Lyme Science Blog

Lyme endocarditis diagnosed by PCR testing When Stroke Symptoms Lead to Unexpected Diagnosis A 40-year-old man presented to the emergency department with a headache that had been ongoing for 5 days and intermittent numbness in his left arm. CT scan and MRI of the brain revealed acute subarachnoid hemorrhage and the patient was admitted to […]

Can ticks fly with the help of static electricity? Scientists from the University of Bristol studied the naturally occurring electrostatic charges in animals. They reported their findings in a study entitled “Static electricity passively attracts ticks onto hosts.”¹ “Mammals, birds, and reptiles are known to carry appreciable net electrostatic charges, equivalent to surface potentials on

Cardiac problems after a 10-day course of treatment for Lyme disease The 49-year old man had been diagnosed one month earlier with Lyme disease after testing positive and treated with a 10-day course of doxycycline. He was an avid hiker who had frequented trails in Pennsylvania, wrote Palmer and colleagues in their article “Atrial Flutter

Neck pain in a child with Lyme disease due to radiculoneuritis The boy presented with fatigue, posterior lower neck pain, and a low-grade temperature of 100.8 for one day. There was no history of a tick bite, erythema migrans rash, or Bell’s palsy suggestive of Lyme disease. There was pain in the soft tissues of

Treatment for Relapsing Babesiosis? As this case report demonstrates, immunocompromised patients with Babesia may not respond to standard antimicrobial treatment, resulting in relapsing babesiosis. But investigators suggest that a combination of medications including Malarone shows promise for treatment-resistant patients. In their article “Atovaquone-Proguanil: A Promising Therapy for Persistent Relapsing Babesiosis,” Shahid and colleagues describe a

Lyme arthritis symptoms in young child emerge years after tick bite In their article, “Ten-year-old Omani Girl with Lyme Arthritis,” Mughaizwi and colleagues describe a young child who had lived in the United States for 5 years before moving to Oman.¹ One year after her return to Oman, she developed symptoms of Lyme arthritis. “We

Wheelchair-bound CEO regains ability to walk after Lyme disease treatment In this case report, “Exacerbation of Osteoarthritic Joint Pain by Lyme Disease,” Bennani and colleagues demonstrate the importance in identifying an underlying tick-borne infection, as appropriate treatment can dramatically improve a patient’s quality of life.¹ A 63-year-old man, who was wheelchair-bound, presented to his clinician’s

Babesia Elderly Patients: When Symptoms Don’t Fit the Pattern Babesia elderly patients can present without the classic symptoms—and that’s what makes these cases so dangerous. In the article “An Atypical Case Presentation of Babesiosis,” Allen and colleagues describe a unique 75-year-old patient who contracted Babesiosis but did not exhibit many of the typical symptoms, such

Lyme Disease Can Affect Your Eyes Leading to Various Complications Lyme disease is typically associated with flu-like symptoms or neurologic complications, but infection with Borrelia burgdorferi can also cause problems with your eyes. In their article, “Co-infectious Uveitis With Syphilis and Lyme Disease: A Case Report,” Mandal and colleagues describe what they believe is the