospital his blood pressure dropped to 66/30 mm Hg and his dizziness and shortness of breath worsened. “After

Using data from Geisinger electronic medical records, researchers identified 9657 Lyme disease cases diagnosed between 2006 and 2014 in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. [bctt tweet=”Are African-Americans less likely to be diagnosed with Lyme disease?” username=”DrDanielCameron”] Moon and colleagues found that more than 97% of the Lyme disease patients were white non-Hispanic. Only 0.9% were Hispanic

The woman was admitted to the emergency room with fever, chills, lethargy, fatigue, and marked changes in sensorium. Clinicians initially believed her symptoms were due to sepsis, but she was later diagnosed with concurrent Babesia and anaplasmosis. Her case demonstrates how “patients with babesiosis show a wide range of symptoms and clinical presentations,” writes Paparone.

Studies have found Borrelia burgdorferi in the blood of patients with early Lyme disease using culture tests. “Borrelia are likely to be found circulating in the blood sporadically or they may persist for a time period ranging from 2 to 5 weeks and in some cases beyond this time frame,” writes Pavia, citing a 2001

Now, a new study by Connally and colleagues examines the effectiveness of treated clothing after it is worn and washed/dried. [2] Does this impact the contact irritancy and toxicity against Ixodes scapularis nymphs? The investigators forced blacklegged ticks to be in contact with Permethrin-treated clothing for 30 to 120 seconds. They then monitored the ticks’

In their article “Searching for the Immature Stages of Ixodes scapularis in Leaf Litter and Soil in Texas,” Tietjen and colleagues, from Texas A&M University, speculate that nymphal ticks in the south could be in the leaf litter or in different soil layers rather than on the understory vegetation. [1] So, employing a different type

The 83-year-old man, from Pennsylvania, was admitted to the hospital, reporting pain in his knee, erythema and fever for 3 days. Upon examination, physicians noted he had “a moderate effusion and limited range of motion,” explains Collins. The patient had a total knee replacement, involving the same knee, 6 years earlier. Culture tests were negative

Doctors diagnosed and treated a 67-year-old woman for early Lyme disease with a 21-day course of amoxicillin after she presented with an erythema migrans rash. (The woman was allergic to doxycycline.) Near the end of her treatment, the woman developed fevers (102.92°F), myalgias, dizziness, and fatigue. Due to concerns that she may be septic or have an